Tourists, a new target group for digital travel planners?

Tourists, a new target group for digital travel planners?
Deliverable no. 4.12 of the SEEMORE project
Date of preparation of this document: 10.04.2014
Project Coordinator:
Author of this document:
CINESI Transport Consultants, Spain
Company: Trivector
Mr. Maarten van Bemmelen
Author’s name(s): Caroline Mattsson
[email protected]
email: [email protected]
Phone. +34 971 613714
Phone: +46 10 456 56 43
Start date of the project:
April 2012
End date of the project:
April 2015
Project website: http://www.seemore-project.eu
Legal disclaimer:
The sole responsibility for the content of this document lies with the authors. It does not represent the
opinion of the European Communities. The European Commission is not responsible for any use that
may be made of the information contained therein. SEEMORE is co-funded by the Intelligent Energy
Europe Programme of the European Commission and runs from April 2012 until April 2015.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1
About the SEEMORE project ...................................................................................................... 4
1.1
Project Summary ................................................................................................................ 4
1.2
The SEEMORE consortium ................................................................................................. 5
2
Summary .................................................................................................................................... 6
3
Revision and peer review history ............................................................................................... 7
4
Glossary ...................................................................................................................................... 8
5
SEEMORE: changing travel behaviour of tourists ...................................................................... 9
6
Examples from tourist regions ................................................................................................. 11
6.1
Madeira ............................................................................................................................ 11
6.2
Travel planner in Mallorca ............................................................................................... 13
6.3
Info kiosks in Limassol ...................................................................................................... 14
7
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 15
8
List of Figures ........................................................................................................................... 16
9
List of Tables............................................................................................................................. 17
10 References ................................................................................................................................ 18
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1 ABOUT THE SEEMORE PROJECT
1.1 Project Summary
SEEMORE shows that regional actors in 8 European coastal tourist regions are able to change the
travel behaviour of visitors within their regions towards more sustainable transport modes. The
main objectives of the project are to:
- Increase visitors´ awareness of sustainable mobility;
- Strengthen the co-operation between the mobility and tourism sectors;
- Shift travel behaviour of tourists to sustainable transport modes; and
- Communicate and transfer experiences to other tourist regions.
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1.2 The SEEMORE consortium
Project Partner
Country
CINESI Transport Consultancy (Coordinator)
Spain
Mallorca Transports Consortium
Spain
Trivector Traffic AB
Sweden
Association of Local Authorities Fyrbodal
Sweden
FGM-AMOR Austrian Mobility Research
Austria
Common Europe Pomeranian Association
Poland
Municipality of Choczewo
Poland
Sustainable Development of Civil Society Club
Bulgaria
Province of Forlì-Cesena
Italy
Central European Initiative
Italy
Limassol Tourist Development and Promotion Co Ltd
Cyprus
Stratagem Energy Ltd
Cyprus
Horários do Funchal Public Transport
Portugal
Local Councils’ Association
Malta
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2 SUMMARY
Trips made by tourists are increasing rapidly in the western world, and especially trips by car.
Despite this, not much is done to improve conditions to use public transport or other sustainable
means of transport. SEEMORE (Sustainable and Energy Efficient Mobility Options in Tourist Regions
in Europe) aims to change the travel behaviour among tourists and thus decrease CO2-emissions
by increasing the awareness among tourists about sustainable mobility options in tourist regions
and providing smart solutions for travelling. Future tourists will be more moveable and flexible than
today’s tourists, which claim higher standard on travel information. One way of doing this is
providing up-to-date information that can be used before the trip and on-site by the tourists. The
main difficulty is to join relevant data from various organisations and institutions, which creates the
need for new co-operations. Also, there is an issue of who will own a product and up-date it
regularly. So, based from what we know today, how can we provide a usable product to tourists as
a target group and what should it contain? Examples from three tourist regions, Madeira (Portugal),
Mallorca (Spain) and Limassol (Cyprus) are presented in this paper.
This document is addressed to local and regional authorities at tourist destinations in Europe,
mobility providers, hotels and leisure attractions. The paper is intended to disseminate the
innovative approach to tourists’ mobility management developed within the SEEMORE project,
thus facilitating and encouraging the transfer of best practices in this field.
