How Can Rail Use for Leisure and Tourism Be Promoted? Using Leisure and Mobility Orientations to Segment Swiss Railway Customers - MDPI
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sustainability
Article
How Can Rail Use for Leisure and Tourism Be Promoted?
Using Leisure and Mobility Orientations to Segment Swiss
Railway Customers
Lisa Dang * and Widar von Arx
Institute for Tourism and Mobility ITM—Mobility Competence Centre, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences
and Arts, Rösslimatte 48, 6002 Lucerne, Switzerland; widar.vonarx@hslu.ch
* Correspondence: lisa.dang@hslu.ch
Abstract: This study aims to explore how customer segments are characterised by leisure and
mobility orientations. By means of a survey, Swiss rail customers’ socioeconomic and trip profiles
as well as attitudes towards taking the rail in their leisure time were collected. Respondents were
free to take part in the survey by telephone or online, resulting in 1235 full interviews. A principal
component analysis followed by segmentation through cluster analysis was conducted to derive
their socio-economic and trip profiles and collect data on their attitudes towards using rail in their
leisure time. Five railway customer segments were established, each demonstrating typical leisure
orientations and specific attitudes towards the use of rail in leisure time and on tourist trips. This
paper contributes to understanding the salient preferences of each segment and provides transport
companies with clear indications for developing market-oriented offerings.
Keywords: customer segmentation; leisure mobility; tourist travel; leisure orientations; mobility
Citation: Dang, L.; von Arx, W. How
orientations; public transport; Swiss railway
Can Rail Use for Leisure and Tourism
Be Promoted? Using Leisure and
Mobility Orientations to Segment
Swiss Railway Customers. 1. Introduction
Sustainability 2021, 13, 5813. Customer-oriented marketing of mobility services is based on several customer char-
https://doi.org/10.3390/su13115813 acteristics. Socio-economic characteristics of persons (e.g., age) and certain behavioural
characteristics (e.g., commuting versus other travel purposes) have traditionally been used
Academic Editor: Juan de Oña
for customer segmentation in the public transport industry [1–3]. According to existing
research, other characteristics should be considered for marketing purposes: for example,
Received: 1 May 2021
preferences and orientations regarding certain activities outside the home—which are
Accepted: 20 May 2021
occasions for mobility—and attitudes regarding the various means of transport available
Published: 21 May 2021
to users in the relevant field of activity [4–6]. The underlying assumption is that different
lifestyles exist within the population, which are, in turn, expressed as different consump-
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral
tion styles. Applied to mobility and the use of mobility services, these are referred to as the
with regard to jurisdictional claims in
population’s ‘mobility styles’ [7].
published maps and institutional affil-
iations.
Customer segmentation in the public transport domain can be based on such mobility
styles if individual groups of the population actually differ greatly in terms of their mobility
orientations and use of mobility services; e.g., if they use the train to a different extent
and in different ways for excursions depending on their mobility style or use combination
offers for travel and tourist services. In such cases, precise knowledge of these mobility
Copyright: © 2021 by the authors.
styles offers added value compared to customer segmentations based only on a few socio-
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
demographic characteristics or behavioural traits. This is because it enables more precise
This article is an open access article
determination of what customers in individual mobility style groups prefer in their leisure
distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons
time, when travelling, and how they feel about the use of railways as a means of transport
Attribution (CC BY) license (https://
for leisure activities in everyday life or for travel activities [8]. This knowledge can be
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ used for segment-specific marketing activities in service development, communication
4.0/). with customers, sales and pricing policy. Considering the market potential of individual
Sustainability 2021, 13, 5813. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13115813 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability
Sustainability 2021, 13, 5813 2 of 19
customer segments and the future development of the structure of these segments can also
indicate the orientation of strategic marketing.
However, rail customer segmentations have thus-far been based primarily on socio-
demographic characteristics (e.g., age) and behavioural characteristics (e.g., type of sub-
scription ownership) [1–3]. This study aims to bridge this research gap through an
interview-based survey tailored to generate data for rail travel for leisure and tourism pur-
poses (i.e., not considering business travel purposes) among Swiss residents aged between
16 and 85 years. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that rail customers in the
individual segments differ across key parameters of transport behaviour, including the
number of kilometres travelled annually by rail, the number of daily trips and trips with
overnight stays and customer value (average annual expenses on rail travel for leisure
and tourism). The results of the data analyses are important for determining the sales and
revenue potential of individual customer segments for the railways and for the segment-
specific accentuation of marketing activities. Moreover, customer segmentation around
leisure and tourism travel functions in the context of railway companies and their partners
developing offers and services for the relevant market. Railways and other public transport
companies can use the derived customer segment profiles to gain insight into the offers
they can use to target their customers in the leisure and travel market, enabling access to
potential value creation in the context of leisure and tourism transport.
2. Literature Review
Customer segmentation is an established method for dividing the (potential) cus-
tomers of a market into heterogeneous groups. Meanwhile, the members of a group are
homogeneous, i.e., they share similar characteristics regarding, for example, life situation,
interests or needs. In the mobility sector, customer segmentation is useful for identifying
the demographic, psychographic and behavioural characteristics of a customer group and
addressing their requirements for mobility services [5,9,10]. There is existing research that
uses cluster analysis in the transportation sector, for example to identify different segments
of traffic accidents [11,12] or different groups of passengers with regard to service quality
in public transport [13]. Especially the latter is worth mentioning in our research context,
as it also identifies different clusters of passengers (the young students, working women,
sporadic passengers, elderly passengers) in public transportation in order to develop per-
sonalised marketing measures that increase its use. Reference [14] argue that customer
segmentation in public transport is an effective strategy for developing tailored offers
and targeting specific customer groups using personalised advertising and incentives.
