International Tourism and Transport

Author: Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue

1. Tourism and Transport

Over the last 25 years, the number of international tourists has more than doubled. The expansion of international tourism has a large impact on the discipline of transport geography. As of 2002, 715 million international tourist receipts were accounted for, representing more than 10% of the global population. Tourism dominantly takes place in Europe and North America. Traveling has always been an important feature of society. First the explorers traveled the world to learn more about geographical regions, potential markets and to exploit resources. As time moved on an as transportation became more reliable, traveling became a mundane activity taking place in an organized environment; tourism. In the modern world, traveling is more centered around the annual holidays and can be fairly well predicted.

Tourism, as an economic activity, is characterized by a high level of elasticity. As transport costs are significant for international transportation, demand is strongly influenced by cost fluctuations. Therefore, transport is the key element in the tourism industry. The demand in international and even national transport infrastructures implies a very large number of people who wants to move in an efficient, fast and inexpensive manner. It requires heavy investments and complex organization. Well organized terminals and intelligently planned schedules are essential in promoting effective transportation facilities for tourists, notably since the industry is growing at a fast rate.

Transport is the cause and the effect of the growth of tourism. To start with, the improved facilities have stimulated tourism, and the expansion of tourism has stimulated transport. Accessibility is the main function behind the basics of tourism transport. In order to access the areas that are mainly aimed, tourists will use any transportation mode. However, air transport is the main mode for international tourism. Air transport plays a dominant role in inter-regional movements of tourists, which normally entails travel over long-distance. Growth rates of international air traffic are pegged with growth rates of international tourism.

Transport policies and decisions of governments can make a big difference in the destinations available to tourists, if the public sector does not cope with the demand in terms of transport infrastructures, the tourist industry might not develop in those regions. However, land transport networks in various countries are designed to meet the needs of commercial movements that tourism requires. "Holiday spenders" usually make enough contribution to the local economy that governments are more than willing to invest in efficient road networks or airport facilities, especially in locations that have limited economic opportunities other than tourism.

2. Means and Modes

Tourism transport can be divided in two categories:

• Independent means of travel; controlled by individual tourists.
• Mass travel; where tourists travel in groups.

The main transport modes used by both types of categories are:

• Car traveling is usually an independent mean of transport. The driver decides where, when and how he is going to get to a destination. It is usually cheaper since roads fees are not directly paid but rather from taxes. It is the only transportation mode that does not require transfers, in the sense that the whole journey, from door to door can be achieve without even stopping. Car transport is the dominant mode in world tourism (77% of all journeys), notably because of advantages such as flexibility, price, independence, etc... Tourists will often rent cars to journey within their destinations. The only drawback would be the speed; the traveled distance in a car cannot be compared to the efficiency of mass travel modes.
• Coach traveling in another alternative. Buses use the same road network as cars. Coaches are perfect for local mass tourism but can be perceived as a nuisance if in too large numbers.
• Rail travel is also another option, it was the dominant form of mass public transport before the car age in the developed economies, and still remains the main travel mode in less developed economies. Even if trains are very fast, the network is not too flexible, pre-established routes have to be followed. The railway network usually reflects more the commercial needs of the national economy then the holiday tourist flow which can make it a second choice as a traveling mode. The railway systems of several countries, notably in Europe, have seen massive investments for long-distance routes and high speed engines.
• Air transport is by far the most effective transport mode. Notably because of prices, only 12.5% of the tourist travel by plane. Air transport has revolutionized the geographical aspect of distances; the most remote areas can now be attained, any journey around the world can be measured in terms of hours of traveling. With jet that can reach up to 1950 km/hrs, international tourism is no longer an on going adventure. Businesspeople are among the biggest users of airline facilities.
• Cruises are mainly concentrated towards short sea journeys of about a week. Cruising has become a significant tourist industry; big cruisers are like floating resorts where guests can enjoy luxury and entertainment while moving towards their multiple destination. The international market for cruising was about 10 million tourists in 2000, more than doubling its market size since 1990. The principal geographic location of the main cruise lines are the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and South China / Pacific Ocean. Alaska and Northern Europe fjords are also popular during the summer season. This industry is characterized by a high level of market concentration with a few companies, such as Carnival and Princess.