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3 REVISION AND PEER REVIEW HISTORY
Version
Date
Comments
Number
Peer
reviewed
by
(Name, Organisation)
1.0
20.06.2014
First draft sent for peer review by CEI
N/A
2.0
25.06.2014
Peer reviewed version
FGM-AMOR
3.0
25.06.2014
Some suggestions from the peer reviewer
integrated in the document by the CEI
N/A
4.0
21.07.2014
Final version released by Trivector Traffic
AB
N/A
Table 1: Document revision and peer review history
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4 GLOSSARY
Abbreviations provided in this report
Abbreviation
Full name
ITS
Intelligent Transport Systems
GPS
Global Positioning System
HF
Horários do Funchal
CTM
Mallorca Transport Consortium
Table 2: Abbreviations used
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5 SEEMORE: CHANGING TRAVEL BEHAVIOUR OF
TOURISTS
Trips made by tourists are increasing rapidly in the western world, and especially trips by car.
Tourist trips are an important part of sustainable and energy effective transports. Trips to leisure
activities stand for 50% of the annual distance travelled in industrial countries and 3.2 of the global
energy use (whereof 94% is related to transport)1.
The SEEMORE project (Sustainable and Energy Efficient Mobility Options in Tourist Regions in
Europe, 2012-2015), co-funded by the Intelligent Energy Europe Programme of the European
Union, will show that regional actors in eight European coastal tourist regions are able to change
the travel behaviour of visitors within their regions towards more sustainable transport modes. The
participating regions are Mallorca (ES), Bohuslän (SE), Forlì-Cesena (IT), Dobrich (BG), Pomerania
(PL), Madeira (PT), Limassol (CY) and Malta (MT).
The objectives of SEEMORE are to improve the situation for tourists by increasing awareness of
sustainable modes of transport and improving the range and service of alternatives to the private
and rented car. The challenge is two folded: to offer better service on sustainable modes of
transport and to communicate these options to the visitors.
With regards to this, and in order to reach the specific objectives of the project, Mobility
Management is the core of the actions to be implemented:
1. Increase the awareness among visitors about sustainable mobility options in tourist regions;
2. Increase cooperation between the sectors of tourism and mobility, and creation of new and
improved energy-efficient mobility options for leisure travel in eight coastal regions throughout
Europe;
3. Shift of travel behaviour of visitors towards more sustainable modes;
4. Widely share and communicate the SEEMORE experiences and outcomes with other actors in
Europe, so that they start implementing similar actions targeting leisure travel.
One of the challenges is how to target the visitors to inform them on sustainable mobility options.
Potential visitors for a specific region is a very dispersed group difficult to target when they are at
“home”. Once the visitors arrive to the tourist region it becomes easier to target them directly and
this is the basis for the development of the information tools described below.
Tourists of today are being more flexible and spontaneous during their holidays and they often
want to discover places “by themselves”. This places higher demands on information of alternatives
and services in order to increase the accessibility to attractive destinations in the tourist areas.
1
Gössling, S, 2002.
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Information should be available at all times for the tourists, before the trip starts as well as during
the trip. Comparing to the need of inhabitants in the area, the information for tourists should be
more descriptive, e.g. information on how to use the public transport, where to find the bus stop
or bike rental, and guides to cultural and nature destinations. When dealing with tourists one
should think in terms of making their search for travel information as straightforward and easily
accessible as possible. This opens up for promoting user-friendly modes of transport. In the same
spirit, the travelling suggestions should also be easy, comfortable and offer value for money,
enriching the visitors’ experience instead of just getting them from point A to point B.
In the efforts of enriching the visitors’ experiences and bringing them closer to nature and local
culture, ITS (Intelligent Transport System) is one basic element. It can be used both by improving
the level of service and by making tourists aware of the possibilities sustainable mobility options
give. The advantages with ITS from a tourist point of view are that the information is adaptable to
the place and time where the tourist is in that moment. The tourist can thus have accurate travel
information in any instant of the journey.
