Business cases for combined tourist and mobility products

Summary

The goal of the measure was to encourage hotels to support sustainable mobility and increase the number of leisure trips using sustainable mobility modes among tourists and residents.  To achieve this, the Limassol Tourism Board established the Green Label Award Ceremony and promoted the Mobility Card.

Implementing sustainable mobility

Green Label Award

The Green Label is awarded to hotels that engaged to encourage the use of sustainable mobility modes to their guests,  to share links with sustainable mobility information, to offer sustainable mobility promotional material in their lobby, to offer bike rentals at the hotel, to promote the sustainable mobility app and to require their front office employees to participate in sustainable mobility training sessions, organised by the Limassol Tourism Company (LTC).

The awarded hotels are proud owners of the Green Label logo to use in their communication material and are demonstrating the Green Label crystal trophy placed on the reception desk. Small flags were given to the hotels to exhibit them at different locations on their premises. An official award ceremony took place with a lot of publicity by the local press. Also, awarded hotels, promoted the Mobility Card to their guests for all their PT transfers (urban and rural).

Tourist Mobility Card

The Tourist Mobility Card is a business case which significantly increases the number of bus trips, encourages bike trips and also upgrades the tourist experience. The Tourist Mobility Card distributed to all participated hotels, in the Green Label Award, along with a supporting brochure that includes discounts to motivate customers to use a ready-made solution for site seeing around Limassol.

Stakeholder engagement

Hotels have participated in the Green Label effort supporting sustainable mobility and to promote the Tourist Mobility Card to guests. The Limassol Bus Company, bike sharing and bike rental companies offered incentives to Tourist Mobility Card users. Tourist attractions, museums and local businesses offered discounts or other incentives to card users.

Promoting sustainable mobility modes

A video was developed as an additional way of promoting Green Label Award, the tourist mobility card and all sustainable mobility modes: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZq7WWz-dA8

Outcomes

• Awareness of tourists and residents about the Tourist Mobility Card – 35,1% knew about the existence of the Mobility Card. Between July 2019 to February 2020.
• Tourists and residents acceptance of the Tourist Mobility Card – 52,1% used it. Between July 2019 to February 2020.
• Increase of the number of hotels joining the Green Label Award - 16 hotels awarded. During May 2019.
• Increase in the business partners providing discounts - 22 businesses providing discounts and advantages for PT users. During May 2019.
• Number of Tourism Mobility Cards offered - 190 cards were offered. During May 2019.