Long-distance travel in tension with everyday mobility of urbanites – A classification of leisure travellers

Abstract For understanding long-distance travel and its impact on the environment, the travel behaviour of people living in urban areas is of particular interest. Although urbanites tend to travel short distances in their everyday lives using environmentally friendly means of transport, studies indicate a different picture for their long-distance travel. Urbanites show a higher demand for long-distance as they travel more frequently and to more distant places, which in addition involves a higher demand for air travel. By using travel survey data from 893 people living in Berlin and Munich (Germany), we analyse the travel behaviour of urban people with a focus on leisure travel. The method is based on an integrated approach including everyday travel, norms and attitudes, sociodemographic characteristics as well as spatial aspects. By applying a latent class analysis, we identify four different leisure travel types among urbanites. The analysis of sociodemographic and psychographic characteristics as well as mode choice reveal distinct differences between the types. The leisure travel type ‘young travel-addicted urbanites’ is characterized by car-less people from highly dense urban areas. Even though these people behave environmentally friendly in everyday travel and show a higher ecological norm orientation than other types, they reported the highest frequency of touristic trips and the most air travels. This shows how long-distance travel can be in tension with everyday mobility of city dwellers.