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CHAPTER FOUR SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF TRANSPORT PROVISION FOR VISITORS TO SCOTLAND

Background: Accessibility of the tourism product

4.1 The importance of accessibility of the tourism product is undisputed. Law (2002) notes that travel within a destination involves at least two aspects. Visitors firstly undertake a journey from the point of entry to their accommodation (in the case of staying visitors) and secondly move around the destination itself. There are various scenarios with regard to destination transport use by the visitor, depending on a multitude of diverse demand side factors such as mode of arrival (with or without car), purpose of trip (leisure or business), size of party and trip itinerary, which will affect travel behaviour. In terms of supply side factors, components of the tourist travel product all need to be conducive to travel for the travel option to be selected by the tourist. Simply providing infrastructure and services will not mean that the journey can always be made. Hard factors such as cost, time, and reliability are pre-requisites for a journey option but many soft and complementary factors also need to support the journey choice as shown in Figure 4.1. Thus, the overall accessibility of the tourism product is the key.

4.2 Ashworth and Tunbridge (1990) stated that the spatial behaviour of urban tourists is controlled in part by the availability and accessibility of various modes of transport. This opinion is shared by Jansen-Verbeke (1988) with regard to urban destinations.

" The attraction of visitors to the inner city will always be conditioned by the constraints of accessibility. This includes not only the possibilities offered by public transport but also the parking facilities, their location and capacity, and routes for car traffic." (Jansen-Verbeke, 1988:57).

Figure 4.1 Model of tourist travel behaviour

4.3 Timmermans and van der Heijden (1987) have shown that distance is the most frequently cited attribute affecting decision-making when choosing recreation objects (attractions). Transport availability at a destination may have an effect on perceived distance of recreation objects. Thus, available transport supply may influence visitor travel behaviour in terms of the areas of the destination they elect to visit. Where the public transport network does not adequately serve the web of attractions within a destination, some attractions may be perceived as inaccessible to visitors, particularly those without access to a car. For those visitors who do arrive by car or elect to hire a car at the destination, a good circulatory system, ample car parking and a general lack of congestion is important (Law, 1993). High-quality signposting within the destination is valuable for directing tourists, including those who wish to walk or cycle between tourist attractions and facilities.

4.4 This chapter of the report is concerned with examining how well the elements of Scotland's tourism product are linked. It commences with an overview of tourist transport supply in Scotland. Subsequently it explores the degree of usage by visitors to Scotland of a variety of modes of transport, including those dedicated for tourist purposes. Conclusions on the scope and limitations of transport provision for visitors to Scotland are drawn.

Tourist transport in Scotland

4.5 It has been noted throughout this report that road transport is the dominant form of visitor transport in Scotland, particular for domestic visitors. Considering the characteristics of Scotland as a primarily rural and sparsely populated destination and the car-centric government transport policies that have been predominant over the past sixty years, this is hardly surprising. Whilst those visitors who choose to travel around Scotland by public transport remain in the minority, there is some evidence that improvements to Scotland's external accessibility by rail and air may be increasing the requirement for public transport use at the destination, particularly among visitor from overseas. The Scottish Executive has been proactive in increasing the number of direct flights to Scotland from overseas, and more recently to Scottish Islands. Moreover, Scotland is one of few countries in Europe which is currently creating new rail routes. Future development of the rail network will be facilitated through the recent transfer of rail powers from Westminster to Holyrood. However, problems of integration within the public transport network still arise due degregulation. Innes (1998) notes that this presents a problem particularly in the North and West of Scotland where there is fairly extensive use of public transport by visitors and a high requirement for inter-modal changes.

Road transport for tourism

4.6 Scotland has a largely adequate road network for tourist purposes, with good quality roads providing access to most parts of the country. With the exception of the Glasgow and Edinburgh conurbations and some key leisure routes at peak periods, there is little road congestion. Innes (1998) argues that the single track roads found in the North West of the country add to Scotland's appeal as a visitor destination. Whilst this may be true, these roads are perhaps unsuitable for the sizeable coach tour market. There are twelve National Tourist Routes in Scotland, which act as an alternative to the main trunk roads and motorways. The routes are well signposted and, according to the promotional literature, are selected and created to exhibit the diverse landscapes of Scotland and to provide access to a variety of visitor attractions and facilities. As can be seen from Figure 4.2, these routes are well distributed throughout the country, no doubt for political and economic reasons. The Malt Whisky Trail in Moray is a further example of a successful, local tourist road trail.

