Using Digital Media to Increase Awareness for Ground Transportation and to Improve Airport Accessibility for Tourists in Portugal

Abstract

In recent years, Portugal has seen an influx in foreign tourists across various major cities including Lisbon, Porto, Faro and more. With the spike of tourism, it is necessary to provide better options for public transportation for the local population as well for foreign tourists. Currently, in major cities such as Porto and Lisbon the public transportation is adequate; however, it can often be confusing for tourists to figure out various systems between buses, metro, local and regional trains. It is often the case that many of the arriving passengers do not speak Portuguese and are often unaware if there are adequate public transportation options. By providing passengers and arriving tourists’ easily accessible digital platforms such as a mobile application that they can download on their phone relating to ground transportation, Portugal can mitigate the negative environmental impacts from the use of taxi and vehicular transportation instead of public transportation. Also, the digital platforms such as a web-based, mobile application, installed billboards, or signs can help travelers to easily access ground transportation options. Besides, travelers can also be informed about the costs, environmental impacts as well as other necessary information. By combining digital media and transportation, policy makers can manage and mitigate the effects of tourism on the local environment as well as to ensure that tourists can explore and travel in a sustainable manner.