PREMISES FOR ESTABLISHING A REGIONAL MOBILITY CENTRE FOR THE DANUBE DELTA AREA

In support of the transition to sustainable mobility, a large array of strategic documents concerning sustainable development at European, national and local level set associated objectives to be met through specific instruments such as mobility remodelling projects. 2018 has been labeled by the European Commission as the 'Year of Multimodality', raising awareness on the importance of multimodality - use of different modes of transport on the same journey - for the efficiency of transport solutions. Tools for integrated mobility management will help reduce CO2 emissions and improve the quality of life of European citizens, contributing towards the Paris Agreement targets. Sustainable mobility solutions are deemed as increasingly relevant for tourism destinations, especially in natural protected areas like the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, where environmental pressures from touristic activities need to be mitigated in order to preserve biodiversity and landscape quality. Practices that aim at reducing the socio-ecological impact of visitor movement within the territory include providing visitors with the necessary support for responsible tourism, including comprehensive and up-to-date information on ecotourism alternatives and sustainable mobility options for their trips. The premises for creating a mobility information centre for Danube Delta, as a measure for increasing the quality of services provided in the nodes of an international destinations network along the Danube, have been studied in the context of the activities carried out in the Inter-reg Danube project Transdanube.Pearls. Based on a collection of best practices from comparative case studies across the European Union and an analysis of the state-of-the-art of regional mobility and tourism systems in the Danube Delta area, we conclude that establishing a regional mobility centre in Tulcea municipality, in a close partnership with relevant stakeholders, would positively impact the mobility behaviour of both tourists and inhabitants and increase mobility management capacities of local and regional authorities.