Figure 4.2 Tourist routes in Scotland

4.7 Signposting will be identified as a key factor in enhancing visitor satisfaction with road travel in Scotland in Chapter 5 of this report. Moves towards providing clearer signage for tourists, with the ultimate aim of improving the visitor experience, are evidenced by a recent consultation document circulated by the Scottish Executive in November 2005 (Scottish Executive, 2005). The document outlines the need to provide clear and consistent directions for visitors, enabling them to reach their destination safely and enhancing road safety. It recognizes that adequate signage is a means of reducing navigation problems for the visitor and that signposting is a key tool in traffic and visitor management. The role of signage as a tourist information tool and the importance of continuity are also stressed. A key issue here, however, is the requirement for applicants (normally tourist attractions or facilities) to individually finance the cost of providing and maintaining signs. The report on the consultation process is expected to be produced in August 2006.

Public transport and tourism

4.8 Rail travel was crucial to the early development of tourism within the UK and Scotland's railways still play an integral role in transporting tourists around the country. Buses, meanwhile, offer access to a much wider range of destinations and remote areas. Innes (1998) argues that price and quality of rail transport in Scotland has prevented any feasible promotion of the use of rail for tourism. However, Scotland has a number of scenic railway routes which are well known by rail enthusiasts throughout the world (as evidenced by the private rail tours that make use of these routes) and there is scope for further capitalising on the appeal of this form of travel. Visit Scotland provides on its website a car-free itinerary for visitors, as illustrated in Figure 4.3 and the former Scotrail website published tourist guides to several of the most famous and picturesque railway lines, such as the West Highland Line. This does not appear to have been continued by the new holders of the franchise, FirstGroup plc. Route guides for some of the Scottish Railways are also available for the enthusiast via such websites as http://www.lawrieweb.com/. Bus services tend to be favoured as a means of budget travel and, although seldom promoted as a form of leisure travel, their importance should not be underestimated. Services such as the Trossachs Trundler have been viewed as highly successful, and there have been attempts to replicate this type of service in other areas of rural Scotland. Meanwhile, private coach companies, such as Rapsons, which offer both scheduled and private hire services, provide an important transport mode for group tours. Buses are also important for the independent traveller in the form of tourist outings and 'backpacker's buses', such as Haggis Backpackers and MacBackpackers.

Source: http://www.visitscotland.com/aboutscotland/explorebymap/highlands/seescotlandwithoutacar

4.9 The provision of special tickets for the visitor is an important factor in promoting tourist use of public transport. First Scotrail provides three main tickets aimed at tourist travellers:

• Freedom of Scotland travel passes allow either 4 out of 15 consecutive days travel for £96, or 8 out of 15 consecutive days travel for £130. Travel is allowed on certain trains, buses and ferry services.
• The Central Scotland Rover Ticket allows 3 out of 7 days unlimited travel for £31.
• The Highland Rover Ticket allows 4 out of 8 consecutive days travel for £62.50.

4.10 Rapsons Coaches offer three separate three-day Rover tickets for Skye, Orkney and the very North of Scotland (Groats) and a one-day Rover for the Highlands area around Inverness. Similar day tickets are available within urban areas, such as the First All Day Ticket which, although not designed for tourists, may be used by them. A further tourist ticket is offered by the backpackers' buses which offer 2, 3, 5 and 7 day 'jump on jump off' tickets. These services allow budget travellers to board and alight at will over long distance journeys though Scotland from the Highlands to the West Coast and will drop tourists at various hostels, with other frequent stops in between. The services of a tour guide are normally included.

4.11 Ferry travel is also key for tourism purposes in Scotland due to the attraction of the islands for visitors. Caledonian MacBrayne is Scotland's largest ferry operator, serving the Hebrides and the islands of the Clyde. Northlink Orkney and Shetland Ferries operate three passenger ships transporting visitors and islanders between Orkney, Shetland and the Scottish Mainland. Western Ferries offer a service from Gourock to Dunoon. As highlighted above, some integrated ticketing is available for bus, ferry and rail. A case study of the degree of integration of ferry travel with other modes is presented below for the example of a trip to Skara Brae in the Heart of Neolithic Orkney UNESCO World Heritage Site

Data on visitor use of non- tourist dedicated modes of transport

4.12 Chapter 3 of this report has provided an overview of patterns of travel behaviour in Scotland at national level. Within this section, we hope to enhance this picture by reviewing data from visitor attractions on mode of arrival. Mode of travel to attractions is not currently explored by the Visitor Attraction Monitor and when it was, in 2000, the information was requested from attractions managers rather than the visitors themselves. For the purpose of this report, therefore, the most popular paying and non paying visitor attractions in Scotland were contacted and asked to provide a modal breakdown of how visitors travelled to the attraction, where this information was available. In many cases the data could not be provided, however key organisations such as the National Trust for Scotland, Scottish National Heritage and Historic Scotland were able to provide data for many of their attractions. In addition, a response was received from several other attractions. This information has been collated and compared below. Where more detailed information on modal choice is available, this is also provided.