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6 EXAMPLES FROM TOURIST REGIONS
Within the SEEMORE project, new ideas are being developed and tested in three regions: a tourist
guide, audio guide and travel planner in Madeira, a mobile travel planner in Mallorca, and info
kiosks in Limassol.
6.1 Madeira
In Madeira, the challenge is to make tourists use the public transport when discovering the island.
To this end, three tools have been developed to fulfil the different needs of tourists: tourist guide,
audio guide and travel planner. The tools can be combined or can be used separately.
These three tools were all thought to be necessary in order to suit the very different groups of
tourists that come to Madeira, from old people to younger ones and with very different experiences
with technology. Having available and easy-to-use information at all times will give the tourist more
security on the trip and reduce transport-related stress. Hopefully this will make more people use
public transport for touristic reasons as well. The tools have all been implemented and are available
for free downloading.
6.1.1 Tourist guide
Horários do Funchal, the public transport company in Madeira, has developed a tourist guide that
can be considered as a roadmap for tourists that wish to discover the island (downloadable at
http://www.horariosdofunchal.pt/guia-en/). The aim has been to develop information so that
tourists can be kept informed about public transport offers and how they can reach tourism
hallmarks and attractive events using public transport. The guide can be used to plan the trip in
advance and on-site to increase the knowledge about the places that are being visited. Every
destination is marked with
the bus number to reach the
place. The tourist guide can
be
downloaded
(and
printed) from the website of
the
public
company
and
transport
will
be
available to use both online
and offline. Versions are
available for different types
Figure 1: Example from Madeira`s tourist guide
of digital devices.
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6.1.2 Audio guide
A complement to the tourist guide is the audio guide developed to provide tourists with detailed
information about the places they are seeing on a specific route, as they visit the island on board
of Madeira buses.
The audio guide is a free application that can be downloaded from the website of Horários do
Funchal (http://www.horariosdofunchal.pt/audiotrip). It runs offline (GPS activation is necessary
though) and is ready to install on smartphones (Android and iOS). Within the frame of the SEEMORE
project a pilot trip was developed, containing a description of milestones recommended for tourists
to visit along the route “Journey to the heart of the Island”. Users just have to download the
application and the trip, then put the headphones and enjoy.
To reach tourists, Horários do Funchal attaches posters along the bus stops of the audio trip route
and information can be found in the reception desk of hotels located in Funchal. Additional
information is displayed as a banner in the public transport operator website as well as on other
stakeholders’ websites.
Figure 2: Banner for the audio guide on Madeira
6.1.3 HF bus and HF mobile travel planner
To complete the package of tourist information, a travel planner was launched (see:
http://www.horariosdofunchal.pt/planearviagem/). The reason was that tourists must also have
the opportunity to know in every moment when and from where a bus leaves. “HF bus” is the
website of Horários do Funchal adapted to mobile devices and “HF mobile” is the downloadable
mobile application of the travel planner. Apart from the usual travel planning features, these apps
also show the way to bus stops and suggest routes including recommended departure times. There
is also the possibility to set an alarm to notify when the bus is nearly due to arrive at a designated
bus stop, a highly appreciated feature among tourists that often are not fully aware of transport
schedules.
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6.2 Travel planner in Mallorca
In Mallorca, the challenge is to make travelling easy and intuitive. A solution has been found in the
development of an innovative mobile travel planner including route options.
“CTM App” is a mobile travel planner designed by the Mallorca Transport Consortium (CTM) within
the SEEMORE project. The objective is to create an application taking into account travellers’ needs,
making it easy and intuitive to use. The application combines information on public transport from
CTM and Google Transit to give the best service for the user. The application is available in six
languages in order to offer maximum range among tourists. Apart from Spanish and Catalan, also
English, German, French and Russian.
A lot of effort has been put on reducing uncertainty for the traveller and thus attract tourists to the
bus. Effort is also put on including information on destinations of interest for the tourist. Some
examples of features that are included in the application – in addition to the usual information on
bus stops, bus lines, timetables, etc. – are:

possibility to track the bus, knowing where the bus is in every moment. This is a way of warning
for potential problems, accidents or delays in the service;

integration of information from the commercial and leisure fields around a specific bus stop,
e.g. commercial areas, cultural centres, tourist attractions, points of interest.
