The topic examined how the tourism ecosystem can contribute to and benefit from the decarbonization of the transport sector, with a focus on urban mobility and tourism travel. Drawing on the monthly article “Greening Europe’s urban mobility: strategies for decarbonizing public transport”, the webinar “Travelling Light: Mainstreaming low-carbon mobility for public transport” along with the online discussion “Decarbonising tourism-driven urban transport” in January 2025, it highlighted how tourism demand shapes transport patterns in cities, often increasing emissions and congestion during peak periods. Addressing these challenges requires coordinated action across transport authorities, destination managers, tourism businesses, and policymakers. 

Key themes included: 

• The role of public transport and urban mobility systems in reducing tourism-driven emissions. 
• Low-carbon mobility solutions for tourism travel, including rail, shared mobility, and active transport.
• The importance of integrating tourism needs into urban and regional mobility planning. 
• The role of information, coordination, and behavioural change in supporting modal shift. 

The initiatives showcased illustrate how the tourism ecosystem can benefit from decarbonisation in the tourism sector including: 

• Soft Mobility Atlas, RFI & AMIDI: project in Italy which highlighted the mapping of railway systems and cycle routes to identify suitable hubs for active mobility
• Vennbahn project, Vennbahn & Interreg: it’s a 125km premier European cycle path, converting a historic railway into a, largely, flat, asphalted route crossing Germany, Belgium, and Luxembourg. 
• AstyMOVE, Hellenic Republic & Volkswagen Group: app which focuses on sustainable transportation and the integration of electric vehicles into the island's transport system. Since its launch in June 2022, the initiative has led to a significant rise in electric car usage, with users travelling more than 390,000 km in electric vehicles by April 2024. 
• MaaSolutions Project: funded by the Interred Europe programme, it enhances urban mobility by integrating digital solutions, promoting sustainable transport modes, and reducing car traffic. 
• Salento’s Pathways to Environmentally Friendly Tourism, Department of Economics and Statistics at the University of Salerno: this framework is designed to develop tourist itineraries in Salerno, Italy, promoting sustainable mobility and enhancing the area’s appeal. 
• The Innovative Bicycle Project in Slobozia: this project aims to set up automatic bicycle rental stations in Slobozia, Romania, to promote cycling over car use.  
• DIAGORAS Initiative: shared mobility service on Rhodes, Greece, recognised by the Interreg Europe Programme for its innovative services, focuses on deploying electric car and e-bicycle sharing services on the island of Rhodes. 
• DESTINATIONS Travel: EU-funded project aimed at enhancing sustainable mobility in Mediterranean tourist towns by providing green, smart, and flexible transportation solutions to address the transportation challenged faced by residents and tourists. 
• Decarbonization roadmap for Aviation, Airlines for Europe (A4E): Airlines for Europe presented the decarbonization roadmap for aviation which highlighted the critical role of aviation in connecting Europe and supporting the tourism industry. 

• Tourism is a significant driver of urban transport emissions and must be considered in transport decarbonization strategies, particularly in cities and high-pressure destinations. 
• Public transport and low-carbon mobility are central solutions, with electrification, rail, shared mobility, walking, and cycling offering high potential to reduce emissions while improving accessibility. 
• Better integration between tourism and transport planning is needed, moving beyond siloed approaches to ensure that tourism demand is aligned with urban mobility strategies. 
• Information and behavioral change play a critical role, as tourists’ travel choices can be influenced by clearer information, coordinated services, and accessible low-carbon alternatives. 
• Peer learning and cross-sector collaboration are emerging as key enablers, allowing destinations to share experiences and accelerate the adoption of greener mobility solutions across the tourism ecosystem.