National Trust for Scotland (Lyn Jones Research Ltd, 2005)

4.13 The data presented below identifies mode of transport used by visitors from outside Scotland to travel to National Trust properties in Scotland. Data is taken from the National Trust for Scotland Visitor Survey 2005 undertaken by Lynn Jones Research Ltd. In the original visitor survey report (Lyn Jones Research Ltd, 2005a) data is not disaggregated by origin of visitors. However, this data was obtained from the contractor for the purposes of this report. The total number of respondents varies for each property and, due to the small (and in some cases, very small) sub-subsets, the data presented here should be viewed as being indicative only. A breakdown of transport used by overseas country is presented for those countries represented by 10 or more respondents.

Table 4.1 Visitors to Crathes by mode 2005

Table 4.2 Overseas visitors Crathes by mode 2005

Table 4.3 Visitors to Culloden by mode 2005

Table 4.4 Overseas visitors to Culloden by mode 2005

Table 4.5 Visitors to Culzean by mode 2005

Table 4.6 Overseas visitors to Culzean by mode 2005

Table 4.7 Visitors to Falkland by mode 2005

Table 4.8 Visitors to Gladstone's Land by mode 2005

Table 4.9 Overseas visitors to Gladstone's Land by mode 2005

Table 4.10 Visitors to Hill House by mode 2005

Table 4.11 Overseas visitors to Hill House by mode 2005

Table 4.12 Visitors to Inverewe Garden by mode 2005

Table 4.13 Visitors to Threave by mode 2005

4.14 The overall picture illustrated by Tables 4.1-4.13 is that, unsurprisingly, the further away visitors come from, the less likely they are to use the private car. As regards use of other modes of transport, this appears to be correlated with the available transport network at the attraction. For example, arrivals by train are highest at attractions such as Hill House in Helensburgh and Gladstone's Land in Edinburgh, both of which are close to railway stations. Since it is unlikely that visitors hire a car especially to travel to a specific visitor attraction, we can draw the more likely conclusion that the attractions visitors without a private car (i.e. principally those from overseas) choose to go to are dictated by the availability of public transport. Attractions such as Inverewe, Crathes, Culzean and Falkland, which are well beyond walking distance from a station, are not perceived as accessible by public transport, despite the fact the fact that the National Trust for Scotland displays public transport information for all of the properties on its website. Such attractions appear to benefit from private coach tours. In this sense, the private coach is undoubtedly filling a perceived gap in transport provision. Moreover, country of origin of the visitor also appears to play a role. Although the numbers in the sample are small, it seems that visitors from North European countries are more likely to use public transport than those from the other countries represented, perhaps due to the fact that they are better unaccustomed to use public transport at home. Visitors from the USA are most likely to arrive at rural destinations by private coach or hire car.

Historic Scotland 2002 Visitors Survey

4.15 Historic Scotland undertake a major visitor survey every five years and data was supplied regarding mode of arrival at 19 of their properties from the most recent survey in 2002. The data is not disaggregated by origin but visitors to Scotland represent the majority (75%) of the sample. At Edinburgh Castle, however, 91% of visitors were from outside Scotland. Table 4.14 presents an overview of mode of arrival at all properties with Edinburgh Castle shown in a separate column. 78% of visitors to all properties arrived by car, 54% by private car and 24% by hire car. Since the 1991 and 1996 surveys, use of the private car has decreased by 17% and use of hire cars increased by 14%, attributable to the increase in visitors to Historic Scotland properties from further afield. The data confirms the findings of the National Trust for Scotland survey that limited parking facilities and good transport links in Edinburgh discourage visitors from arriving by car. It is also reasonable to assume that many of the visitors to Edinburgh Castle were staying in Edinburgh and could therefore walk to the property.