The effectiveness of measures (e.g., marketing strategies) depends on the extent to which
the heterogeneity and individual needs of customers are considered [1,15]. The classic
approaches to customer segmentation in the mobility sector are based on gender [2,16],
age [2,3] or occupation (employee, senior, student) [1]. However, neither common needs
nor interests or behavioural patterns can be identified using such socio-demographic factors
for segmentation. These can be very heterogeneous within a group and are subsequently
not addressed by the respective marketing strategies [5].
Therefore, different approaches have been developed in recent years to segment public
transport customers. For example, passengers can be grouped based on temporal, spatial,
or socio-demographic characteristics, as well as activity orientations, e.g., [5,6,8]. Existing
segmentation of tourist travellers within the Swiss population focuses on travel motives but
is focused on the submarket of tourist travel involving overnight stays in Switzerland and
abroad, with only marginal consideration of attitudes regarding the choice of transport [17].
Within this segmentation, a mix of leisure orientations and mobility orientations could
be particularly suitable, given that the motive for a journey is usually the activity at the
destination (e.g., hiking, visiting a museum). Depending on the type of leisure orientation,
a segment needs or wants to be more mobile. Additionally, it is worth probing whether
these segments prefer their trips to be by train and whether the journey itself is also an
experience for the passenger [8,18]. Elsewhere, another study on leisure mobility stylesSustainability 2021, 13, 5813 3 of 19
included only the subpopulation of the Swiss agglomeration population and focused on
everyday leisure mobility [18]. Foreign studies on leisure mobility styles [19] can only
be transferred to the Swiss market to a limited extent due to differences in both social
structure and the incentive and supply structure. Furthermore, current research lacks
practical implications on the ways public transport operators can utilise segmentation
insights in concrete supply optimisation. This study provides added value by deriving
measures that have been presented to and evaluated by practitioners.
3. Study Design
3.1. Conceptual Approach
Regarding leisure activities and activities on tourist trips, the study focuses on activity-
related orientations of traffic participants, which were measured by the subjective impor-
tance assigned to 27 leisure and private travel activities. These activities were selected
based on results from previous studies on mobility styles in Switzerland [18].
Regarding rail use, first, attitudes towards taking the railway for leisure and travel
were queried. Second, participants were asked whether other relevant persons in their
environment articulate expectations of using the train for day trips (i.e., social norm). Third,
regarding personal norms, participants were asked whether the train was generally used
for leisure regardless of the weather (i.e., whether the person was relatively ‘weather-
resistant’) and whether there was a self-commitment to generally using the train as a
means of transport for day trips for environmental reasons. Fourth, the extent of perceived
behavioural control was approached in terms of the ease of rail use for leisure travel, the
accessibility of day trips and vacation travel destinations by rail, and the perceived costs of
using the train for leisure travel. A total of 26 items were used to survey attitudes, norms,
and control perceptions; these were based on [20–22].
The identified mobility segments for leisure and tourism trips are characterised by
typical constellations regarding the two superordinate dimensions ‘activity orientations
in leisure and private trips’ and ‘rail-related attitudes, norms and perceived behavioural
control’. Other surveyed characteristics of the interviewees serve to further characterise
and describe the respective customer segments. From the perspective of theories of ra-
tional choice [23], the (objectively measured) resource endowment of individuals can be
relevant. It is expected that resource endowment influences the scope of action against
the background of which certain activity orientations in leisure and travel can become
apparent [24]. Empirical studies on mobility also indicate that the form of life or a person’s
life stage should not be underestimated in attitudinal comparisons [25]. That is, specific
preferences for leisure activities and requirements for mobility can arise depending on,
for example, one’s family situation, the number of children in the household, the type
of partner relationship or the phase of life (e.g., employment or retirement). Figure 1
presents the explanatory model of customer segmentation based on leisure and mobility
orientations. An overview of the survey questions is provided in Appendix A.life stage should not be underestimated in attitudinal comparisons [25]. That is, specific
preferences for leisure activities and requirements for mobility can arise depending on,
for example, one’s family situation, the number of children in the household, the type of
partner relationship or the phase of life (e.g., employment or retirement). Figure 1 presents
Sustainability 2021, 13, 5813 4 of 19
the explanatory model of customer segmentation based on leisure and mobility
orientations. An overview of the survey questions is provided in Appendix A.
Figure 1. Explanatory
Figure 1. Explanatory model
model of
of customer
customer segmentation
segmentation (source:
(source: own
own illustration).
illustration).
3.2. Implementation of the Survey
3.2. Implementation of the Survey
Customer segmentation refers to the mobility of the Swiss resident population in the
submarkets (1) leisure travel for everyday purposes, (2) day trips with private purposes
and (3) trips with overnight stays with private purposes. There is a focus on trips and travel
by rail. This study categorises trips connected to a multi-local lifestyle—where people
regularly visit, for example, vacation homes or apartments, relatives or friends, or partners
living in a different location—as leisure traffic or travel in this study because they occur for
private, non-commercial reasons and can involve considerable annual traffic [26]. Trips for
business purposes have been excluded because they feature different work-related reasons
and require separate customer segmentation.
Survey respondents were persons between the ages of 16 and 85 pertaining to the
resident population of Switzerland in the German- and French-speaking parts of the
country. It was assumed that people in this age range were largely free to make mobility
decisions for leisure and travel. The formation of customer segments was limited to the
group of rail users. At the end of 2012, this was a total of 4.5 million people in the resident
population of the German-speaking and French-speaking parts of Switzerland (meaning
there were 1.7 million non-customers in these parts of the country). The criterion for rail
use was at least one rail trip in the 12 months prior to taking the survey. The field period
was from 21 January 2013 to 31 March 2013.
