Tourism, Transport and Environment: Theoretical Perspectives - Slow Travel and Tourism - page 70

Table 3.1 Characteristics of involvement of each transport-tourist type

Transport commodity Characteristics of tourism Transport-tourist type

involvement

Transport as tourism
• Urban walking • Transport as a desired Active transport tourist

• Hiking/trekking component of the tourist
• Mountain biking experience
• Cycling • Transport operated by the
• Kayaking tourist
• Undirected car travel • Tourist plans the route
• Sailing • Independent
• Freedom of choice at a
maximum
• Skill competency required
• Independent interpretation of
environments and cultures
• Cruises (sea/river/canal) • Transport as a desired Passive transport tourist

• Heritage railways component of the tourist

• Open top buses experience

• Ballooning • Transport operated, and

• Car trails/tours route planned, by provider

• Coach tours • Transport operated by tourist,

• City walking tours but following provider-

planned routes/tours
• Organized
• Environments and cultures
interpreted by tour leader

Transport for tourism
• Flights • Transport to access Positive transport tourist

• Inter-city rail destinations

• Scheduled coach • Limited freedom of choice

• Ferry • Travel is enjoyed

• Taxi
• Bus • Transport to access Reluctant transport tourist

• Intra-urban rail destinations

• Metro • Limited freedom of choice

• Car • Travel is endured reluctantly

S ource: Rhoden and Lumsdon, 2006

travel has become faster, people have not saved the time to do other things
but have filled this time with more travel. Salomon and Mokhtarian (1998,
pp136-7) identify some traits in the population that may lead to excess travel;
the following are of interest to slow travel:

• adventure-seeking : the quest for novel, exciting, or unusual experiences

will in some cases involve travel as part or all of the experience itself, not
just as a means to the end ('getting there is half the fun');

• independence : the ability to get around on one's own is one common man-

ifestation of this trait;

• control : this trait is likely to partially explain travel by car when reason-

able transit service is available;