At the time of the preparation of this report, the Transport Consortium of Mallorca and the
transport consultancy CINESI are working on the design of several tourist routes and trips over
Mallorca that can be reached by public transport. Once the routes are defined, the intention is to
link them with public transport lines and stops. Thus, the user of the application can obtain extra
information, knowing which tourist routes and trips are linked to each line and stop, widening
leisure options and attractions. One possible development will be to include information of the
shortest route to the closest public transport stop, allowing to get informed on the spatial and
temporal distance between the
user’s location and the stop.
Many of the features developed
for tourists are also usable for
inhabitants in the area, both for
regular everyday trips and for
being
a
tourist
in
your
neighbourhood.
The application is available free of
charge for android and iOS (for
web
version,
see:
Figure 3: Features in the CTM
application including Google Transit
for planning a trip
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http://www.tib.org/portal/en/web/ctm/inici). In order to make the tool known, meetings are
planned with different hotel associations to promote the application within the tourism sector and
encourage its use among visitors.
6.3 Info kiosks in Limassol
A more stationary information service is the one offered in Limassol. The challenge in Limassol is to
provide up-to-date information to tourists 24 hours a day. A solution has been found by installing
info kiosks at strategic places in the tourist area.
Six information kiosks have been installed in high traffic areas in Limassol providing 24-hour up-todate information free of charge. The kiosks feature a 32-inch screen (1920 x 1080 pixels) where
visitors can find information and videos promoting travelling in the area using sustainable mobility
modes, such as bus timetables and routes, information on biking and walking routes, location of
bus stops and bike rental stations, etc.
The role of the info kiosks is purely informational. Relevant services can be promoted through the
info kiosks but not sold at this point. The info kiosks are open for anyone but are mostly used by
tourists. Information is provided in three languages: Greek, English and Russian. In the first year of
their use (2013), they received a few million clicks. The results from monitoring the most requested
information show that there is an increasing interest in knowing more about, for example, cycling
routes. Included in the info kiosks is the
new web travel planner “Limassolbybus”
which enables tourists to plan a trip with
both urban and interurban buses. The
travel planner is also available for
smartphones (Android and iOS) and
tablets but works only with online
connection.
The info kiosks operate with very low
electricity consumption (regular power
supply) offered by the local authorities of
the several municipalities in the area of
Limassol. Before installing the six info
kiosks, an agreement was signed with
each local authority about their support
and cooperation in terms of providing the
space and electricity for the operation of
the kiosks. A Bluetooth application is also
available for use by smartphones.
Figure 4: Info kiosk in Limassol
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7 CONCLUSION
ITS is a very efficient way of providing travel information to tourists and with further developments
in the area it will probably be standard in most tourist destinations. It is a complement to other
mobility management measures that can play a large role in changing travel behaviour. The
examples described above are all first hints of how to use ITS in communication with tourists, but
improvements will be made in making the tools even more user friendly, and used.
One important success factor is the partnership between various stakeholders, especially between
transport and tourism professionals, to enable that data from both sectors are merged. Without
this cooperation the added value for the tourist is less and the information will not be attractive.
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8 LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Example from Madeira`s tourist guide ............................................................................. 11
Figure 2: Banner for the audio guide on Madeira............................................................................ 12
Figure 3: Features in the CTM application including Google Transit for planning a trip ................. 13
Figure 4: Info kiosk in Limassol ........................................................................................................ 14
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9 LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Document revision and peer review history ........................................................................ 7
Table 2: Abbreviations used ............................................................................................................... 8
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10 REFERENCES
Gössling, S., 2002, Global environmental consequences of tourism, Institute of Cultural Geography,
Freiburg, Germany
Acknowledgements
Thanks for information provided about the digital tools: Lluís de Victoria and Raúl Medina, CINESI
Transport Consultants, Spain; Claudio Mantero and André Freitas, Horários do Funchal, Madeira,
Portugal; Maria Stylianou, Limassol Tourism Board, Cyprus.
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