Impact of High-Speed Rail on Tourists' Decisions: Evidence from a Survey Conducted in Paris and in Madrid

The analysis of how tourists select their holiday destinations along with the factors that determine their choices is very important for promoting tourism. In particular, transportation is supposed to have influence on tourists? decissions. The objective of this paper is to investigate more especifically the role of High Speed Rail (HSR) in this choice. Two key tourist destinations in Europe, Paris and Madrid, have been chosen to understand the factors influencing this choice. On the basis of a survey conducted to tourists, we found out that some aspects such as the presence of architectural sites, the quality of promotion of the destination itself, and cultural and social events, have an impact on their choice. However the presence of the HSR system affects the choice of Paris and Madrid as a touristic destination in a different way. For Paris, TGV is considered a real transport mode alternative among tourists who use it quite often. On the other hand, Madrid is chosen by tourists irrespective of the presence of an efficient HSR network. Data collected from the two surveys have been used for a further quantitative analysis. Regression models have been specified and parameters have been calibrated to identify the factors influencing holidaymakers to revisit Paris and Madrid and visit other touristic spots accesible from HSR from these cities.