think back to the last vacation you took how did you get there did you drive a car fly in a plane maybe you took a ride on a train regardless you got there through some kind of transportation transportation is critical for the tourism industry if there isn't a way to get to the destination people are simply not going to walk or swim there and there's more to it than that even if there is a way to get there that doesn't mean people will come you'll find out why on this lesson on transportation's impact on tourism the entire tourism industry is dependent on transportation a hotel in paris france catering to tourists cannot survive if there is no way for the tourists to get there the same goes for a nature reserve in thailand a snorkeling company near the great barrier reef in australia or a meditation retreat in india the tourists get there through various modes of transportation such as automobiles airplanes ships trains or in many cases a combination thereof only when the tourists get to their destinations can they spend money and prop up the local tourism industry which includes companies that provide accommodations food and drink and entertainment of all sorts once the customer reaches their preferred destination the transportation doesn't stop for instance if you could get a direct flight to a very remote city in a developing nation you might still avoid going there there could be many reasons why but poor transportation within the destination is one of them why bother going to a place if you cannot get around easily enough due to a lack of transportation in a location booming tourist centers around the world try to ensure that tourists have a very easy time getting around via numerous methods such as bus taxi train and rental vehicles in addition to the obvious ways that transportation and tourism are linked there are also more subtle connections to consider for instance the modes of transportation must accommodate the ebb and flow of tourists with the seasons more people may want to reach a particular destination during the summer and thus the transportation companies must accommodate this with more vehicles and staff during that time if they do not or cannot the local tourist economy will suffer since fewer people will be able to get there the local cities congestion may play a role as well who cares that you can rent a car or taxi in your vacation city if traffic will prevent you from actually going anywhere with such an experience you might well tell your friends and family back home about it thus transportation isn't solely dependent on the options available to tourists but also on the government that ensures critical infrastructure is up to date safety is another important component to the relationship between tourism and transportation let's say that you've safely reached your destination by plane the city you are in has plenty of transportation options public buses private taxis and trains sounds great right but what if the roads are full of sinkholes the taxi cabs aren't regulated for mechanical safety the drivers aren't vetted for criminal histories and the trains have a worldwide reputation for constantly getting into accidents how might you feel about traveling here probably not great and for many it would be enough for them to avoid the location altogether comfort is another factor for you to consider what kind of customer does the local tourism industry want to entice if they are seeking to bring in the customers who are going to be spending a small fortune then they better be thinking about catering to every comfort of that tourist this may mean ensuring that there are premium cabins on trains first class availability on planes reaching the destination or even personal chauffeur services within the city all of these factors then affect price not everyone is able to afford a very expensive vacation variance in budget means there need to be a range of transportation options available for some people an iffy and uncomfortable but very cheap tuck tuck is going to be just fine a variety of transportation methods allows a location to cater to as many different people and budgets as possible transportation prices affect tourism on a larger scale as well in other words if the plane tickets to reach a destination are too expensive fewer tourists will make the trip [Music] transportation is perhaps the single most important element affecting the tourism industry without a way to get to or travel within a destination fewer tourists will find a way to visit this means that hotels restaurants museums and the local economy will be affected by the lack of tourists people reach their method of destination via planes trains ships and automobiles once at their destination they may use similar methods to get around the comfort price security and expediency of the method of transportation will influence what kind of tourists come to the destination or how they get around there