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Data in this study is analysed using open coding, axial coding and selective coding. This report summarises current literature regarding use of public transport by tourists on holiday. Findings from this report are compared to published literature and one recommendation is provided. One recommendation for future research is also made.
The following literature review focuses on establishing what is already known about tourist use of public transport, using findings from previous literature reviews. Prior studies identify key determinants of public transport use by tourists at their holiday destination.
These include: convenience of use, purpose of stay, comfort, safety, duration of stay, as well as the socio demographic profile of the tourist.
According to Gutiérrez & Miravet (2016) transport mode used to reach the tourist destination determined the transport mode tourists chose to move around once at the destination. Gutiérrez & Miravet (2016) found that a key factor in deciding whether tourists will use pt at their destination is ‘whether they take their own car’.
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A survey conducted on tourist use of public transport in Catalonia, Spain revealed the most use of public transport was by tourists who arrived by plane, train or coach . Tourists who arrived by private car were the ones who least used public transport at the destination. Another important variable that had a significant impact on use of public transport was duration of stay. Tourists that stayed in Catalonia between one to two weeks preferred public transport to the car, as opposed to tourists visiting for seven days or less, who preferred using cars (Gutiérrez & Miravet, 2016).
Similarly, Le-Klähn, Gerike & Michael Hall (2014) also found length of stay an important variable which differentiated a tourist user of public transport to a non public transport user.
In their study, which looked into the motivations behind using/not using public transport by tourists in Munich, Germany, it was revealed that users of public transport are likely to be on holiday and stay much longer in Munich than non-users. (Le-Klähn, Gerike & Michael Hall 2014). Le-Klähn, Roosen, Gerike & Hall (2015) also accounted ‘length of stay’ as a determining factor of public transport use.
The results from this study found that longer length of stay resulted in greater travelled areas. As the likelihood to travel beyond the city increased, so did the likelihood to use public transport (Le-Klähn, Roosen, Gerike & Hall, 2015).
Comfort and safety were among a number of satisfaction parameters for tourists when using public transport, according to various studies (Nutsugbodo, Amenumey & Mensah (2018), Bajada & Titheridge (2017). Nutsugbodo, Amenumey & Mensah (2018) examined public transport mode preferences of international tourists in Ghana after collecting a random sample of questionnaires. A sub category in this study, which examined the ‘psychographic factors’ leading to ‘desired transport mode choice options', deemed ‘safety of mode’, and ‘comfort and convenience’ two important variables for use of public transport by the tourist.
For some respondents, ‘seating arrangements’ was important in determining their preferred mode of public transport (Nutsugbodo, Amenumey & Mensah, 2018). Bajada & Titheridge (2017) reported on tourists’ attitude toward the main mode of public transport in Malta - bus services. After analysis of data, based on tourist interviews, it was revealed ‘comfort’ was a service quality characteristic with immediate influence on tourists’ attitude, which included feeling unsafe. It was revealed that tourists felt uncomfortable at times due to overcrowding on the buses in major touristic areas, which led them to suffer multiple negative experiences.
In a similar study which examined the satisfaction parameters for visiting tourists in Mauritius, the ‘security of transport including taxi safety’ was highlighted as a very important variable (Teeroovengadum, Seetanah & Nunkoo, 2018). The importance of this variable was established after its strong effect on revisit intention. (Teeroovengadum, Seetanah & Nunkoo, 2018).
Qualitative research can be defined as a scientific method of observation to gather non-numerical data, while focusing on meaning-making (Krauss S.E, 2005, p.758). In this report, data was collected using a qualitative online questionnaire completed by students of 2230THS. The main topic question asked was on tourists' use of public transport at holiday destinations with several questions seeking information about the type of public transport used, preference and the positives and negatives of public transport. Data gathered from the questionnaire was analysed using:
Open Coding: The first step in the coding process “[...]which includes labeling concepts, defining and developing categories based on their properties and dimensions” (Khandkar S.H, 2009, p. 1).
Axial Coding: “Relating data together in order to reveal codes, categories, and subcategories ground within participants’ voices within one’s collected data”. (Allen, M. 2017, p.158).
Selective Coding: “The procedure of selecting a core category (central issue) and systematically relating it to other categories” (Bryman & Bell, 2011, p. 578). The coding process employs constant comparison: “[...] an analytic process where each interpretation and finding is compared with existing findings as it emerges from the data analysis” (Lewis-Beck, M. S., Bryman, A., & Futing Liao, T., 2004, p.667). During the coding process, data were constantly compared to each other so that common themes emerged.
The most common themes found for the first research question include: ‘Timeliness’, ‘Safety/Comfort’, ‘Saving Money’ as well as ‘Convenience’. The most popular theme found among female respondents was Timeliness. This was the top determinant for what female respondents looked for when selecting their preferred mode of public transport on holidays.
For example, Paige stated [that] she chose to catch the train when visiting Sydney for the first time as “...it was the quickest and easiest form to use”. Likewise, Emma preferred the ‘tram and train’ when determining which form public transport to use on her holidays. Her reason being “[...]these two can save me a lot of time”. Upon answering which form of public transport was the best, Hannah’s choice of the ‘high-speed railway’ was based on it being ‘faster’, which she believed ‘can save people a lot of time’. Another common theme was the ‘Safety/Comfort’ of public transport, which females believed was equally as important as ‘Saving Money’.
