easytravel
To promote sustainable tourism, innovative mobility offers were developed in the “easy travel” project, which as a complete package, enables holidaymakers to travel to and from the site without their own autos.
Client: bmvit, Mobility of the Future, 6th call for tenders
Duration: September 2016 to June 2018 (22 months)
Project partners: University of Innsbruck; Technical University of Vienna; Tiroler Zukunftsstiftung; Fachhochschule Oberösterreich; komobile w7 GmbH; Tirol Werbung; Ötztaler Verkehrsgesellschaft mbH Ötztal Tourismus
LOI partners: Tourismusverband Alpbachtal Seenland; Verband der Bahnindustrie; BMW Group; DB Bahn luggage service; Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; Airport Innsbruck; Innsbrucker Verkehrsbetriebe und Stubaitalbahn GmbH; Amt der Oberösterreichischen Landesregierung – Direktion Straßenbau und Verkehr, Abteilung Gesamtverkehrsplanung und öffentlicher Verkehr; University of Newcastle – Rail Education Group; Niederösterreichische Verkehrsorganisationsgesellschaft m.b.H.; ÖAR – umbrella organisation of Austrian associations for the disabled; ÖBB Personenverkehr AG; SBB AG; Wiener Stadtwerke – Neue Urbane Mobilität Wien GmbH; Verkehrsverbund Tirol; Westbahn Management GmbH; Zurich University of Applied Sciences; Amt der Tiroler Landesregierung – Verkehr und Straße
Project description: Tourism in Austria is mainly characterised by guests in rural (alpine) areas, most of whom arrive by auto. In the sense of sustainable tourism, a sustainable arrival of guests is being promoted today. In order to get as many holiday guests as possible to travel by train, it must be possible to replace their own auto in the best possible way during all phases of a journey. Studies show that in winter the transport of luggage and in summer the fear of insufficient mobility at the destination are the main reasons for deciding not to use the train for holiday travel. In most cases, for reasons of subjectively perceived comfort and personal flexibility, one’s own auto is chosen because it transports luggage and the journey can be carried out at any desired time and without changing trains thus guaranteeing mobility at all times at the destination. Conversely, 70% of auto travellers do not use their auto at their destination during a winter holiday. Current systems for luggage transport and local mobility do not yet sufficiently meet the needs of holidaymakers, which is why they are used below average and it is imperative that they be further developed to meet the needs of customers.
The “easy travel” project aimed at the development of an “all-around carefree package” for non-passenger auto travellers, with special emphasis on train travel. This applies in particular to suitable luggage transport, ensuring the most flexible possible on-site mobility, simple booking of all components and a seamless continuous mobility chain in one process. In order to be able to develop successful measures, holiday guests were intensively asked about their wishes and requirements based on extensive expertise in the various relevant subject areas. Existing systems were analysed with regard to their potential for improvement, and together with the local tourism industry, general conditions and implementation options were worked out. Based on the findings, implementation concepts (including operator-, cooperation- and business-models) were developed.
For the three main topics mentioned above, concrete implementation measures were developed and checked for feasibility, which met with acceptance from both industry and customers. The planned mix of measures in the area of car-free travel and on-site mobility is intended to increase (multimodal) rail travel.
Contact: DI Dr. Bernhard Rüger