Ground Transport

GROUND TRANSPORT AND TOURISM Two broad types of transport under the ground mode that involve tourism can be identified: 1. Personal transport, including not only motor vehicles but also off-road, motorized ‘quad’ (four-wheel) vehicles and pedal-powered bicycles (which would be more associated with recreational pursuits and thus act as a focus of the experience itself). 2. Supplied transport, including transportation relating to; (A) package tours that, for example, make use of coaches or buses. (b) rail travel, including both intra-regional, inter-regional and local transport provision.

GROUND TRANSPORT AND TOURISM (Continued 1) The spatial proximity of destinations in the context of one’s usual residence plays an important role in determining whether ground transport is used. Ground transport encompasses numerous types. The provision of various types of ground transport is often governed by non-tourism related policies and planning measures. It is difficult to separate out tourist use from non-tourist use of ground transport. There are several reasons for this; First, many recreational activities utilize the same mode of transport used for patterned, daily use (i.e. transport to and from work). As a result, the family car may be used as a means of transport for economic reasons (i.e. to and from one’s place of employment), but may be used on weekends for family getaways or for afternoon trips to a local attraction such as the beach or a theme park. Trains and buses, for example, can be used not only by commuters, but also by tourists and local recreationalists.

GROUND TRANSPORT AND TOURISM (Continued 2) Most types of ground transport, service multiple functions both within and outside of the leisure/tourism/recreation realm. A second reason, is the fact that travelers may elect to use, when available, multiple modes of ground transport. A third and final consideration, is the extent to which the motivations of travelers come into play when discussing ground transport.

COACH TRANSPORT Coach transport is often associated with pleasure travel that encompasses numerous destinations (often in circuit routes, involving destinations or places that are usually geographically proximate to one another) over a specific period of time. Coach transport and its relationship to tourism can be significant in some areas and less so in others. One of the most common example of coach travel is, large buses shuttling tourists across a wide geographic region with stops at popular attractions & destinations.

RAIL TRANSPORT When examining how tourism can be linked with rail transport, two main sub-modes can be broadly identified: 1. Inter-destination rail transport (i.e. rail transport that links regions, cities, destinations and even attractions; this can be international or cross-border as well). 2. Intra-destination rail transport (i.e. rail transport that is designed to move passengers within a destination or attraction).

RAIL TRANSPORT (Continued 1) Many countries are turning to high-speed rail networks (using MAGLEV trains that can run at 500 km/h) to facilitate passenger and cargo movement. At present, Japan, France, Germany and Spain offer the service, although Korea recently launched the KTX service from Seoul to the port city of Busan (BBC, 2004a).

RAIL TRANSPORT (Continued 2) High-speed rail could impact on air travel markets as long as travel time is competitive between the two modes. Demand for rail services must be measured along numerous variables, including: Convenience, price , access, station facilities, service frequencies and schedules, and interchange with other services such as; safety, travel time, punctuality, flexibility and comfort.

RAIL TRANSPORT (Continued 3) Rail excursion/tour services can be packaged either by wholesalers or directly by rail company itself. Both work closely with local service providers (primarily accommodations and, in some instances, restaurants and other attractions) to build all-inclusive rail holidays, some of which are escorted.

RAIL TRANSPORT ANO HERITAGE TOURISM In recent years, there has been an interest in historical rail travel, where the means of transport also functions as the attraction itself. The growth in historic rail travel has been associated with the recognition of the importance of heritage tourism experiences. To this end, it was suggested that preserved railways and tramways provide opportunities to view heritage transport in museum situations, and also to participate in the re-creations, accurate or otherwise. Further, growing numbers of people enjoy seeing and traveling on preserved historic transport modes, and are fascinated with steam propulsion, railways, and the images and emotions they stimulate.

RAIL TRANSPORT ANO HERITAGE TOURISM (Continued 1) Fostoria, Ohio was the first electric rail traffic control system to be demonstrated anywhere in the world and was also the first place where centralized railroad traffic was established. Plans to revitalize a unique historical tower by the Fostoria Train Tourism. These examples further demonstrate how a mode of transport can become closely integrated with the tourism experience, especially in an historical context.

PERSONAL TRANSPORT Such as; personal automobile, motorcycle or bicycle. Personal modes of transport can best be characterized and differentiated on the basis of provision or use: 1. Modes of transport provided by the individual; in relation to tourism, this can mean the utilization of personal automobiles for day or overnight trips at varying lengths. 2. Modes of transport that are provided to the individual at a set cost (i.e. through a rental or lease agreement); tourists may rent a vehicle for transport to and from a destination or within a single, or between two or more, destinations.

PERSONAL AUTOMOBILES In the United States, personal vehicles are used for more than 80% of long-distance domestic trips and over 90% of commuting trips to work. Personal vehicles are used in many countries to access second home cottage areas. Personal automobiles are the dominant type of transport used to access second homes in the Netherlands and Germany, and played a key role in determining attractiveness of certain regions as weekend leisure zones in Sweden.

CYCLE TRANSPORT With cycle tourism, some destinations utilize these outdoor activities for the purposes of reactivating tourism in the off-season. For example, in Whistler, British Columbia, off-road cycling (or ‘mountain biking’) is heavily promoted in the summer season as a recreational activity. In this particular case, tourists need not bring their own bike as many shops that rent skis during the peak winter season also rent mountain bikes.

SUSTAINABLE GROUND TRANSPORT The overall sustainability of ground transport necessarily means consideration not only for the actual environmental impacts, but also the degree to which transport can factor into the overall sustainable nature of tourism development. It is not clear whether one particular type of ground transport is more sustainable than another type because the environment varies considerably and may present direct comparison difficult. The use of private automobiles by tourists and recreationalists (either their own or rented) certainly can cause road congestion along main motorways and major routes in some countries.

Text book Duval D. (2007). Tourism and Transport: Modes, Networks and Flows. Multilingual Matters & Channel View Publications. (Chapter 4)