Factors influencing visitors’ acceptance of parking management measures in the Ebro Delta region, Spain

This study examines visitors’ acceptance of parking management measures in the Ebro Delta (Spain), a car-dependent rural and protected coastal area that experienced a sharp increase in visitation after the COVID-19 pandemic. This context has intensified traffic congestion, environmental pressures, and the need for adaptive visitor management strategies in a territorially complex and ecologically sensitive destination. Using data from a survey conducted among visitors during the peak summer season of 2022, the study analyzes the acceptance of three types of parking measures: regulated parking (zoning and spatial organization), limited parking (time restrictions, capacity control, and reservation systems), and paid parking (fee-based access). The analysis integrates sociodemographic characteristics, travel behavior, environmental attitudes, and perceptual variables, and applies ordinal logistic regression models to identify the main determinants of acceptance. Results show high levels of acceptance for regulated and limited parking, while paid parking generates more heterogeneous responses. Visitor satisfaction emerges as the strongest and most consistent predictor across all measures, highlighting its central role in shaping support for management policies. Acceptance is also influenced by factors such as country of origin, mobility patterns, education level, accommodation type, and length of stay. The findings underscore the importance of aligning traffic management strategies with visitor experience and destination characteristics. In car-dependent rural areas such as the Ebro Delta, improving satisfaction, promoting active mobility, and considering the cumulative costs of longer stays are key to increasing public support for sustainable transport policies. This study contributes to bridging the gap between visitor data and practical management, offering insights for the design of adaptive and context-sensitive mobility strategies in car-dependent rural destinations facing visitor pressures.