Table 4.14 Mode of arrival at Historic Scotland Properties 2002

Glasgow Museums (Glasgow City Council, Culture and Leisure Services, 1999)

4.16 Data was obtained from Glasgow City Council on mode of transport to the key visitor attractions which it administers within the City of Glasgow (see Table 4.15). Again, it is not possible to differentiate between visitors from within and outside Scotland. Indeed the relatively high use of the private car in comparison to Edinburgh Castle probably reflects the higher percentage of Scottish visitors in the sample. The picture is nonetheless an interesting one since it appears that, the further the museum is located from the city centre, the more likely visitors are to arrive by car, despite the existence of good public transport links to attractions such as the People's Palace and the Museum of Transport. Indeed, the contrast between the Museum of Transport and the Kelvingrove Art Gallery is particularly acute, since they are located in such close proximity to one another. Again, greater numbers of visitors from overseas (with no access to a car) visiting Kelvingrove (a hallmark attraction) may explain this. It would be extremely useful if the data were collected and analysed in such a way that allowed this to be examined.

Table 4.15 Mode of arrival at Glasgow Museums 1999

Falkirk Wheel data (British Waterways, 2005)

4.17 British Waterways provided data on mode of arrival to the Falkirk Wheel, one of Scotland's increasingly popular visitor attractions. The Falkirk Wheel lies on a canal and on a dedicated cycle route (the canal towpath). There are two train stations nearby in Falkirk and a shuttle bus service is provided from the station. In the years 2003, 2004 and 2005, a visitor survey was undertaken. In 2003, a sample of 200 visitors was obtained, this was increased to 300 in 2004 and 2005. The percentage of visitors resident in Scotland across the three years was 64%, 47% and 68% respectively. It is not clear how representative these percentages are in terms of total visitation. Although data was provided for all three years, there is a lack of continuity in the categories of transport used, thus only data for 2005 is presented here (Table 4.16). There was a slight decrease in the percentage of Scottish residents arriving by car from 88% in 2003 to 82% in 2005. The numbers arriving by public bus and tour coach have increased slightly.

Table 4.16 Main method of transport you used to the Falkirk Wheel 2005

4.18 Cross analysis of the data shows findings consistent with the others discussed in this section, namely that Scottish residents were underrepresented as users of public transport and tour coaches. However, they were overrepresented in the categories of walking and cycling.

Transport to Scottish Natural Heritage Sites (Scottish Natural Heritage, 2004)

4.19 Scottish Natural Heritage ( SNH) are one of the key organisations involved in the management of tourism in Scotland, having responsibility for Scotland's protected areas, which constitute about 20% of the land area. This includes a number of National Nature Reserves and the two National Parks. They periodically undertake visitor and user surveys within these protected areas. Table 4.17 is a summary of mode of transport use to access SNH properties taken from five visitor surveys over the period 1997 to 2003. Transport aspects of the first three studies are discussed in further detail below.

Table 4.17 Mode of transport to Scottish Natural Heritage sites

4.20 The NNR Baseline Visitor Survey was undertaken by NFO on behalf of SNH at 23 National Nature Reserves in Scotland on a sample of 4220 visitors to the park. 52% of these visitors were from Scotland, 36% from elsewhere in the UK and 10% from overseas. When asked to indicate what their main type of transport had been on their journey to the NNR they were visiting, the majority of respondents indicated that they had travelled by car or van (86%). Other methods were much less likely to be used, with 6% travelling by boat or ferry, 4% using public transport and 2% walking all the way. Table 4.18 illustrates that type of transport used was similar regardless of the types of trip taken. It was also found that younger visitors were slightly less likely to travel by car (79%) while those classified as Empty Nesters were more likely to do so (85%).

4.21 Visitors to island NNRs were clearly more likely to state that their main form of transport was a boat or ferry (30%) and visitors to NNRs located in the Northern Isles (8%), Grampian (8%) and the West Highlands (6%) were slightly more likely to use public transport than in other areas.Whilst it is not possible not separately examine mode of travel by visitors from outside Scotland within this data set, the high percentage of such visitors in the sample, combined with the high rate of car usage, suggests a higher level of car usage than for the National Trust properties, perhaps due to the remote nature of SNH properties.

Table 4.18 Transport used by type of visit ( NNR Baseline Visitor Survey)

Source: Scottish Natural Heritage (2004)

Cairngorms Visitor Survey (Lowland Market Research, 2004)

4.22 A very comprehensive report was carried by Lowland Market Research on behalf of Cairngorms National Park in 2004. The research, which looked at various aspects of visitor profile, behaviour and satisfaction, was supported and funded by a number of organisations including the National Park Authority, VisitScotland and Scottish Enterprise. The study, the first wide-scale 12 month investigation since the establishment of the National Park in 2003, was intended to act as a baseline from which to monitor future developments through an ongoing survey programme to be repeated around every three years.