Respondents were selected using address data (telephone numbers) provided by
the commissioned survey institute LINK (Lucerne). The survey was conducted in two
stages. The first stage involved randomly selecting a household, and extracting individual
information on the structure of the household. The second stage involved randomly
selecting a person from each household to be interviewed in detail about their mobility
style. This second stage was followed by screening persons based on the criterion of rail
use in the last 12 months, enabling the recruitment of the group of rail users to be surveyed
in detail.
Respondents were free to conduct the main survey by either telephone or online,
with 43% of interviews conducted by telephone (57% online). The coverage rate at the
household selection stage was 73%. At the second stage, coverage of target persons in a
broader sense (users and non-users of railways) was 89%. Among the group of rail users, it
was 85%. The combined response rate across all survey levels was 56%. With rail users as
target persons, 1235 full interviews were realised (from 2594 household interviews). The
mean duration of the telephone interviews was 26 min (median 25 min), and that of the
online survey was 35 min (median 23 min).Sustainability 2021, 13, 5813 5 of 19
3.3. Methods
Customer segments were formed over seven steps (see Table 1). The last step applies
the findings to the development and advancement of offerings.
Table 1. Working steps for customer segmentation (source: authors).
• Characteristics that map orientations with regard to leisure activities in
everyday life, on day trips and on trips involving overnight stays
Step 1: Determination of explanatory • Characteristics that map attitudes, norms, and behavioural control related to
characteristics rail transportation when used for leisure travel in everyday life, on day trips,
and on overnight trips
• Selection of characteristics for further description of the target persons
Step 2: Survey design • Development of the survey design, conducting a pre-test
• Household sampling and selection of target persons
Step 3: Conducting main survey with • Screening for rail use
households and target persons • Survey of target persons (1454 persons gross, 1235 persons net)
• Univariate analyses
Step 4: Determination of segment • Principal component analyses to reduce activity orientation and rail-related
constituents attitudes to a few independent related factors (Varimax rotation)
• Classification of groups of people with similar activity orientations and
Step 5: Formation of customer segments rail-related attitudes (cluster analyses: Ward method with variance criterion;
(clusters) comparison with K-Means method)
• Selection of a solution with five clusters (segments)
• Descriptive characterisation of the groups based on both
segment-constituting factors and further profile characteristics;
Step 6: Characterisation and description of • Analysis of statistical differences between the segments with regard to the
customer segments respective profile characteristics
• Refined analysis of customer segmentation based on specific trip purposes
• Analysis of mobility behaviour parameters: rail use in general and during
Step 7: Analysis of behavioural parameters everyday leisure time, on day trips and trips involving overnight stays
for each customer segment • Customer value
• Determination of potential for behavioural changes in the respective
customer segments (based on, e.g., orientations and attitudes,
Step 8: Formulation of indications for offer socio-demographic profile, available resources)
development • Identification of starting points for the further development of the offer
• Determination of measures (marketing mix) for all or parts of the identified
customer segments
4. Analyses and Results
4.1. Factor Analyses
If the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin criterion (KMO) is considered across all variables for leisure
orientations (mobility orientations), a value of 0.805 (0.861) is the output for the correlation
matrix. If the KMO criterion is considered variable-specific, no variable is below the
threshold value of 0.5 for either orientation [27]. As such, it can be concluded that the
variables are suitable for factor-analytical purposes, and all 27 (26) variables can be used
for the analysis. Based on a plausibility assessment and a termination criterion with an
eigenvalue greater than the value 1, seven (eight) factors were generated. The seven (eight)
factors explain 51.6% (58.0%) of the variance. Appendix B presents the rotated component
matrices for both leisure and mobility orientations.
Therefore, the leisure and tourism customer segments are based on seven factors
of leisure orientations and eight factors of attitudes toward railroad use for leisure and
personal travel, which were extracted from the more comprehensive set of items using
principal component analysis. For each of the two dimensions, the extracted factors are
independent of each other. They each statistically explain over 50% of the variance in the
dataset. The following table (Table 2) reproduces collective terms of the respective factors,Sustainability 2021, 13, 5813 6 of 19
with the 15 factors spanning a 15-dimensional feature space in which the five identified
customer segments of rail customers are situated.
Table 2. Constituent principal components of segmentation (proportion of variance explained) (source: authors).
Activity Orientations (52%) Rail-Related Attitudes, Norms and Control Beliefs (58%)
• Actively involved in sports or going out with • Enthusiasm for rail trips for everyday leisure, day trips, and trips
friends (in clubs, bars); with overnight stays;
• Nature and mountains (staying in nature and • Weather-resistant use of railways for day trips and short trips (to
doing easy physical activity); some extent, the social norm of rail use for day trips);
• Enjoyment of life (going out for dinner, • Weather-dependent recreation (type of recreation based on weather
vacations, wellness activities, driving around and weather forecast);
for fun); • Perceived barriers to using rail for leisure and travel (complicated,
• High preference for cultural activities (concerts, expensive);
art, theatre); • Affinity for e-tickets (tickets on the Internet and on mobile phones);
• Engaged in computer-based activities alone • Multiple travel experiences (virtual travel on the Internet; experiences
(and tendency to do less with one’s family, with unpleasant fellow rail travellers in leisure time; somewhat
partner or children); significantly frequent rail user through parents);
• Relaxation and entertainment media use • Autonomy (anxiety-free travel by train in the evening; feelings of
(television, DVD); independence when using a bicycle and walking during leisure time);
• Tradition-related activities and social • Multi-modal, occasion-related transport choice; independence
involvement (e.g., in associations). through car use during leisure time.
