Workshop NECTAR

NECTAR Cluster 5 (Leisure, Recreation and Tourism) international workshop

Smart Transport for Sustainable Tourism

University of Évora, Portugal

September 12-14, 2022

Call for papers

It is our pleasure to invite you to join the workshop organized by NECTAR Cluster 5 (Leisure, Recreation and Tourism) and CEFAGE (Centre for Advanced Studies in Management and Economics) which will be held at the University of Évora, Portugal, on September 12-14, 2022.

Main topic

Tourists looking for destinations in less urbanized areas are often attracted by the ecological and cultural features of rural regions and landscapes. It is also documented that these tourists tend to be highly sensitive to environmental problems, to the need to protect local ecosystems, and to prevent global impacts of CO2 emissions. However, when visiting these areas with relatively low population density, they also have to face a relative scarcity of public transport, which constitutes a high incentive for the utilization of private forms of transportation.

Although bicycles tend to be increasingly popular, they require a physical effort that is not always compatible with the characteristics of travelers (mostly for small children or older visitors) and with the morphology of many rural destinations. On the other hand, attractive tourism resources in these areas are often disperse along the territory, implying movements with relatively long distances. In this context, private cars may appear as the only effective solution to ensure the mobility of tourists.

Assuming the importance of reducing the utilization of private cars and related problems of traffic congestion and CO2 emissions, this workshop aims at discussing the problems caused to tourism activities by the lack of public transport in less urbanized areas, along with potencial solutions and alternatives, keeping in mind the importance of ensuring an enjoyable, satisfactory and memorable experience, that mobilizes the diversity of territorial resources existing in these areas.