4.23 The three main objectives of the study were:

• To supply information about visitors and their visit in order to guide future tourism policy and activity;
• To gather data, which can be updated in future studies to enable changes to be tracked over time;
• To furnish information which can be used to assist in the production of estimates of the volume and value of visitors to the overall National Park area, as well as key sub areas.

4.24 The survey methodology combined face to face interviews with residents and visitors and self-completion questionnaires. Interviewing took place between May 2003 and April 2004 at different locations across the park. Of the 2500 people who took part in the face to face survey, 416 lived within the park boundaries and 2084 were visitors to the area. A total of 1076 self-completion questionnaires, distributed at key visitor sites around the park, were also returned to researchers. The report contains a substantial section on the use of transport to and within the Cairngorms National Park. Although the origin of visitors was measured by the survey, responses to important questions about visitors' experiences and perceptions of services within the park have unfortunately not been compared on the basis of origin. Nor has it been possible to gain access to the data set used for this research. Nonetheless, important differences between residents and visitors have been identified with regard to transport.

4.25 Unfortunately this information on mode of transport use is not broken down by origin of visitor. However, some indication of where opinions from outside Scotland principally lie can be gleaned from examing the information on length of stay. Whilst 100% of daytrippers were from Scotland, of the 1569 visitors questioned who were staying one night or more, 24% were from overseas. Table 4.19 illustrates that overseas visitors tend to spend longer in Cairngorms National Park than visitors from Scotland or the wider UK. Since use of transport is broken down by length of stay, we can make some observations on the types of transport which visitors from outside Scotland have used both to access the park, and to travel around within it.

Table 4.19 Visitor origin by length of stay Cairngorms National Park

Source: Lowland Market Research (2004)

4.26 Participants in the survey were asked which mode(s) of transport they had used to access the park (Table 4.20) and to travel within the park (Table 4.21). The dominant means of transport used to access the Cairngorms was private car/ hired car cited by 86% of those on a day trip, 82% on a short break and 74% of visitors on a longer break. Private bus/ coach tours, organised by companies such as Shearings, transported 10% of short break visitors and 14% of those on a longer holiday, while public buses were used by 4% and 3% of respondents on short breaks and longer holidays respectively. The rail network was only utilised by 1% of people on a short break and 2% on a longer holiday.

4.27 The private car also emerges as the preferred mode of transport for travel within the park for day visitors and holidaymakers alike. Among those taking a break within the park, buses and coaches are used by 15% on a short break and 17% on a longer break. Walking and cycling are also highlighted in these findings as important forms of transport used by visitors to travel around the park, while rail travel is absent, suggesting the lack of a relevant service.

Table 4.20 Form of transport used to access Cairngorms National Park

Source: Lowland Market Research (2004)

Table 4.21 Form(s) of transport used in the Cairngorms area?

Source: Lowland Market Research (2004)

4.28 The Cairngorms National Park Visitor Survey used two different means of data collection and Table 4.22 compares mode of arrival across two of these. There are clear differences in the results of the two samples but no attempt is made by the researcher to explain or reconcile these.

Table 4.22 Form of transport used to get to the Cairngorms area

Loch Lomond and Trossachs Visitor Survey 2005 (Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority, 2005)

4.29 A very similar survey was undertaken the following year by the same contractor in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. The same questions were asked and the results are presented below in Tables 4.23 and 4.24. Again, visitors from outside Scotland were most likely to have undertaken a longer stay in the park, with 76% of those on a longer break residing outside Scotland.

Table 4.23 Form(s) of transport used to get to the Loch Lomond & the Trossachs area

Lowland Market Research (2005)

4.30 Unsurprisingly, the dominant means of accessing the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs area was private /hired car, the figures being fairly static for both day trippers and people spending a longer time away from home. Day trippers were most likely to have used a private car (89%). Use of a hired car is highest among people spending a longer break away from home (16%). The use of a private bus or coach tour is highest among those people on a short break (14%), again highlighting the importance of the five day breaks offered by many of the coach tour holiday companies such as Shearings. Use of private car/hired car for visitors from overseas is stated by the report to be 83%.

Table 4.24 Form(s) of transport used in the Loch Lomond & the Trossachs area

Lowland Market Research (2005)

4.31 Again, differences were found in the results of the face to face and self completion questionnaires, although these were less acute than in the Cairngorms Visitor Survey. Total responses are summarised in Table 4.25.