4.2. Cluster Analysis
Cluster analysis is a method for forming groups that aims to group together people
demonstrating a largely related property structure. The chosen proximity measure for
determining the homogeneous subsets of objects is the distance (dissimilarity) between the
objects [28].
In this case, the basis for group formation is the persons interviewed in the survey.
Through the previous factor analyses, characteristics were determined for these persons.
Using the seven factors for leisure and eight factors for mobility orientation, a hierarchical-
agglomerative clustering procedure was conducted [29]. Ward’s method was used to
group factors such that internal variance increases minimally if a merger occurs. The
variance criterion is used as a heterogeneity measure (error sum of squares), enabling
determination of a termination criterion for the number of clusters. The increase in the
error sum of squares was greatest between the fourth and fifth cluster solution. Given that
the five-cluster solution also appeared to be suitable for manageability and interpretability,
a five-cluster solution was favoured. After this step, the cluster centres were stored, and
the solution was tested using a partitioning procedure involving the widely used K-Means
algorithm. The five-cluster-typology proved to be easily interpreted because the results for
the cluster centres demonstrated a high degree of similarity to the solution found using
Ward’s method; thus, the results can be considered stable. The five-cluster solution derived
from K-means subsequently forms the basis for defining mobility styles in leisure time
among rail customers.
For individual customer segments, a specific profile of leisure orientations and rail-
related mobility orientations emerges, with Table 3 showing the cluster centres of the
mobility styles in leisure time for the five segments of rail travellers and highlights those
profile characteristics that are comparatively strongly positive or negative for individual
customer segments. The particularly strong characteristics were used to name or describe
the main characteristics of the individual customer segments.Sustainability 2021, 13, 5813 7 of 19
Table 3. Segment-constituting leisure and mobility orientations (source: own illustration).
Culture Socially Tradition-Conscious Digital Outdoor
Enthusiasts Active People People People Enthusiasts
Leisure orientations (LO)
Being active (sports, going
LO1 (N) 0.34 N 0.63 H −0.74 (H) −0.10 0.12
out)
LO2 Nature and mountains (H)−0.40 (N) 0.63 0.11 H −0.86 N 0.82
LO3 Enjoyment of life H −0.52 N 0.52 0.08 (N) 0.39 (H) −0.39
LO4 High culture preference N 0.71 (N) 0.43 0.13 H −0.58 (H) −0.53
Alone at the computer
LO5 −0.04 (N) 0.25 H −0.41 N 0.38 (H) −0.12
(computer games, internet)
Relaxation and
LO6 −0.03 (N) 0.05 N 0.24 H −0.16 (H) −0.09
entertainment media
Tradition and social
LO7 (H)−0.32 (N) 0.17 N 0.86 (H) −0.28 H −0.43
commitment
Mobility orientations (MO)
Rail enthusiasm (leisure
MO1 −0.02 (N) 0.48 N 0.74 H −0.84 (H) −0.25
and travel)
MO2 Weather-resistant train use N 0.72 (N) 0.20 0.02 H −0.42 H −0.42
Weather-dependent leisure
MO3 H −0.24 (H) −0.12 (N) 0.19 H −0.24 N 0.34
activities
MO4 Perceived rail use barriers H −0.67 (N) 0.15 0.08 (H) −0.23 N 0.66
MO5 Affinity for e-ticketing (H) −0.37 N 0.34 H −0.47 (N) 0.09 −0.15
MO6 Travel experiences (H) −0.18 N 0.65 (H) −0.19 0.14 H −0.20
MO7 Autonomy (N) 0.50 0.23 (H) −0.59 H −0.71 N 0.66
Multi-modality (and
MO8 independence through car −0.06 (N) 0.09 N 0.39 H −0.20 (H) −0.20
use during leisure time)
Legend: N = most positive characteristic value among all segments; (N) second-most positive characteristic value among all segments.
H = most negative characteristic value among all segments; (H) second-most negative characteristic value among all segments. Reading
examples: The socially active people with an affinity for railways were most strongly orientated towards being active (especially regarding
sports and going out). This segment demonstrated the second strongest orientation towards leisure activities in nature and mountains.
In contrast, digital people with less interest in railways recorded the lowest orientation towards nature and mountains and the second-lowest
orientation towards being active.
5. Discussion
The following figure (Figure 2) presents the five identified customer segments and
their share of the Swiss resident population’s rail customers.
This section briefly describes the five identified customer segments according to their
typical profile characteristics. Such characteristics are only mentioned where the customer
segment in question clearly differs from other segments. The segments are presented in
order of economic potential. The percentages provided refer to responses of ‘important’
plus ‘very important’ (on a five-point scale) for leisure orientations items. For attitudes
towards rail-based mobility, the percentages refer to responses to relevant items of ‘strongly
agree’ and ‘somewhat agree’ (also on a five-point scale).strongest orientation towards leisure activities in nature and mountains. In contrast, digital people with less interest in
railways recorded the lowest orientation towards nature and mountains and the second-lowest orientation towards being
active.
5. Discussion
Sustainability 2021, 13, 5813 8 of 19
The following figure (Figure 2) presents the five identified customer segments and
their share of the Swiss resident population’s rail customers.
