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Proposals for Sustainable Transport in Natural Areas: A Case Study of Teide National Park

Sustainable Transport and Tourism Destinations

ISBN: 978-1-83909-128-5, eISBN: 978-1-83909-127-8

Publication date: 8 February 2021

Abstract

The exponential growth in the number of visitors and the mass-tourism mobility patterns in natural areas are causing serious issues such as traffic congestion, crowding in car parks, pollution, high noise levels, and traffic accidents. In order to redress this situation, demand management policies that propose more sustainable transportation systems are crucial. In this chapter, the authors summarize extensive research carried out in Teide National Park (Canary Islands, Spain), the most visited national park in Spain, one of the most visited in the world, and a clear example of a natural area under pressure from mass tourism. The authors present the current situation of the natural site and three scientific contributions based on a survey combining revealed and stated preferences that analyzes visitor preferences with regard to the use of sustainable transportation systems. The first study analyzes visitors’ preferences regarding the implementation of a public bicycle-sharing system. The second study explores visitors’ willingness to pay to reduce the environmental impact of their visit and the potential implementation of a shuttle-bus service. The third study investigates the recreational economic value of the site. The chapter provides useful information for decision-makers who need to address problems associated with the unsustainable visitor mobility and reports results that can be extrapolated to other natural parks with similar characteristics and high inflow of tourists.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the CajaCanarias Foundation for the funding granted for the project “Design of a Sustainable Mobility Plan for Visitors to the Teide National Park and Evaluation of the Implementation of ‘Cycle’ Lanes in Tenerife,” from which the data for this study were extracted. The authors also thank the director and staff of Teide National Park for the documentation and information provided.

Citation

González, R.M., Román, C. and Marrero, Á.S. (2021), "Proposals for Sustainable Transport in Natural Areas: A Case Study of Teide National Park", Zamparini, L. (Ed.) Sustainable Transport and Tourism Destinations (Transport and Sustainability, Vol. 13), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 179-197. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2044-994120210000013014

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

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