Changes in travel behaviour. The bus as a beneficiary of climate change?

Holidaymakers who take the bus are spared the shame of flying. However, a survey by the German Institute for Tourism Research, presented by research project officer Manon Krüger at a panel discussion at the BUS2BUS Future Forum, shows that Germans are not as eco-aware as they would like to be. Her findings document Germans’ travel behaviour. One in two people say that travel should be sustainable and socially responsible, but these criteria are only actually taken into account on one in four long-haul trips. Short breaks are more straightforward, with people often staying in the area where they live. Overall however, the tourism expert sees a considerable mismatch between people’s intentions and what they actually do. Safety, cost and time are actually more important criteria for deciding on a mode of transport than their carbon footprint. In order to make coach travel more attractive, Manon Krüger suggested taking a closer look at different customer groups and making programmes more flexible where necessary. While older tourists might need the security of a tour guide, younger travellers appreciated more flexibility. Many already considered coach travel to be an eco-friendly form of transport. As yet however, people were not yet taking full advantage of it.

Anette Seidel, senior consultant at mascontour, a consultancy, has observed uncertainty among companies with regard to sustainability certificates. At the same time, the energy crisis is making them think more about resources. Concrete measures for reorienting the industry often originate in individual regions. As an example, she mentioned Bad Hindelang in the Allgäu region, which has long favoured sustainable tourism. This also includes dial-a-bus services which visitors can request using an app. They take tourists to their destination, practically from door to door, and in doing so meet individual transport needs. The system is financed by visitor fees. She believed in raising parking rates as another way to prevent people from travelling by car. Day trippers in particular could be persuaded to leave their car outside the city centre if low-cost transport was assured. It was important for the services in question to be reliable, even if they initially did not make a profit. If the transport systems worked, then many people would return. It was important to communicate their availability at the booking stage.

Jürgen Schultheis, senior manager, House of Logistics and Mobility (HOLM), said the bus industry should focus more on its ability to create an eco-friendly travel experience with point-to-point connections. In terms of passenger kilometres, coaches were the most energy-efficient form of travel. Concepts such as mobility hubs in major cities such as Berlin could also be emulated at tourist destinations, but would take time to actually become accepted.

Dr Stefan Carsten, futurologist and curator of the BUS2BUS Future Forum, was of the same opinion. Tourism regions needed to plan for the medium and long term and pay attention to intermodality. Including public transport on visitor cards could set a good example.