Figure
Figure 2. 2. Distribution
Distribution ofof the
the railcustomer
rail customersegments
segmentsininleisure
leisureand
andtourism
tourism(source:
(source:own
own illustration,
n = 1235). n = 1235).
illustration,
5.1.This
Culture Enthusiasts
section briefly describes the five identified customer segments according to their
The culture enthusiasts segment
typical profile characteristics. comprises around
Such characteristics are only21% of Swiss rail
mentioned customers.
where People
the customer
segment in question clearly differs from other segments. The segments are presented and
in this segment spend an annual average of 280 Swiss francs on rail travel for leisure in
tourism
order trips, representing
of economic potential.theThehighest averageprovided
percentages value of all customer
refer segments.
to responses Over 85% of
of ‘important’
culture
plus ‘veryenthusiasts
important’ own
(ona asubscription. Aboutfor
five-point scale) 46% of thisorientations
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For attitudes
(averagerail-based
towards per personmobility,
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travel purposes aretoforresponses
refer leisure and
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relevanttrips.
items of
‘strongly agree’orientations
(a) Leisure and ‘somewhat agree’behaviour
and travel (also on a in
five-point scale).
leisure and tourism:
Cultural activities, such as concerts (from classical to pop), museum visits and exhibi-
tions, opera and theatre, are particularly important to culture enthusiasts compared to other
customer segments. Being active (sports and going out) also tends to be highly important.
In contrast, certain pleasure-related activities were of lower importance. For example,
only 5% of respondents from this segment indicated that they liked to drive around by
car or motorcycle, and wellness was important or very important to only 26%. Activities
in nature and visiting mountains on excursion were also revealed to be comparatively
low-priority items. Of the five customer segments, culture enthusiasts rank second for
leisure-related day trips, making around half of those trips by train. They are travelling
alone comparatively often (35%). Culture enthusiasts frequently visit another residence
(e.g., a second home around 18 times a year; friends and acquaintances 12 times a year),
using railway comparatively often as a means of transportation (for 32% of trips to a second
residence and 70% of visits to friends and acquaintances).
(b) Mobility orientations:
Culture enthusiasts are the least likely of all customer segments to perceive barriers to
using rail for leisure: only 39% find day trips by rail too expensive, and only 5% find them
complicated. Additionally, most (60%) feel safe from harassment when travelling by train
in the evening. People in this customer segment travel in first class less often than average
(5.3%). However, this customer segment features the highest proportion of people owning
a GA Travelcard (26%), which allows unlimited use of public transport in Switzerland.
This is matched by the affinity for e-ticketing being rather low compared to other customer
segments. Culture enthusiasts demonstrate the strongest preference among all customer
segments for short travel times over low prices and a high level of travel comfort.
(c) Attitude towards weather:
Weather is of comparatively little importance to the leisure mobility of culture enthusi-
asts. Only one-third base their leisure activities on weather forecasts. Even in bad weather,
rail travel is an option for a high proportion of people in this customer segment for bothSustainability 2021, 13, 5813 9 of 19
day trips (59%) and short trips involving overnight stays (47%). Regarding the last day
trip taken, 93% of respondents indicated that they would have made this trip even if the
weather had been different.
(d) Trip planning and information:
The proportion of culture enthusiast respondents who spontaneously (same day)
made plans for their last completed day trip was relatively low (8%), with about one-third
having planned their last day trip one to four weeks in advance, 12% reporting the shorter
time frame of four to six days, and 23% having planned two to three days in advance.
Culture enthusiasts reported most often learning about their last day trip destination
through friends or acquaintances (63%), followed by online channels such as websites,
the Internet in general or timetables on the Internet (16%). Only 3% noted media such as
newspapers, magazines and travel brochures being responsible.
5.2. Socially Active People
The socially active segment comprises about 15% of rail customers. People in this
segment spend an annual average of around 250 Swiss francs on rail travel for leisure and
tourism (457 francs across all trip purposes, representing the highest value of all segments).
About 48% of their annual rail kilometres (average per person 4589 km) are for travel for
leisure and tourism.
(a) Leisure orientations and travel behaviour:
Socially active people are extremely active during their leisure time, most strongly
expressing the leisure orientation of being active in the form of sports and going out. Sports
(67%), winter sports (71%), swimming (63%) and activities with friends (91%) are very
important to this segment, with activities that promise enjoyment constituting a second
important orientation, with going out for dinner (75%), wellness activities (63%), short trips
over the weekend (78%) and longer vacation trips (76%) particularly popular. Other activity
areas are less predominant but still comparatively significant, with socially active people
also enjoying spending time in nature and in the mountains (73%) and enjoying visiting
mountains on excursions (75%). Additionally, high culture activities are important or very
important (concerts, opera or theatre) to more than half of respondents in this segment
(57%). Socially active people regularly and frequently stay in the same place with friends
and acquaintances (52%), and they take a relatively large number of overnight trips (an
average of 6.2 trips in the 12 months before the survey). In addition to the rail share of trips
involving overnight stays being almost 50%, people in this customer segment make around
half of their daily leisure trips by rail. Members of this segment travel comparatively often
with their families (32%) and feature the comparatively average share of first-class travel
of 12%.
(b) Mobility orientations:
Socially active people are experienced travellers and actively engage in travel, includ-
ing virtual travel. One-third of this segment is inspired by travel reports on the Internet.
The second striking orientation is the affinity for e-ticketing. Rail enthusiasm is also rela-
tively high, with this customer segment ranked second of the five segments. Elsewhere,
socially active people have an average affinity for price, comfort and travel time.
