The European Travel Commission (ETC) and Eurail have launched an exciting joint award competition for the Best European Rail Tourism Campaign 2021 as part of the ‘2021 European Year of Rail’ (EYR), which kicked off on 1 January 2021. The award will be given to the marketing campaigns this year that best promote rail travel as a sustainable tourism model throughout the EU.
The initiative joins a variety of creative activities that will put rail firmly in the spotlight throughout 2021 EYR, to encourage the use of rail by citizens, travellers and businesses and to contribute to the EU Green Deal goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2050.
Travellers are becoming increasingly experienced and conscious of their environmental footsteps and are seeking ways to reduce their CO2 footprint, while still making new, unique, and meaningful experiences. This is where rail tourism can play its part providing a sustainable and eco-friendly mobility solution. In the EU, rail is responsible for less than 0.5% of transport-related greenhouse gas emissions, making it one of the greenest forms of passenger transport. Despite these advantages, only about 10% of European residents choose rail as the main mode of transport for holidays or business travel in 2018. One way to increase this share is to make tourists more aware of the many benefits of rail travel, from the comfort on board and generous luggage allowance to the convenience of arriving right at the heart of their destinations.
This is an excerpt from an article by Vicky Vicky Karantzavelou, originally published by Travel Daily News.