Table 4.25 Form(s) of transport used to get to the Loch Lomond & the Trossachs area

Lowland Market Research (2005)

4.32 The State of the Park report (Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority, 2005) summarises the situation as regards access by modes of transport not dedicated to tourist use. Since direct rail access to the park is limited to Balloch and stations on the West Highland line along the West Coast of Loch Lomond, public buses represent the majority of public transport provision with services operating on most major roads. However, the report criticises the infrequent services, poor information and waiting facilities and lack of integrated ticketing. The park is thought to be easily accessible by road, but at peak visitor times there have been frequent reports of traffic congestion in popular areas. The volume of traffic in the park is also known to create parking problems, especially in popular visitor destinations such as Luss, Callender and Aberfoyle. Road conditions in certain areas of the park are also reported to be a source of complaint for both residents and visitors. The park can be accessed by ferries from Gourock operated by Caledonian MacBrayne and Western Ferries, however water transport within the park is limited. Walking and cycling, while mostly undertaken purely as leisure activities, are also considered within the report. The park does boast long distance cycle tracks and the requirement is indicated for better integration of cycling with public transport, extending the provision for cycle carriage on public buses. The possibility of park and ride facilities at Balloch is also discussed.

Tourist Use of Rail (First Scotrail data, 2005)

4.33 To conclude this section on visitor use of modes of transport which are not dedicated to tourist use, it is useful to examine data provided by First Scotrail which has been collected on users of the Freedom of Scotland Travelpass. As mentioned earlier in this section, Freedom of Scotland Travelpasses are aimed at tourist travellers and allow either 4 out of 15 consecutive days travel for £96, or 8 out of 15 consecutive days travel for £130. Travel is allowed on certain train, bus and ferry services. ScotRail has supplied data for the purchases of the Freedom of Scotland Travelpass and this is analysed below.

4.34 66% of Travel passes were bought in a travel centre or station, the second most popular method of buying a Travelpass was on the internet, however only 12% of passes were bought on the internet. Figure 4.4 shows that travel to Scotland by Travelpass users from outwith the UK is mainly by aeroplane, with over 60% of users arriving this way. 20% also travelled to Scotland from outside the UK by day train. Just under 10% of Travelpass users from outside the UK travelled to Scotland by bus/coach. Nearly 70% of Travelpass users from within the UK travelled to Scotland by train, with just over 10% of users travelling by airplane and 10% by car to Scotland. Less than 5% of people from within the UK used the Caledonian Sleeper or the bus/coach to travel to Scotland.

4.35 51% of people purchasing the Travelpass had used a tourist ticket previously, with 61% having used the Freedom of Scotland Travelpass before, 15% having used the Highland Rover and 2% having used the Central Scotland Rover. This perhaps indicates a niche market with a high degree of repeated usage. 40% of those using the tourist tickets from outside the UK learnt about the passes from the internet while 22% were recommended the passes by a friend or relative. By contrast, of those purchasing tourist travel tickets from within the UK, only 14% found out about the tourist tickets from the internet, 7% were recommended the tickets from a friend or family and 7% saw the tickets advertised in a Scotrail leaflet.

Figure 4.4 Travel to Scotland by Travelpass users

Figure 4.5 Transport option taken if tourist ticket unavailable

4.36 It is interesting to note from Figure 4.5, that 20% of users would have chosen a different holiday if their tourist travel ticket was not available from First Scotrail. Over 40% of users stated, however, that they would have bought tickets for individual journeys. Again this indicates a consistent market segment of tourists who prefer to travel by rail. From Table 4.26 it can be observed that the West Highland Line is used by 38% of those with Travelpasses, 33% also use the Edinburgh/Glasgow to Inverness line and 28% use ferry services included in the ticket. It is noticeable that only 24% of passengers use the bus to travel. Very few passengers are seen to be travelling by rail south of Edinburgh.

Table 4.26 Routes used by Travelpass users

4.37 Figures 4.6 and 4.7 demonstrate that Travelpasses are principally used by visitors from outside Scotland, but mainly purchased in Scotland.

Figure 4.6 Country of origin of Travelpass users

Figure 4.7 Issuing office for Rover and Travelpass tickets

4.38 The importance of other modes of transport included in the Freedom of Scotland Travelpass is outlined in Figure 4.8. It can be seen that ferry and bus use are important factors in motivating Travelpass purchase, with use of the underground being less important.

Figure 4.8 Importance of other modes of transport

4.39 The role of the tour operator in influencing mode of transport choice is crucial for organised travellers. Group tours using existing rail services are uncommon, as these services are considered a much less suitable alternative to coach travel - barriers to such use of rail travel are discussed toward the end of Chapter 5. However, such products do exist. Figure 4.9 below provides an example of a forthcoming rail tour of Scotland designed around the Freedom of Scotland pass but also using private railways and coaches. The cost of this tour is around US$3,000 and it can therefore be considered a specialist, luxury product.

