The core of the project was a survey of providers of farm holidays in Bavaria, which the students developed in close cooperation with the LfL during the seminar. The aim was to explore the challenges and needs in the area of mobility, particularly with regard to the “last mile,” travel options, and local mobility. With more than 4,000 providers, “farm holidays” in Bavaria are an important form of tourism that contributes to the development of rural areas and opens up opportunities for diversification for agricultural businesses.
The course was based on a close link between theory and practice and applied service learning. Lecture topics such as networks and governance in tourism, but also the joint understanding of destination and living space, were reflected in the seminar project. A highlight of the seminar was the excursion to the Sammiller holiday farm in Holnstein (Berching), where students had the opportunity to gain a realistic insight into the tourist product “farm holidays” and to classify their survey results with first-hand information.
The results show that the opinions of providers on the relevance of sustainable travel options vary widely. Lack of connections, luggage transport, and long travel times were cited as reasons for guests traveling by car. 37% of the providers surveyed said they were open to innovative transport alternatives for the last mile, with a further 36% open to it under certain circumstances. To this end, they would like to see better connections to public transport and more and better information material for guests, but also see a need for financial support and stronger structures for exchange with other companies.
The Chair of Tourism would like to thank Julia Saller and Hannah Will from LfL, the Sammiller family from the Sammiller holiday farm, the state association Urlaub auf dem Bauernhof – Blauer Gockel, and UNISERVITATE for their excellent cooperation and support.