Visitor attractions, sustainable transport and travel plans – Hadrian's Wall: a case study

Abstract

Leisure travel accounts for over 40% of distance travelled and over 30% of all personal trips in the UK, most of which are by private car, so it is not surprising that Government policy is beginning to address the impacts of car leisure travel. One initiative is to invite tourist attractions to adopt travel plans, similar to those used by large employers and travel generators in urban areas. This case study researched the views of managers of tourist attractions in a sensitive World Heritage Site – Hadrian's Wall. The in-depth interviews revealed little understanding of how travel plans function, doubts about the effectiveness of ‘carrot and stick’ measures to achieve modal shift and identified conflicts between attempts to reduce car travel and the core purposes of the sites. The study concludes that traffic reduction in tourist areas requires regional involvement and that the benefits of site-based travel plans are limited.