Survey: No Increase in Environmentally Friendly Travel Identified

For most vacationers in Lower Saxony, the car remains the most important means of transportation - both for arrival and departure as well as on-site. This was revealed by a survey conducted by the Chambers of Industry and Commerce (IHKN) among around 450 tourism businesses in the region.

According to the survey, almost every second business stated that more than 90% of their guests arrive by car. Likewise, almost every second business responded that more than 90% of their guests also use their own cars on-site.

IHKN: Make Climate-Friendly Means of Transport More Attractive

"Even though the desire to travel sustainably is strong, according to our findings, there is no trend towards more environmentally friendly mobility in Lower Saxony," said IHKN Chief Executive Monika Scherf.

According to further studies, the choice of transport mode is rather based on criteria such as safety, stress-free travel, flexibility, comfort, or user-friendliness.

Therefore, IHKN's tourism spokesperson, Kerstin van der Toorn, appealed that climate-friendly means of transport must be made at least as attractive as the car, and continuous mobility at the holiday destination must be ensured to reduce the emission of climate-damaging greenhouse gases.

"This is where politics is required," said IHKN Chief Scherf. After all, the red-green state government wants to make Lower Saxony climate-neutral by 2040.

According to IHKN's vision, better rail connections, a more regular and reliable interval in local transport, and the continuation of the Germany ticket could contribute to this. Incentives for the free use of local transport with guest cards are also an option. Additionally, the expansion of the charging infrastructure for e-cars is necessary.