4.40 An attempt was made to access data on use of transport for large scale events in Scotland. Some data was obtained from EventScotland but the data collected is in the form of an economic impact study and therefore does not cast a great deal of light on travel behaviour. Two reports by Comperio Research (2005a; 2005b) provide information for the Open Golf Championship in St Andrews in 2005. It was calculated that spectators spent £2,050,000 on travel in Scotland, 60% of which was on petrol. This was higher than expenditure on all other categories, with the exception of food and drink. For the Senior British Open Championship 2005 in Aberdeen, expenditure on travel was considerably less, calculated at £27,000 for the North East of Scotland and £12,000 for Scotland. Again, the majority of expenditure is estimated to be on petrol, with the remainder attributable to car hire and public transport.

4.41 EventScotland were able to verbally provide some data on mode of transport use for the Open Championship (Table 4.28). The percentage of visitors using public transport (train and bus) is rather higher than has been observed in many of the other studies discussed above, possibly due to special provision for the event. 54% of the 1948 respondents were from Scotland with 35% from the rest of the UK and the remaining 11% from overseas. 88% of visitors to the event rated accessibility and availability of transport to and from the course as very good. A small number of visitors said that their experience of the Open Golf Champsionship could have been improved through better travel options to and from St Andrews (6.7%), more/ better parking (4.0%) and more/ better signage (1.9%).

Table 4.28 Main form of travel to St Andrews course

4.42 For the case of the Burns an' a' That Festival which took place in May 2005 in Ayrshire, an evaluation and economic impact assessment compiled by the Moffat Centre for Travel and Tourism Business Development (2005) provides data on mode of transport used to travel to Ayrshire for various events. Table 4.29 details the responses of a sample of 255 respondents by place of residence, some respondents using more than one form of transport. It can be observed that the number of respondents from outside Scotland is very small. The dominance of the private car is however less acute for these visitors, than for those from Ayrshire and elsewhere in Scotland. Private coach did not feature in the range of transport modes used, which probably indicates that the festival, which takes place outside peak season, does not feature on organised tour itineraries.

Table 4.29 Mode of transport to Burns an' a That Festival by origin

Source: Moffat Centre for Travel and Tourism Business Development (2005)

Visitor use of tourist dedicated modes of transport

4.43 The most common form of tourist dedicated transport in Scotland is the private coach. Data presented earlier in this chapter has illustrated that it plays a crucial role in transporting visitors, particularly those from outside the UK, around the more remote areas of Scotland which are less readily accessible by public transport, but also to urban locations (14% of visitors from outside Scotland travelled to the Gladstone's Land National Trust property in Edinburgh by private coach). Private coach travel is often associated with organised group travel and, where this is the type of trip chosen by the visitor, travel behaviour has normally been decided at the point of booking the holiday. Coach travel is often argued to be popular among certain market segments, particularly the young and the elderly, due to low cost and high convenience. This is reflected in the range of coach travel products on the market, from those at the top end of the market which may use expensive accommodation and are market as luxury coach tours, to the backpackers buses which are essentially a cheap form of coach tour with built in flexibility. Additionally, short coach trips are offered by companies such as Jacobite and Heart of Scotland Tours. The decision to use this form of travel may be taken at shorter notice but advance booking would probably be required during peak season.

4.44 Tourist dedicated travel by rail is less common, but a number of products do exist. The Jacobite steam train runs a daily summer service from Fort William to Mallaig and is extremely popular with tourists. However, tickets for this train are only available from the private company which operates the tour, and not from the normal rail ticket outlets. This may pose a barrier to use for visitors who only discover the existence of the service during their stay in Scotland. Luxury rail products exist, such as the Royal Scotsman luxury train which offers a five day tour for a maximum of 36 passengers at a costs of US$5500 with accommodation and food on board the train.

4.45 Little data is available on the use of tourist dedicated modes of transport by visitors. However, in 2003 research was commissioned by VisitScotland in order to fill gaps in their knowledge regarding the coach tour market (Lynn Jones Research, 2003). The survey focused on industry stakeholders rather than consumers, to gain a better initial understanding of the market and is thus interesting, as it provides information on the mediating role of tour operators in travel behaviour. The study involved a desk based review of secondary data and eleven interviews with individuals representing industry interests.