(c) Attitude towards weather:
Regarding rail use, the socially active people are relatively weather-resistant, ranking
second for using railways even in bad weather. In bad weather, rail remains an option for
short trips (1–3 days) for more than one-third (35%) and for day trips for around 41% of
respondents from this segment. The proportion of respondents who checked the weather
in advance of their last day trip was at the comparatively average level (39%).Sustainability 2021, 13, 5813 10 of 19
(d) Travel planning and information:
Compared to other segments, socially active people planned their last day trip further
in advance. About one-third of trips were planned one to four weeks, and 22% were
planned more than one month in advance. The percentage of trips planned spontaneously
(on the same day) was 8%, about average across the five segments. Most people in this
segment (almost 80%) became aware of their same-day travel destination through friends
or acquaintances. However, online channels were also important for 29%, and newspapers,
magazines and travel brochures were the source of information for 18% of day trips.
5.3. Tradition-Conscious People
The tradition-conscious segment comprises around 22% of rail customers. People
in this segment spend an annual average of 260 Swiss francs on rail travel for leisure
and travel, representing the second-highest value across all segments. Members of this
segment have the highest average age (57 years). Although their annual rail kilometres are
comparatively low (2905), they travel around 60% of this distance for leisure and tourism
purposes. The proportion of tradition-conscious people with a half-fare Travelcard is
high (64%).
(a) Leisure orientations and travel behaviour:
Members of this customer segment typically prefer traditional and socially oriented
leisure activities, such as attending religious services, churches or cemeteries (41%) and
volunteering (43%). Round trips by train are attributed significantly high importance by
this segment (41%) compared to other segments. This segment’s preference for relaxation
during leisure time (71%) should be emphasised. Active leisure activities (e.g., going
out and sports) are of low importance (6%) compared to other segments, as are activities
conducted solely on the computer or the Internet (35%). Tradition-conscious people take
relatively few trips by train (around 44 trips per year) and travel comparatively few
kilometres annually by train (2905). Although the majority of those kilometres (60%) are
for leisure and tourism purposes, this might be attributed to the fact that one-third of the
people in this segment are 65 or older and thus make few trips to work. Although the
number of daily trips made by this segment is the lowest of the five customer segments,
the share of daily trips made by rail (50%) is the highest.
(b) Mobility orientations:
Tradition-conscious people rank highest for rail enthusiasm across all customer seg-
ments. However, they are also most strongly inclined towards multi-modality, i.e., choosing
a mode of transport depending on the situation and suitability. This includes using a car
for leisure trips, a finding which matches this segment having the highest car availability
across all customer segments (82% always have a car at their disposal; 16% can arrange
access to a car). Compared with the other segments, this segment’s affinity for e-ticketing
is the weakest. Additionally, this segment articulates below-average expression of travel
experiences and anxiety-free use of the train in the evening. The share of first-class rail
travel in this segment is above average (14%).
(c) Attitude to the weather:
Most tradition-conscious people base their choices for leisure activities on the weather,
with 18% of respondents from this customer segment indicating that they would not have
taken their last day trip if the weather had been different. Correspondingly, 45% consulted
the weather forecast in advance for their last day trip.
(d) Travel planning and information:
Similar to the other segments, most tradition-conscious people planned their last day
trip two to three days in advance (22%) or one to four weeks in advance (32%), with 13% of
trips having been made spontaneously (on the same day). Tradition-conscious people also
most often became aware of their day trip destination through friends or acquaintancesSustainability 2021, 13, 5813 11 of 19
(72%). This was followed by newspapers, magazines and travel brochures (17%), with
tourism offices, information centres and travel agencies (4%) and online channels (6%)
having insignificant shares.
5.4. Digital People
Digital people, who are not very enthusiastic about rail travel, comprise around 23% of
rail customers. People in this segment spend the second-lowest annual average of 200 Swiss
francs on rail travel for leisure and tourism. They have the lowest average age (36 years),
and 50% of their annual rail kilometres (3027) are for leisure and tourism travel purposes.
(a) Leisure orientations and travel behaviour:
Among all customer segments, leisure activities alone on the computer and on the
Internet are the most important to digital people, with 55% considering it important or
very important to spend leisure time alone on the computer, 74% valuing private surfing
on the Internet and 15% valuing playing computer games. As such, members of this
segment spend a considerable part of their free time at home and thus do not qualify as rail
customers. This is further emphasised by both activities in nature and in the mountains
and cultural activities holding less interest for this segment than all the other segments.
However, regarding the importance of activities that promise enjoyment, this customer
segment ranks second. For example, 59% consider going out for dinner to be important or
very important.
(b) Mobility orientations:
Digital people, who are less enthusiastic about rail, differ from the other customer
segments in terms of several mobility orientations. Of the five segments, they demonstrate
the lowest level of rail enthusiasm. Additionally, they most often feel unsafe taking the
train in the evening. The bicycle offers only a minority (33%) of this segment a sense
of leisure-time independence, and only a minority (27%) likes to walk in their leisure
time. Accordingly, digital people are also rarely multi-modal, with 85% always having a
car available. Regarding affinity for e-ticketing, digital people rank second. Meanwhile,
concerning the choice of rail as a mode of transport, people in this segment have an above-
average affinity for price and a below-average affinity for comfort. In terms of travel time,
digital people are in the average range.
(c) Attitude towards the weather:
For digital people, the weather plays a special role in two ways. First, the weather has
the least impact on the type of leisure activities this segment chooses, with only 23% basing
their leisure activities on the weather forecast. This is presumably due to the importance
of in-house activities during leisure time for this group, with engagement in out-of-home
activities being limited. Second, regarding rail use during leisure time, digital people are
very sensitive to the weather, with only a small minority considering rail for short trips in
bad weather (13%) or day trips in bad weather (21%).
(d) Travel planning and information:
Compared to other segments, people in this customer segment most often plan their
day trips spontaneously, with 28% planning their last day trip spontaneously, either on
the same day or the day before. Only 13% of day trips were planned more than a month
in advance. Among digital people, 30% became aware of their last day trip destination
via online channels, with 60% being motivated by friends or acquaintances. Magazines,
newspapers and travel brochures played a subordinate role (9%), as did television (6%)
and posters (2%).
