Read Chapter 2 - Transportation

Dear Students,

Read chapter 2 on transportation from the textbook.  Listed below are the learning outcomes, overview, summary and key terms.

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand the role of transportation in the tourism industry
• Recognize milestones in the development of the air industry and explain how profitability is measured in this sector
• Report on the historic importance of rail travel and challenges to rail operations today
• Describe water-based transportation segments including cruise travel and passenger ferries
• Recognize the importance of transportation infrastructure in tourism destinations
• Specify elements of sightseeing transportation, and explain current issues regarding rental vehicles and taxis
• Identify and relate industry trends and issues including fuel costs, environmental impacts, and changing weather

Overview

The transportation sector is vital to the success of our industry. Put simply, if we can’t move people from place to place — whether by air, sea, or land — we don’t have an industry. This chapter takes a broad approach, covering each segment of the transportation sector globally, nationally, and at home in British Columbia.

Summary

Tourism, freight, and resource industries such as forestry and mining sometimes compete for highways, waterways, and airways.  It’s important for governments to engage with various stakeholders and attempt to juggle various economic priorities — and for tourism to be at the table during these discussions.

That’s why in 2015 the BC Ministry of Transportation released its 10-year plan, BC on the Move. Groups like the Tourism Industry Association of BC actively polled their members in order to have their concerns incorporated into the plan. These included highway signage and wayfaring, the future of BC Ferries, and urban infrastructure improvements.

You can view the plan by visiting http://engage.gov.bc.ca/transportationplan Links to an external site.

This chapter has taken a brief look at one of the most complex, and vital, components of our industry. Chapter 3 covers accommodations and is just as essential.

Key Terms:

• Ancillary revenues: money earned on non-essential components of the transportation experience including headsets, blankets, and meals
• Blue Sky Policy: Canada’s approach to open skies agreements that govern which countries’ airlines are allowed to fly to, and from, Canadian destinations
• Cruise BC: a multi-stakeholder organization responsible for the development and marketing of British Columbia as a cruise destination
• Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA): the world’s largest cruise industry trade association with representation in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australasia
• International Air Transport Association (IATA): the trade association for the world’s airlines
• Low-cost carrier (LCC): an airline that competes on price, cutting amenities and striving for volume to achieve a profit
• National Airports Policy (NAP): the 1994 policy that saw transfer of 150 airports from federal control to communities and other local agencies, essentially deregulating the industry
• Open skies: a set of policies that enable commercial airlines to fly in and out of other countries
• Passenger load factor: a way of measuring how efficiently a transportation company uses its vehicles on any given day, calculated for a single flight by dividing the number of passengers by the number of seats
• Railway Safety Act: a 1985 Act to ensure the safe operation of railways in Canada
• Ridesharing apps: applications for mobile devices that allow users to share rides with strangers, undercutting the taxi industry
• Transportation Safety Board (TSB): the national independent agency that investigates an average of 3,200 transportation safety incidents across the country every year