Can Europe lead the digital and green transition in travel?

May 2, 2023

4 min read

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Europe is full of amazing landscapes and beautiful, bucolic towns, inspired by the pages of an old fairytale. There are also vibrant, modern cities that are global hubs for business, art, and innovative technologies. Exciting coastlines and beach destinations are matched by incredible parks and natural wonders.

Europe enjoys one of the most advanced transport infrastructures in the world. However, transport remains a highly fragmented industry, with data silos and limited communication between stakeholders, resulting in reduced options for travelers.

Despite liberalization having some impact on different transport value chains, the reality is that connections between different travel options and access to content are not straightforward, in part because transport operators have so far been reluctant to share information widely.

This means that travelers planning and booking their trips cannot easily find all the potential routes and modes of transport in one convenient place, thus preventing a latent demand from being unleashed.

Travelers should be informed about transport options and impact, including the carbon emissions footprint.

And Amadeus is committed to making this a reality.

An opportunity to overcome fragmentation

We are working to facilitate access to relevant transport data across all distribution channels and combining travel by air, rail, coach, and any other relevant transport mode, as an essential step toward multimodal digital mobility services (MDMS).

Having an easy way to compare, combine and book different transport modes will facilitate searching and booking trips, while reducing carbon emissions and making travel more affordable.

As highlighted inthe Kearney report commissioned by Amadeus, by 2030 multimodality could generate 500 million additional travelers and €30 billion in new revenue for the European transport industry while reducing average emissions per passenger kilometer by 5%, as an increased number of travelers would leave their cars at home in favor of more sustainable transport options and a partial shift of air to rail options.

Figure 1. MDMS are digital platforms that can orchestrate multimodal supply and demand

What will this mean for the traveler

Providing passengers with better information and a full range of options can facilitate a door-to-door planning, booking, ticketing and payment experience, significantly enhancing the journey.

As it grows, digitally driven multimodality has the capacity to activate a “flywheel effect,” one that generates a better, cheaper, and more convenient experience for the traveler.

At the same time, increased competition between transport modes would drive down fares, further contributing to demand, as can be observed in the below cases in Spain and Germany. This virtuous circle would also imply a substantial positive impact on CO2 emissions.

Figure 2. High-speed rail demand has increased as new lines have opened (Spain and Germany)

How to bring multimodal digital services to fruition

The ultimate frontier for multimodality is to transform the transport system in Europe into a multilateral market, a system of systems. When complete, digital platforms would be able to orchestrate transport modes to provide a ubiquitous, seamless, and affordable door-to-door experience for travelers, no matter where they live.

But there are challenges to overcome.

We must build a policy framework which establishes the right to access relevant content from all transport modes (air, rail, coach and others). This will significantly expand the digital visibility required to expand the multimodal offer across all distribution channels, reinforce competition and ensure consumers can compare, book and ticket multimodal offers in one place while developing a true smart and sustainable European transport market through an effective modal shift. The Multimodal Digital Mobility Services (MDMS) regulatory initiative by the European Commission is currently defining this policy framework to make multimodality in Europe flourish.

At the travel ecosystem's center, Amadeus also promotes the opportunities afforded by multimodal transport.

As awareness increases, demand for change will follow. We seek cooperation across our industry to realize the potential of this digital future. We trust that a more competitive, sustainable, and consumer-oriented EU transport market would emerge from this transition.

A bright tomorrow

Because, as the Kearney report points out, a successfully deployed digital and multimodal transport sector can enable new connections, drive economic growth, industry competitiveness, reduce prices through increased competition and democratize travel.

In short, multimodality can be the ‘Holy Grail’ for the travel industry, a tool to speed up the digital and green transitions.

A unique opportunity to transform the travel experience and industry in Europe lies ahead of us. At Amadeus we are already working on making it a reality.

If you want to know more about how multimodal travel contributes to a better cohesion, a stronger transport industry and a more sustainable one, download the study here .

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