Sustainable mobility for residents and tourists in remote areas of Catalonia

The growing number of tourists is having a significant impact on popular tourist destinations. In effect, tourism accounts for approximately 5% of the world's total CO2 emissions 75% of which is directly related to transport. In this context, the Last Mile project, which is part of the Interreg Europe programme and supported by European funds, provides a good model for sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions that allow both residents and tourists from sparsely populated areas to make the last or first trip of a journey using sustainable means of transport.

Once the ‘Regional Action Plan for Catalonia’ was approved, the General Directorate of Transport and Mobility of Territory and Sustainability implemented a series of activities including the expansion of on-demand transport services in the APIA region of Catalonia, the implementation of the Bicibus system “bicycles in buses”, expansion of bus services in different remote areas and places of interest for tourists. It also implemented actions to improve the diffusion of information including marketing activities, implementation of web route planners, and wi-fi service on buses, among others.

The project has demonstrated the importance of cooperation at all levels (regional, local, natural park entities, tourism sector) and the involvement of local institutions and potential users throughout the process of establishing the measures. It also demonstrated the importance of extending the brand image to tourist regions and to use marketing strategies to highlight the attractiveness of new mobility options.

One of the great benefits of the Last Mile project is that it assesses the legal, institutional, and economic conditions that form the basis of local and regional strategies for establishing mobility services that respond to demand. It also serves as examples to be followed by other similar regions.

Original article published by Polis on 30 July 2020.