EURO 2025 Leeds
Abstract Submission

666. Towards Sustainable Festival Mobility: A Stated Choice Experiment on Visitor Transportation Modes in Germany

Invited abstract in session TC-59: Innovations for a Greener City and Sustainable Urban Logistics I, stream Transportation.

Tuesday, 12:30-14:00
Room: Liberty 1.14

Authors (first author is the speaker)

1. Valerija Gottselig
School of Economics and Business, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg
2. Christoph Herrmann
School of Economics and Business, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
3. Katharina Friederike Sträter
Economics, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg

Abstract

Over the years, the number of music festivals in German-speaking countries has increased. These attract tens of thousands of visitors and have a significant economic impact. However, they also pose major transportation challenges since visitors typically camp on-site for several days, bringing tents and supplies. This, in turn, is likely to influence their choice of transport mode, making it different from well-researched transportation choices in everyday life. Travel to and from festivals makes up for 40-80% of their scope 3 emissions. This study analyses transport mode choice behavior of festival-goers using the Theory of Planned Behavior. To elicit the preference structure, a discrete choice experiment (DCE) was designed that confronts “festival affine” participants with hypothetical decision situations in which they must choose between different means of transportation with varying levels of price and CO2 emission, among other attributes. In addition to the DCE, psychological and socio-demographic variables were surveyed from 778 festival-goers from four German music festivals. The data was analyzed using a hybrid choice model. The results demonstrate, among others, a willingness to pay for shorter travel times and reduced CO2 emissions when choosing hypothetically between transportation modes while a preference for car travel persists. Options for reducing CO2 emissions could, therefore, include improved concepts of carpooling or renting of festival equipment.

Keywords

Status: accepted


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