Lauren mentioned that public transport “has to be safe[...]” when deciding which mode to use. Charlotte listed ‘safety’ as a feature she would like to have included across all public transport. Tori described her experiences on public transport when on holiday as ‘comfortable’, among other factors. Saving money was also mentioned throughout a variety of female responses. Sally listed ‘Save Money’ as a top factor among the list of things she looked forward to when using public transport on holiday. This was also mentioned by Emma, who stated that one can also ‘save money’ when choosing to travel via public transport when on holidays. The theme ‘Convenience’ is noted frequently among female respondents.
Upon answering what needed to be improved for public transport, Paige stated that it should be “quick, fast and convenient”, which is particularly difficult to achieve when there are a “variety of different routes” and it is “unclear which route is better to take”. Charlotte used “local trains, taxis and coaches” when on holiday with her family because of how ‘convenient’ these modes were. Moreover, Sally chose to travel via “trains, planes, buses, taxis and ferries” because “they are very convenient”.
The most popular themes that influenced male tourists’ use of public transportation while on holiday included ‘Comfort/Safety’ as well as ‘Save Money’. Beginning with ‘Comfort and Safety’- Anthony stated that ‘comfy seats’ were important variables to look for when deciding which mode of public transport to use. When describing previous experiences of using public transport on holiday, Jack stated that ‘depending on the time of day and city’ he was in, public transport “[...]did not always have space to feel comfortable”.
For Jarrod, “the most important thing is comfort”, on deciding which form of public transport to use on holiday. Another common theme found among males was ‘Save Money’. Ben stated the reason he used the subway in Paris “to go to some destinations” was because it was ‘cheap’. Rory stated ‘save money[...]’ as something good when travelling on public transport during holidays. Another frequented theme was ‘Easiest’. For example, Sean exclaimed he used public transport when on holiday “[...]because it is easy to move around”. Jarrod stated in his response to what was good about using public transport on holiday was that it was “easy to move around [...]”. Anthony stated that he used public transport because it “[...]is easy to use and get to a destination”.
Both Female and Male respondents shared common themes with respect to use of public transportation while on holiday.
A majority of females said that ‘Save Money’ was a factor that influenced the mode of public transport they used. The same majority of male respondents also stated that this theme was important. For example, Tori stated that using public transport was a “Cheap way to travel”, while Sean also stated “Public transportation is much better economically. The price is much less than [when] I drive a car. And [I] use public transportation because it is easy to move around”.
Female respondents included ‘Avoid Traffic’ as a factor that influenced their use of public transport on holiday. These responses were similar to those mentioned by Male respondents.
Upon answering which mode of transport was most preferred, Paige stated “Buses and trains. Out of the 2 trains seem better, as they seem faster because there’s no traffic that you have to get through”.
Similarly, Zac’s response [on why he chose to travel using public transport while on holidays] also stated “Compared with subways, cars will encounter traffic jams. smooth running of the subway will not make me feel uncomfortable”.
Differences between Male and Female respondents with respect to use of public transport on holiday were found in some themes.
Timeliness was found to be a more influential factor that influenced the use of public transport on holiday for Female respondents as opposed to Male respondents. On answering the following question: ‘Describe what was good about using public transport when on holidays?’ Charlotte claimed, “The main factors that were good are that all transport was on time and easy to find by the signs”, whereas Ben’s response for the same question stated: “Cost-efficiency. Can learn about local residents’s daily life and culture'.
‘Fastest/Precision’ was found to be a more influential factor that influenced the use of public transport on holiday for Male respondents as opposed to Female respondents. Sean stated that a ‘Taxi’ was “Fastest and the most convenient way to approach a destination” whereas Hannah indicated “I think the bus is a more relaxing on holiday and you can take the bus through the streets and see more of the place”.
This qualitative report discussed tourists’ use of public transport while on holiday. It was found that for females the most important variable that influenced their use of public transport was timeliness, as well as safety/comfort and saving money. For males, ‘Safety/Comfort’ was the most important variable, followed by ‘Saving Money’ and easiest (method of travel). Similarities between male and females included ‘Saving Money’ and ‘Avoid Traffic’.
Differences between males and females included ‘Timeliness’ and ‘Fastest/Precision’. In the literature review it was found that among other factors, ‘Comfort and Safety’ was a popular determinant for choice of public transport (Nutsugbodo, Amenumey & Mensah (2018), Bajada & Titheridge (2017). This was also revealed in the results whereby ‘Safety/Comfort’ was mentioned frequently by both male and females.
However, findings from the literature review revealed that ‘length of stay’ (Le-Klähn, Gerike & Michael Hall (2014), Le-Klähn, Roosen, Gerike & Hall (2015) as well as ‘transport mode used to reach the tourist destination’ (Gutiérrez & Miravet, 2016) were also key factors that influenced use of public transport by the tourist on holiday.
This was not mentioned in any responses received. Information from this study can be used by the Tourism Industry in Australia to improve the quality of the public transportation system across major areas. For example, installing a voiceover that announces upcoming bus stops on the bus, which is especially important for tourists who are not familiar with the area and will often miss their stop. For future research, it would be beneficial to use a larger amount of participants in order to generate a wider variety of responses.
Use of Public Transport by Tourists During Holidays. (2023, Jan 15). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/use-of-public-transport-by-tourists-during-holidays-essay
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