Résumé

The present paper deals with the potential of autonomous public vehicles for alpine tourism destinations. Several scholars have underlined the dilemma between tourism and mobility, especially in peripheral tourism regions. On the one hand, there is a high demand for mobility, on the other hand, those regions are ecologically very sensitive and their pure air, natural beauty and tranquillity are their most important assets. Scientific literature has concentrated on possible management measures that help handle that dilemma and their impact on tourist flows. There is however a lack of literature dealing with the potential of autonomous public vehicles to render a tourism destination more sustainable and attractive for tourists from a mobility point of view. The aim of this exploratory study is to investigate the chances and opportunities of public autonomous vehicles for alpine tourism destinations. The study also focuses on the elements that could hinder a tourism destination to adopt a public autonomous vehicle. The in-depth analysis of 14 expert interviews shows that the introduction of autonomous public vehicles in alpine tourism destinations could be a starting point for the development of a sustainable transport system. Yet, the technological and legal aspects still have to be developed more.

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