Gaining visitor acceptance of alternative transportation systems in Australian National Parks

As visitor and vehicle numbers increase in Australian national parks, authorities are faced with the challenge of balancing environmental protection with visitor access. In response, park managers at Cradle Mountain in Tasmania and the Grampians in Victoria have introduced shuttle bus services in an attempt to relieve the pressures created by these growing numbers. However, forcing visitors to use such alternative transportation systems is often not an option. The aim of the present study is therefore to apply the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to develop and evaluate a persuasive communication strategy designed to increase visitor use of alternative transportation systems in Australian national parks. The study contributes to a greater understanding of the cause-and-effect relationships between theoretically based interventions and human behaviour, and provides park authorities with a tested persuasive communication strategy designed to influence visitors? travel mode choices.