5.5. Outdoor Enthusiasts
The outdoor enthusiasts segment, who have an affinity for bicycles, comprises around
20% of rail customers. This segment’s customer value—the annual average spent on
rail travel for leisure and tourism—is the lowest of all customer segments at slightlySustainability 2021, 13, 5813 12 of 19
less than 140 Swiss francs. With an average age of 47 years, this is the second oldest
customer segment. Rail usage, which averages 2284 annual rail kilometres per person, is
the lowest among all customer segments, of which 45% is for leisure and tourist travel, a
below-average finding. However, in terms of the number of day trips and trips involving
overnight stays, this segment is highly mobile. The activities performed by this segment
are moderate physical activities and, to a lesser extent, outdoor sporting activities. Possible
alternative terms for this segment include ‘weather-sensitive nature-oriented people’ and
‘car-sensitive nature-oriented people’.
(a) Leisure orientations and travel behaviour:
For this customer segment, spending time in nature and in the mountains is of the
highest importance, which is reflected, among other things, in the above-average impor-
tance of activities such as hiking/mountain walking (77%) and cycling/mountain biking
(61%). Meanwhile, traditional activities and social activities are of relatively low impor-
tance. Activities in the culture dimension (e.g., concerts and theatre) and enjoyment of
life are also of rather low importance. Regarding these two orientations, bike-favouring
outdoor enthusiasts differ most strongly from the similarly sports- and exercise-oriented
customer segment constituted by socially active people. Outdoor enthusiasts with an
affinity for cycling take relatively few rail trips per year (44.1 on average). Although they
make many daily trips on average, only a small proportion (19%) are by rail. The last
completed day trip for respondents in this customer segment, similar to the socially active
segment, was comparatively more often with their families (34%).
(b) Mobility orientations:
The low rail use by persons in this customer segment is accompanied by rather low
rail enthusiasm and clearly perceived barriers to travel by rail for leisure and travel, with
68% perceiving rail travel as too expensive and 41% considering it too complicated for their
travel purposes. In contrast, most associate a feeling of independence with cycling (82%)
and enjoy walking for leisure (72%). Elsewhere, rail travel experiences are relatively limited
compared to train journeys made in the past with parents, and few impulses from the social
environment encourage more intensive use of the train. Only a small minority (4%) have
an expectation articulated by an important reference person to use the train for day trips.
Among members of this segment, the proportion of GA Travelcard holders is comparatively
low, while driver’s licence ownership is the highest of all customer segments (97%), and a
large proportion (82%) always have a passenger car at their disposal. Additionally, 85%
report a sense of independence gleaned from using a car during their leisure time. Thus,
the possibility of this customer segment using railways more intensively for leisure and
travel is curtailed by generally unfavourable overall conditions. People in this segment
have an average affinity for price, comfort and time when it comes to using the train.
(c) Attitude to the weather:
This customer segment includes very weather-sensitive people, with the weather
playing a role in the way many people in this segment (67%) spend their leisure time.
Furthermore, leisure activities are very often (55%) based on the weather forecast, and
members of this segment express comparatively limited willingness to use the train for
short trips (11%) or for day trips (20%) in the event of bad weather. A high proportion
(43%) checked the weather before their last day trip, with weather applications on mobile
phones reported to be of relatively high importance (used by 37% of the respondents from
this segment).
(d) Travel planning and information:
Over one-third (34%) of outdoor enthusiasts with an affinity for cycling planned their
last day trip one to four weeks in advance, compared to 13% four to six days in advance
and 18% two to three days. Spontaneous travel decisions on the same day (8%) or the day
before (10%) were relatively rare. Outdoor enthusiasts with an affinity for cycling became
aware of their trip destination largely through friends or acquaintances (71%), followed bySustainability 2021, 13, 5813 13 of 19
magazines, newspapers and travel brochures (16%). Online channels played a subordinate
role (9%).
5.6. Practical Implications
Based on the customer segmentation, this section proposes several strategic directions
for future market developments. Given that it is difficult to determine the segment to which
a customer belongs, in addition to presenting a concrete offer idea for each segment, further
developments appealing to several segments are also presented. Given that outdoor leisure
activities are popular with all segments except the digital segment, awareness-raising
campaigns for leisure mobility by public transport can be useful, utilising communication
based on the particular leisure activity, with which public transport can then be emotion-
ally linked. The railway sector must invoke symbolic words and discourse through its
communication to appeal to people who do not currently travel by public transport in their
free time.
Notably, while culture enthusiasts, tradition-conscious people and socially active
people regularly use public transport in their leisure time, they use it for very different
purposes. Many campaigns aimed at concrete actions work with price reductions. Future
campaigns should focus on different leisure activities, potentially developing new offers
with tourism partners.
In particular, culture enthusiasts often spend their leisure time outside and use public
transport to be mobile. This segment can be permanently tied to public transport, with
increased consumption encouraged by rewards and additional offers as well as through
establishing emotional affiliation. Given the segment’s high customer value, it is of substan-
tial potential for the railway sector, demanding that their preference for public transport be
maintained and further supported. This could be achieved by expanding public transport
to ensure that cultural activities and active leisure activities (such as sports) are easily and
quickly accessible from anywhere.
Meanwhile, socially active people appear very technology-savvy, leading to the rec-
ommendation of online marketing via social media and travel blogs. Furthermore, this
segment’s affinity for e-ticketing is high, meaning that technological advances and im-
proved public transport offerings can attract people from this segment.
