Low-Impact Travel, High-Value Tourism? Evidence from a Rural Destination

Rural destinations face a difficult challenge in balancing economic vitality with the environmental and infrastructural pressures, including congestion of car-dependent destinations. Despite growing calls for more sustainable mobility, destination management organisations (DMOs) can assume that private vehicles are vital for rural access, fearing that alternatives such as soft mobility or public transport may have an adverse effect on visitor satisfaction and spending. Yet, empirical evidence to support or challenge these assumptions remains limited. This study addresses this gap by analysing visitor survey data (N = 512) from international and domestic tourists to a rural destination in County Clare, Ireland. Using one-way and two-way ANOVA, along with chi-square and logistic regression analyses, we examine how transport mode relates to visitor satisfaction, daily expenditure, and overnight stay behaviour. Results revealed that visitor satisfaction does not significantly differ across transport modes, suggesting that sustainable mobility options (e.g., walking, cycling, public transport) do not impact the visitor experience. While transport mode had a minimal impact on spending overall, overnight visitors, regardless of how they travelled, spent significantly more than day-trippers (p < 0.001), identifying length of stay as the key economic driver. Moreover, soft mobility users (walking and cycling) had a higher likelihood of staying overnight than car users, while tour bus users were significantly less likely to do so. However, among those who did stay overnight, tour bus users reported the highest daily spending, revealing a complex relationship between mobility type and economic impact. Overall, the results question long-held assumptions linking car use with rural tourism success. Low-impact transport options, such as soft mobility and public transport, were found to sustain visitor satisfaction and spending outcomes comparable to car travel, suggesting their integration could contribute to more balanced, sustainable mobility planning.