Sustainable Tourism Mobility Forum and Workshops

POLIS member Breda University of Applied Sciences (BUas) and the Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions (NBTC) are set to host the Sustainable Tourism Mobility Forum on 27 and 28 May 2024 in Breda. In collaboration with CELTH, POLIS, NECSTouR, the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, the event aims to tackle the pressing issue of carbon emissions in the tourism industry.

The conference will take place on day 1 and workshops co-hosted by POLIS on day 2.

The forum will focus on the imperative transition to more sustainable transport modes in tourism, such as rail, coaches, and cycling. Bringing together European transport and tourism stakeholders, the forum will feature speakers from Austria, Germany, France, and the Netherlands.

The forum aims to unite public authorities, industry players, start-ups, and universities from national, regional, and European levels in the tourism and transport sectors.

Themes

Under the theme of long-haul and local tourism mobility, discussions will delve into various aspects, including collaboration between tour operators and rail transport providers, experiences with night train operations, decarbonisation challenges in the aviation industry, and the integration of tourism into urban and rural mobility planning. Insights will be drawn from France's approach to mobility development for the Olympic Games and Austria's facilitation of night trains.

Business mobility will also be a key focus, exploring modern technologies to reduce business travel and fostering cross-learning between business and leisure tourism. Attendees will engage with cutting-edge technology in the XR Stage (Virtual Production Studio) and learn from experiences like the Travel Smart Campaign led by Transport & Environment.

Agenda

Day 1 - 27 May: Conference

9:00 - 10:00 | Registration, coffee and a word of welcome by Jorrit Snijder (President of the Executive Board, BUas)

10:00 - 12:00 | Long-haul tourism mobility - About this session

Moderator: Robert Thaler, Head of the UN PEP Partnership Sustainable Tourism Mobility

Stakeholder dialogue panel

Floor Bregman, Sustainability manager, Corendon
Elmer van Buuren, CEO, European Sleeper
Paul Peeters, Distinguished Professor Sustainable Tourism Transport, BUas
Petrouschka Werther, Director Sustainable Mobility, Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management
Mark Mallants, Co-Director, Benerail

Project pitches

Investment risks of aviation dependence in the Dutch outbound tour operating sector
- Cheryl van Adrichem, PhD candidate Wageningen University
Developments and perspectives of the Dutch touring car sector
- Maria Rodrigues, Senior Project manager transport and mobility, Panteia

12:00 - 13:00 | Lunch

13:00 - 15:00 | Local tourism mobility - About this session

Moderator: Françoise Guaspare, Responsible for the European policies on Sustainable tourism mobility, Ile de France region

Stakeholder dialogue

Carolien de Groot, Senior Policy Officer Sustainable Mobility, Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management
Renske Klunder, Policy Advisor Tourism, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy
Eric Caspers, Strategic Advisor, Municipality Schouwen-Duiveland
Mike Pinckaers, Advisor Public Affairs, ANWB
Bente Grimm, Head of Tourism Mobility Research, New Insights for Tourism (NIT)

Project pitches

Modal shift, routing and nudging solutions in Nature areas for sustainable tourism - Sterre Sparreboom, Project Lead Sustainable Mobility, Nationaal Park Utrechtse Heuvelrug
Bed and Bike - Noëlle Verhage & Keisa Meyjes, HZ University of Applied Sciences

15:00 - 15:30 | Coffee break

15:30 - 16:15 | Business mobility - About this session

Sustainable travel for film productions: use of digital technologies to reduce the business travel - Carlos Pereira Santos, Research & Design Coordinator, BUas
Travel Smart Campaign - Erin Vera, Campaigner, Transport and Environment

16:15 - 16:30 | Conclusion, Bert van Wee, Professor Transport Policy, TU Delft

16:30 - 17:30 | Network drinks

Day 2 - 28 May: Workshops

09:00 - 12:00 | Three thematic workshops co-hosted by POLIS which dive into the specific topics of tourism transport.

Workshop 1: Coach and the City: The place of coaches in transport and tourism

Workshop 2: Planning for sustainable mobility at tourist destinations

Workshop 3: Recreational cycling: opportunities and challenges

Registration

Registration for the event is free of charge but mandatory, with sustainable travel options encouraged to underline the commitment to acting on sustainable mobility. Interested participants are requested to confirm attendance by filling in the registration form by 13 May 2024.

REGISTER HERE for both Forum on 27 May and Workshops on 28 May

Please visit the forum's website for more information about the programme, moderators, and panel members. Follow the event on LinkedIn here.