How does tourism affect permanent residents’ travel preferences? The case of Rhodes, Greece

Tourism is a major source of income for many regions; however, its impacts on residents’ daily lives are significant, especially regarding their travel behavior. Local transportation infrastructure is challenged by large tourist flows, and thus residents need to adapt to the new environment by changing their usual habits, such as travel mode, frequency, destination etc. In this study, a multinomial logistic regression mode choice model is developed to capture tourism impacts on residents’ travel behavior, using data from the island of Rhodes, Greece. According to study findings, tourism has in fact an impact on residents’ travel mode preferences, as they tend to opt for more agile modes such as motorcycles, instead of cars, and adopt defensive driving during tourist seasons. This study can facilitate public transport operators, planners, and municipalities in tourist regions, to apply effective policies to mitigate negative impacts of tourism in local traffic conditions.