Integrating rail travel into regional tourism packages for sustainable mobility [Articol]

Abstract

Purpose of the article: The paper develops a conceptual and operational framework for integrating rail travel into regional tourism packages as a lever for sustainable mobility and destination attractiveness in the RO–MD corridor. It formalizes package attributes (integrated fare, total journey time, guaranteed connections, CO2 label, on-site services, scenic value) and proposes a composite Rail-in-Package Adoption Index. Methodology: We combine: (I) a critical synthesis of service marketing, intermodality, value co-creation, and first/last-mile logistics; (II) secondary public datasets (BNS, INSSE, Eurostat, ERA/UIC, UN Tourism) and a systematic review of existing tour offers; (III) the operationalization of a Rail-in-Package Adoption Index (RIP-Index) and a multicriteria decision framework; (IV) a demonstrative study on active cross-border rail links (Ungheni–Iași, Chișinău– Bucharest), with transparent, auditable calculations. Conclusions: Demonstrative results show that integrated fares and guaranteed connections exert the strongest leverage on adoption, while total journey time is decisive when benchmarking against road alternatives. CO2 labelling increases rail preference among sustainability-oriented segments, and on-site services plus scenic value differentiate the product and enhance satisfaction. The proposed framework is replicable and aligned with EU sustainable mobility strategies. Originality: The study rigorously fuses service-marketing and co-creation theory with intermodal logistics design and translates them into a practical tool (RIP-Index) for tour operators. It adds context-specific evidence for the EU’s eastern border (RO–MD), where both literature and practice remain scarce, offering a verifiable, open-data-based method.