Parking preferences among tourists in Newport, Rhode Island

Like many tourist destinations, Newport, Rhode Island relies upon high season tourist volumes for its economic health. Most visitors arrive by car, concentrated during certain hours on summer weekends, severely congesting the town’s major arteries and forcing many visitors to spend considerable time in their car. A transportation planning strategy which reduced congestion would enhance the quality of the visiting experience, increase the time visitors are able to spend in shops and at attractions, and draw additional visitors. However, identifying effective solutions requires understanding factors that affect tourists’ transit choices. We develop a conceptual model of Newport visitors’ parking and transit choices, expanding traditional transit choice models to include features such as scenery we expect to influence tourists. Using a stated preference survey of visitors, we find scenery, transit mode options and congestion are the major drivers of tourists’ parking choices. We also develop welfare estimates to enable analysis of proposed transportation plans.