Transport Mode Choice by Tourists Transferring from a Peripheral High-Speed Rail Station to Their Destinations: Empirical Evidence from Costa Daurada

• Published in: Sustainability 2019-06, Vol.11 (11), p.3200
• Main Authors: Gutiérrez, Aaron, Miravet, Daniel, Saladié, Òscar, Anton Clavé, Salvador
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Economic models; High speed rail; Modal choice; Passengers; Public transportation; Railway stations; Sustainability; Tourism; Tourists; Transport; Transportation terminals
• ISSN: 2071-1050; 2071-1050
• DOI: 10.3390/su11113200

This article analyses the factors that determine the mode of transport (bus, taxi or private car) chosen by tourists for transfers from a peripherally located high-speed rail station to their final destination. The study is based on a survey completed by tourists who used high-speed rail services to travel to the Costa Daurada, a tourism area on the Mediterranean coast of Southern Catalonia, Spain. The results of this study show that variables associated with the characteristics of the stay had a more decisive influence upon the decisions made by the travellers than the socio-demographic profiles of the tourists surveyed. The availability of direct public transport services for transfers from the station to the final destinations was a much more relevant factor than the cost and duration of the resulting trip. This study provides empirical evidence of the importance of accessibility for peripheral stations. In these cases, good connections via public transport apparently play a key role in both improving tourism development and promoting more sustainable mobility within the region.