Time: Friday, 26/Sept/2025: 1:30pm - 3:00pm Session Chair: Christoph Pachucki |
The session explores forward-thinking strategies for integrating tourism into sustainable urban development. As cities face increasing pressures from globalization, climate change, and socio-economic challenges, tourism must evolve to align with the goals of resilient and inclusive urban futures. This session invites discussions on innovative pathways that reimagine the role of tourism in shaping cities, from leveraging technology and data-driven planning to promoting community-driven initiatives and green infrastructure. Topics include smart tourism, adaptive reuse of urban spaces, and participatory approaches that balance the needs of residents, visitors, and ecosystems. Case studies and visionary frameworks will provide practical insights into creating synergistic relationships between tourism and urban development, offering actionable strategies for cities to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
On-Site Mobility in Alpine Tourism: Motivations, Opportunities and Abilities for Sustainable Transport Choices in Tyrol
1Institute for Sports Medicine, Alpine Medicine and Health Tourism, UMIT TIROL – The Tyrolean Private University, Hall i. T., Austria; 2Department of Sport Science, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria; 3Division for Management in Health and Sport Tourism, UMIT TIROL – The Tyrolean Private University, Hall i. T., Austria
Tyrol benefits from a prime location in the Alps with excellent transport connections and proximity to major urban centers. Due to the topography, streets, car parks and other resources often must cope with limited space. Tourism traffic, with 80% of guests arriving by private car, contributes significantly to emissions, congestion, and landscape degradation. Public transport remains underutilized (Alpine Convention, 2021; Malik et al., 2016).
Despite this, emerging trends such as urbanization, environmental awareness, and changing demographics offer opportunities for sustainable mobility solutions (Federal Ministry of Labour and Economy, 2024). However, the majority of tourists is unwilling to compromise their vacation experience for climate-friendly behavior and use climate-friendly mobility for arrival and on-site (Cialdini, 2001).
Although traffic reduction measures are widely supported, the Tyrolean tourism industry has yet to implement effective solutions. Therefore, this study investigates in climate-friendly
on-site mobility, based on the theoretical frame of the MOA model of MacInnes et al. (2024) and examined a) motivational and inhibiting factors for using sustainable on-site mobility, b) opportunities (infrastructure), and c) abilities (e.g., fellow travelers) that influence tourists to use or not use these mobility options.
Thus, 183 qualitative interviews were conducted in five Tyrolean tourism destinations during the 2023/24 winter season and the 2024 summer season. Tourists were interviewed about their on-site mobility choices during the gondola ascent.
Results indicate strong interest in climate-friendly on-site mobility at the destinations despite most guests arriving by car. Key motivators included the convenience of public transport, the desire to avoid driving, and free access to public transport via guest cards. However, barriers like poor connections, lack of comfort, and difficulties in transporting luggage or sports equipment limited usage. Abilities included accommodation proximity to excursion points and travel companions. Opportunities referred to the level of information about the mobility offer at the destination, primarily via digital apps or on-site materials, and the frequency of bus services.
Our research enhances the understanding of sustainable on-site mobility in alpine-urban tourism, providing a foundation for further studies on behavioral change. The findings support tourism regions developing climate-friendly mobility solutions tailored to guests' needs.
References:
Alpine Convention (Ed.). (2021). Alpenzustandsbereich. https://www.alpconv.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Publications/RSA/RSA_8_DE_web.pdf
Cialdini, R. B. (2001). Influence: Science and Practice.
Federal Ministry of Labour and Economy (Ed.). (2024). Mobility in tourism - initial situation and trends. https://www.bmaw.gv.at/Themen/Tourismus/tourismuspolitische-themen/tourismusmobilitaet/trends.html
MacInnes, S., Demeter, C., & Dolnicar, S. (2024). Is the pursuit of pleasure on vacation a barrier to environmentally sustainable behaviour? Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2024.2413688
Malik, M. A. S., Shah, S. A., & Zaman, K. (2016). Tourism in Austria: biodiversity, environmental sustainability, and growth issues. Environmental Science and Pollution Research International, 23(23), 24178–24194. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7609-x
What visitors want - Understanding urban populations' trade-offs to improve climate change adaptation in rural destinations
IMC Krems University of Applied Sciences, Austria
When summer gets uncomfortable, urban residents often look for close by rural destinations to escape the rising temperatures of urban centers and find rest and recovery in nature and outdoor spaces. However, climate change is causing increasing uncertainty in weather patterns which in turn causes urban population's decision-making to shift to accommodate for high temperatures or the possibility of extreme weather events at their chosen destination. Understanding these decisions is important for destination management in order to provide high-quality experiences to guests from urban areas while also considering climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies they intend to implement.
A discrete choice experiment was applied to understand how climate change is impacting decision-making when it comes to destination choices among NÖ-CARD holders (n=5.544). The analysis showed different motivations and substitution behaviors among respondents. Particularly those who rely on public transportation stood out.
For most respondents, predominantly stemming from the Vienna metropolitan area, indoor attractions are not an easy substitute for outdoor attractions. Visitors are more likely to follow their interests and are willing to drive significantly further away to an alternative destination. Substituting the destination is therefore much more likely than substituting the type of attraction or activity.
The results are a clear indication for practitioners, to include climate change-related decision-making by guests into their (sustainable) development strategies as the need for both adaptation and mitigation grows. This will include greater links to transportation and mobility, as a growing number of urban households live car-free and public transportation connections, especially to rural areas, remain limited. This study shows that decisions in uncertain times of climate change can be predicted and that the experience development for urban guests should consider their substitution and mobility behaviors.
Governing impact of extreme weather events: Policy responses to storm surges and flooding in Southern Denmark’s municipalities
1BOKU University, Austria; 2Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
As climate change accelerates, Europe faces increasing risks from extreme weather events, including storm surges and flooding. Projections of rising sea levels and more intense rainfall pose significant challenges in vulnerable regions such as Denmark, where potential flood damages are estimated at approximately EUR 55 billion over the next century if no adaptation measures are implemented (Halsnaes et al., 2024). Municipalities in Southern Denmark are at the European forefront of addressing these risks, employing a range of strategies to manage the socioeconomic impacts of extreme weather events.
This paper explores how municipalities in Southern Denmark manage flood risks through proactive planning, zoning practices, and the integration of national and local resources. It is based on the analysis of relevant European, national and local policies as well as on primary information gathered from experts in the region. It describes challenges arising from the application of the utility principle to climate change adaptation and analyzes how the distribution of responsibilities between policy levels adds to the complexity of decision-making. It contrasts measures protecting “zero tolerance” zones such as the City of Copenhagen with measures applicable to other areas, and examines the issue of protection criteria beyond financial value, such as cultural heritage, biodiversity, and social equity.
By examining how municipalities in Southern Denmark manage impacts of storm surges and flooding, our findings contribute to the broader discourse on urban resilience and climate adaptation. We present successful physical and non-physical measures, emphasize the importance of raising awareness among all stakeholders and highlight the relevance of establishing clear responsibilities for action and cost allocation.
This research has been partly funded under the current Horizon Europe research project “Cross-sectoral Framework for Socio-Economic Resilience to Climate Change and Extreme Events in Europe (CROSSEU)” under Grant Agreement No 101081377.