Tourism 12: Transporta0on
Importance of Transporta0on to tourism
• Transporta0on = MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENT of travel & tourism!!!!!
• Why? – Must be able to get to des0na0on and get around while there
– GeLng there and around is part of the fun of traveling (or stress!)
Main forms of Transporta0on
• Air travel • Surface travel – Car – RV – Rail – Motor coach (bus) – Mass transit
• Cruise & marine • other
How do travellers choose transporta0on?
• Cost • Service • Time • Convenience • Safety issues • Route structures • Frequency of departures
Air Travel
• How important is air travel? – Es0mated 31.9 million people worldwide employed in airline industry
– Es0mated 93,000 flights per day • 2000+ flights/day in Canada
• Advantages of flying? • Disadvantages of flying?
Routes • Hub & spoke system: – Concentrates flights and large aircra^ to larger ci0es (called hubs); uses smaller aircra^ to fly from hub to smaller ci0es and towns (called spokes)
• Linear flight system – Flights go directly from origin to des0na0on and back again
Air Travel Key Terms
• Scheduled air carrier: – operates defined routes on a published schedule
• Charter air carrier: – Operates flexible routes on flexible schedule, depending on what group of passengers wants
• Landing fee: – Charged to every aircra^ that lands at an airport
• Gateway airport: – Receives high volume of interna0onal flights
• Load factor: – Average % of airline seats filled with paying passengers
• Bumped: – When flight is oversold and confirmed passengers are denied boarding
• Round trip: – Trip origina0ng in one city, takes passengers to des0na0on, then brings them back to origin on same airline
• Airline connec0ons: – Having to change aircra^ en route to a des0na0on
Surface Travel: Autos
• Most popular mode of travel for tourists • Why people travel by car: – Low cost – Convenience – Flexibility – Enhanced trip experience – Easier luggage transport – Can use car at des0na0on – Have ‘own’ space
RV (Recrea0onal Vehicle)
• Approx 80% of travel in US and Canada is family vaca0on – most of this is by car or RV
• RVs add benefit of bringing your ‘home’ on road trip
• Advantages? • Disadvantages?
Rail
• Long history • VIA Rail is Canada’s main passenger rail company • AMTRAK is the main American passenger rail co. • Rail travel in Europe is much more efficient and cost-‐effec0ve – Trains go ‘everywhere’ – Excellent schedule – EuRail Pass – train pass covering up to 17 European countries
• Bullet trains – super high speed • Train travel has a certain ‘mys0que’ to it
Motor Coach (Bus)
• Two main types: – Scheduled routes – Charters
• Categories of bus tours: – Charter tours – Escorted tours (package tours) – Independent package tours – City package tours – Intermodal tours (use more than 1 form of transporta0on)
Mass Transit
• Need to be aware of how to get around when they get to des0na0on
• Common forms of mass transit – City busses & trolleys – Light rail (ie SkyTrain) – Commuter rail systems (short train rides) – Subways – Taxis and limos
Cruise & Marine Travel
• Big business! – 17 million cruise passengers in 2013 – 800,000 cruise passengers passed through Vancouver in 2013
• Popular types of cruises – Sea cruises (1 day to 3 months) – River cruises – Lake cruises & ferries – Charter yachts, sailboats and houseboats
Popular Cruise areas: • Caribbean • Mexican Riviera • Panama Canal • Alaska • Hawaiian Islands • Eastern US & Canada • Mediterranean • Northern Europe • Reposi0oning cruises (taking ship to new cruising loca0on)
Other forms of transporta0on
• Just a few examples: • Bicycle • Jeepney • Rickshaw • Elephant • Segway • Etc
A few facts:
• Cruises break-‐even at 80-‐90% occupancy • Airlines break-‐even at 60-‐65% occupancy • Boeing 747 jet uses about 4 liters (1 gallon) of fuel per second
• Typical cruise ship will burn 4 liters of fuel to move 12 meters
• Amsterdam, Netherlands is the most ‘bicycle-‐friendly’ city in the world – Popn 750,000 with 700,000 bicycles – 100,000 bicycles are stolen each year – 25,000 bicycles end up in the canal each year