4.46 The report begins by discussing the way in which coach tours are organised and sold before naming the main companies operating in the Scottish market. It is also noted that, in some instances, tour operators may not own the coaches they use, choosing instead to hire coaches and have them branded. Coach tours are shown to account for 3% of all tourist trips to Scotland with the domestic market accounting for 80% of business and the majority of overseas coach tour passengers coming from Germany, however, the source of these figures is unclear. The report provides a brief profile of coach passengers, stating that traditionally touring is seen to appeal to single travellers, those in older demographic groups and those on a fixed budget. The ability to relax on the holiday without the anxiety that can be associated with transport and travel in an unfamiliar place is suggested as a possible explanation for this trend.

4.47 The remainder of the report focuses on the factors that influence tour operators' choice of destination, namely price (including the customers budget), the type of attractions that are in the vicinity and the distance to the next destination. It is argued that, in order for a tour to sell to overseas coach customers, the destinations (or occasionally events) included in the itinerary must be of world renown. Relations with hoteliers and quality assurance are also discussed in detail. While transport is an intrinsic part of any discussion pertaining to the coach tour market, it was not found to be the primary focus of the report. Indeed the price and quality of available accommodation was highlighted as being a crucial factor in the decisions of tour operators as, with a private coach available, passengers can easily be transported to attractions and events that are of interest.

4.48 Discussing the future of the coach tour market, the report suggests that the sector will face increasing competition from low cost airlines and may have to restructure to accommodate the growth in popularity of short breaks and more independent travel, which may influence a switch towards tourists use of public transport. The lack of empirical data rather limits the usefulness of the report as visitor profile is based on anecdotal evidence as opposed to empirical research. Nor does the methodology employed allow satisfaction with the product to be viewed from the passenger perspective, highlighting the need for further research to be undertaken in this area.

Chapter summary

4.49 This chapter has provided a review of the scope and limitations of transport provision for visitors to Scotland from a supply and demand side perspective. It has been identified that private transport is the predominant mode of transport used by visitors to Scotland. This applies not only to the private and hire car, but also to private coach tours. However, the recurring pattern that emerges from the available data is that the further away visitors come to Scotland from, the less likely they are to use the car. Visitors from North America (Scotland's main overseas market) are the possible exception to this, but there is insufficient data to substantiate this claim.

4.50 The data reviewed indicates the presence of small, but nonetheless significant markets for public transport amongst visitors to Scotland. For example, in urban areas there is evidence of a substantial degree of use of public transport by visitors. Moreover, it is likely that the rise in the number of visitors travelling directly by air to Scotland from overseas, but also from the more distant regions of the UK as a result of the low cost carriers and the International Route Development Fund will result in a greater percentage of visitors being reliant on public transport during their stay. Moreover, there appears to be a small but significant market for rail travel which consists of a relatively high percentage of return visitors who prefer to travel by rail and would not make the journey by another mode. It is important that such markets are adequately catered for and the Freedom of Scotland pass appears to be satisfying a niche market in this respect. Furthermore, indications from the National Park data suggest that it is the visitors who stay longer that are most likely to use public transport. Since this type of traveller spends longer at the destination, they are likely to be higher spenders than day visitors who arrive and depart by car on the same day and spend little. The former type of tourist is thus to be favoured in terms of their environmentally and economic impact on the destination.

4.51 Some gaps in the existing transport provision are, however, apparent. Although barriers to public transport use will be explored further in Chapter 5, it is useful to comment here on some of these gaps. As regards road transport, congestion in popular tourist areas, poor roads in some rural areas, a lack of parking facilities and poor signage have been identified as gaps in provision. In the latter case, policy on the signing of tourist attractions and facilities from main trunk roads perhaps requires reviewing with regard to permission but also financing. From the perspective of public transport, it is evident that many of the visitor attractions which are located in more rural areas, in particular the areas of natural beauty administered by Scottish Natural Heritage, but also some of the National Trust for Scotland sites, are accessed almost exclusively by private transport. An interesting phenomenon is suggested at some of these sites where the private coach appears to have replaced public transport as a means of access. What is not, however, clear is whether the desire to visit these attractions drives visitors to hire a car, or whether the sites are only visited by those who have made the decision to hire a car for other reasons. This is certainly worthy of further exploration.

4.52 Good practice should also be stressed. Particularly within the residential belt incorporating the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, there is evidence of longstanding and more recent initiatives which provide examples of transport and tourism operators working together to increase the number of visitors using public transport and visiting local attractions. Integrated ticketing is perhaps the most common example, but this is largely limited to one day tickets allowing visitors to a cluster of attractions in relatively close proximity to one another. The appeal of extending such schemes is worthy of further investigation. In addition, such schemes could be extended to cover a longer period and a more diffuse range of attractions.

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