The Last Mile project aimed at finding sustainable, flexible transport systems (FTS) for the last mile in the transport chain in tourism. The COVID-19 (C19) crisis impacted severely many of the identified FTS:
(1) Loss of confidence in public transport (PT): people intended to use individual modes of travel (i.e. the car) to minimize the risk of infection and refrained from using PT, resulting in a loss of customers also for the last mile solutions.
(2) Changed tourism mobility: the COVID-19 measures, especially the movement restrictions, had huge effects on the travelling and recreational behaviour of people. In many regions, tourism came to a standstill – aggravating the lack of passengers for sustainable modes of transport. In some regions, yet, there was a rise in local tourism, creating new challenges as increased individual traffic or the need for visitor and parking management.
(3) Changed mobility patterns: FTS might gain in importance after C19, i.a. to restart PT where PT has suffered.
