Services for urban holidaymakers at rural tourist destinations fostering accessibility enabled by proximity
This exploratory project CAR(E)FREE is dedicated to the question of how the transformation towards climate-neutral travel and excursions can be achieved at the destinations of tourists from urban source areas. The exploratory study examines the potential of planning tools that focus on local accessibility to avoid traffic. This not only facilitates car-free stays for individual travellers or groups of guests, but also enables the local population and tourism employees to reduce car trips and dependence on motorised mobility.
Based on findings from mobility behaviour research and type-specific behavioural change potentials as well as research results in the field of GIS-based analysis of target group-specific climate-neutral accessibility needs, CAR(E)FREE aims to develop concepts to improve accessibility both for the leisure activity profiles of holiday and excursion guests from urban regions and for the everyday activity profiles of the population and employees in tourism. The main objective is to achieve climate neutrality and avoidance of motorised mobility in the context of leisure and tourism.
In collaboration with three pilot municipalities, accessibility gaps for the different target groups are identified and measures to improve accessibility are discussed. In addition to a breakdown of specific types of accessibility needs within the three target groups (guests, local residents, tourism employees), the results include concepts for the preparation of demonstration projects in which the effectiveness of measures to improve accessibility across target groups can be tested and evaluated. The support of LOI providers anchored and networked in tourism areas ensures the transferability and co-design of the demonstration plans. With the CMC Centre for Mobility Change, the project is additionally supported to accompany the preparation of demonstration projects also after the completion of the exploratory phase.
Funding
This project is funded by the FFG (www.ffg.at) and is being carried out as part of the ‘Mobilität (2023) - Urbane Mobilität und Fahrzeugtechnologien’ (Mobility (2023) - Urban Mobility and Vehicle Technologies) programme.
