ABSTRACT
There is today a strong need to preserve the world’s remaining natural areas for the well being of future generations. Yet these areas are often the setting for intense tourist activity relying on travel modes that imply negative externalities, including atmospheric pollution and noise (Countryside Agency, 2003). This is clearly not just a threat to the ecological functioning of many environmentally fragile areas, but also a detrimental factor for the qualities (e.g. tranquillity, unspoiltness) that attract visitors (Guiver et al., 2007). The reduction of the impacts of visitation in natural settings is largely connected to the actual possibility of shifting a significant share of visitors from private to public modes of transport. This is often achieved through so-called ‘carrot and stick’ measures, which combine incentives to public transit (e.g. passes, increased frequency of service) and disincentives on car use (e.g. road restrictions, tolls) (Steiner and Bristow, 2000; Dickinson et al., 2004). Unfortunately, however, the maintenance of ad hoc public transport services in rural areas is very expensive and many local authorities and national parks are reducing their financial support to rural public transport (Reeve, 2006, p. 3). This means both a reduced service for people living in rural areas and the impossibility for visitors to reach (and move within) these areas without a private vehicle. A solution to this dilemma could come from the improvement of scheduled services whose financial sustainability is ensured by tourist ridership. This chapter explores whether and how tourists can actually increase the economic feasibility of rural public transport supply and therefore contribute to the sustainability of transportation in rural regions. Empirical evidence about the opportunities of fruitful cooperation between public transport agencies and the tourism sector towards better transport provision in natural settings is provided.
