Sustainable Tourism Planning and Transportation in Texas

摘要

Because transportation and its related infrastructure are important components of211u001etourism, furnishing the primary means for the vast majority of travelers to get 211u001einto, out of, and through a destination, poor transportation planning and 211u001einadequate infrastructure can dramatically reduce the economic 'utility' of 211u001etourism to a community. This suggests a need to develop transportation planning 211u001eframeworks to address tourism development within the broader context of 211u001ecommunity, regional, or statewide economic development goals. It is the objective 211u001eof this study: To examine and better understand tourism-related transportation 211u001eflows and infrastructure development/planning in selected regions of Texas; and 211u001eTo examine and better understand the interrelationship between sustainable 211u001edevelopment, transportation, and tourism. Three regions within Texas are examined 211u001eas part of this study: the Hill Country/Fredericksburg, the Gulf Coast/Port 211u001eAransas, and the Big Bend area. Researchers chose to examine regions and sites 211u001eseparately based on the understanding that each destination displayed one or more 211u001edistinct types of tourism that fell within the following matrix: Data was 211u001ecollected initially thorugh literature reviews and the Internet. This information 211u001ewas combined with firsthand visual data and interview information to obtain a 211u001emulti-faceted picture of the extent to which transportation services and 211u001einfrastructure hinder and/or enhance the tourism experience, and the extent to 211u001ewhich tourism supports community or regional efforts for sustainable economic 211u001edevelopment.