Soft Is Better: Determinants of Preferences for Non-Motorized Forms of Transportation in Urban Tourism Destinations

Non-motorized forms of transportation are increasingly perceived as an option that can contribute to reducing the ecological impact of the transportation of tourists while offering satisfactory opportunities to appreciate the urban environment. Walking, bicycles, and other forms of non-motorized transport are increasingly used in urban contexts, both by residents and tourists. By looking into the characteristics and trip motivations of international tourists visiting the city of Barcelona, our analysis identifies the groups of tourists more oriented to these soft forms of mobility and also takes into consideration how they obtained previous information about the destination. Based on an extensive survey conducted in the city, the results of our multinomial logistic regressions reveal a slight generational divide when looking at sources of information (with retired tourists less oriented to digital tools) and a strong generational divide when observing transport choices (younger tourists more oriented to both soft or collective forms of mobility). Our results also show that tourists traveling in groups and/or with trips organized by travel companies and other organizations tend to prefer the utilization of private cars. These results can be used to promote the non-motorized mobility of tourists in other urban destinations.