If you follow this blog frequently you might know that from time to time we publish final master thesis from the students that graduated from the Master of Arts Tourism Destination Management at Breda University of Applied Sciences.

This example is produced by Jan Brandl and deals with the topic of motivating an intra-destination modal shift by developing mobility destination card concepts: The case of the Kitzbüheler Alpen Card. Below you can find the executive summary of the paper. If you would like to read the whole thesis, please send an email to master-tdm@buas.nl. Enjoy the read! 


The tourism transport sector is the main cause of carbon dioxide emissions within the tourism industry. Therefore, sustainable mobility concepts must be developed in order to reduce tourism’s negative impact on the climate. This research evaluates what the potential of mobility destination card concepts is, to support a shift towards an increased use of sustainable mobility, such as public transport. A mixed methods approach is applied, consisting of nine semi-structured interviews and an online survey, to investigate how the Kitzbüheler Alpen Card motivates an intra-destination modal shift amongst visitors of the Kitzbüheler Alpen destination.

The analysis shows, that the Kitzbüheler Alpen Card motivates public transport use by being a potentially quick and easy as well as stress-free mobility solution without additional costs. To reinforce this effect, it is recommended to facilitate the use of public transport through activity related guidance in the form of predefined routes. Additionally, it is suggested to in-crease the intrinsic value of public transport use by developing public transport-based activities and experiences. Lastly, destination mode quality is identified as fundamental basis for the attractiveness of public transport use, underlining the importance of monitoring and expanding the public transport network quality in the long-term.