Elsewhere, given that tradition-conscious people have various mobility alternatives
at their disposal, they can quickly switch to another means of transport if one approach
does not work or is uncomfortable or inconvenient. Given that tradition-conscious people
appear open to convenient solutions such as car sharing, carpooling and park-and-rides,
the integration of such mobility services into public transport offerings as a Mobility-as-a-
Service concept is recommended [30,31].
To reach each of the three segments, it would be beneficial to regionalise market
presence to concretely further develop railway offerings. This includes route marketing, re-
gional marketing, linking the train to tourist attractions and establishing personal networks
with local cooperation partners. Train interiors as well as exteriors could be redesigned to
feature memorable statements (such as ‘a pleasant train’) and pictures of popular sights or
regional celebrities. To attract new customers, railway operators could design information
brochures about regional leisure excursions in coordination with the municipality, as well
as providing information on commuter services. Providers benefit by getting closer to the
customer and establishing greater emotional attachments to the train and the region [32].
The remaining two customer segments constitute weak rail customers in terms of
leisure and tourism due to their activity orientations, their reported rail use for leisure and
travel, and certain socio-economic characteristics. Notably, digital people comparatively
most often feel unsafe on the train in the evening. Higher usage by this segment could be
achieved by targeted marketing campaigns aiming to improve the segment’s perception of
public transport by presenting public transport as a ‘safe’ and ‘independence-enhancing’
alternative on digital communication channels such as social media. Trial use could alsoSustainability 2021, 13, 5813 14 of 19
reduce rejection of public transport, with one possible strategy being offering free public
transport for a certain period (e.g., one week) starting at a certain time each day (e.g., 7 pm).
Meanwhile, considering that GA Travelcard ownership is comparatively low for the
outdoor enthusiasts, who walk and cycle regularly, this group could be addressed by
special tickets based on combining public transport and cycling. Furthermore, people in
this segment are very sensitive to the weather. Their demonstrated limited willingness
to use rail for short trips (11%) and day trips (20%) when the weather is bad indicates
an opportunity to develop low-priced offers that encourage public transport use when
conditions for cycling and walking are bad [33].
To attract digital people and outdoor enthusiasts, we recommend defining and imple-
menting a series of opportunities for acquiring new customers directly through personal
conversation with railway employees and indirectly via travel-company partners, com-
petitions and localised special promotions. This would target people who do not have a
fundamentally positive attitude towards rail travel but whose position could be changed by
positive experiences. For providers, this would have the benefit of it being relatively easy to
attract new customers if the sales process were to be more efficient, based on the experience
of banks, insurance companies or telecom companies who have relied on direct marketing.
In general, niche offerings based on the modular principle can helpfully retain cus-
tomers who already use railways during their leisure time as well as attract non-customers.
Many existing offerings have the potential to provide additional services tailored to in-
dividual segment groups. In this context, the complete offering is constructed by the
customer according to the modular principle, meaning that an outdoor activity, a boat
trip, an overnight stay in a wellness hotel or a dinner can be booked individually (online).
This constructed offering makes possible the provision of, for example, the transport of
sports equipment to a mountain for a downhill ride, travel by taxi to restaurants, targeted
offers (e.g., extreme sports, engineering, major events) and within-trip experiences (e.g.,
computer gaming or poker on the road). Thus, providers can benefit by developing niches
for different segments, with niches generating higher willingness to pay among consumers.
Additionally, providers can earn additional income by coordinating with corresponding
service providers.
6. Conclusions
The five identified customer segments differ greatly in terms of their propensity to use
rail and their preferred leisure and tourism activities. In terms of attitude, two customer
segments (culture enthusiasts and socially active people) demonstrate a strong affinity
for using rail for leisure and tourism, resulting in high levels of rail travel for partly
differentiated leisure preferences. Meanwhile, the tradition-conscious customer segment is
also relatively rail-savvy; however, due to their preferred leisure activities and their specific
socio-demographic profile, their rail transport performance is comparatively lower. Finally,
digital people and outdoor people are only weak rail customers (in terms of leisure and
tourism). This is due to their activity orientations, their evaluation of rail use for leisure
and travel, and certain socio-economic characteristics.
It should be noted that a sixth customer segment exists largely in the background,
comprising those people who, at the time of the survey, were characterised as non-rail
users because they had not made any rail journeys within the previous 12 months. This
group comprises 27.3% of Swiss residents between the ages of 16 and 85 and has not been
discussed because members of the group were not interviewed in detail as part of this
study. However, non-users can constitute potential users, and they can be attracted by
service improvement [34]. Thus, future research should focus on non-users and analyse
how they can be addressed with suitable offers.
Another limitation is that rail providers cannot determine with precision the segment
to which a customer belongs. However, social media will likely soon provide sufficient
information to address members of segments with tailored offers and mobile-based com-
munication [35,36]. This study was conducted in the context of railways in Switzerland.Sustainability 2021, 13, 5813 15 of 19
Switzerland is known for its good public transport network and the relatively high willing-
ness of its inhabitants to use the train in their leisure time. To transfer this study’s results to
other countries, further research is needed.
Further research could also investigate which external measures might contribute to
the increased use of railways for leisure purposes. Special attention should be paid to the
extent to which measures to reduce the attractiveness of private cars, such as increasing
parking fees or reducing parking spaces, could support and promote the measures and
offers of rail operators. Moreover, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is completely chal-
lenging the mobility of leisure travellers. Existing mobility styles have been influenced and
constrained by the COVID-19 pandemic [37]. Future studies should therefore investigate
the mobility behaviour of leisure travellers after the pandemic and determine whether it
has changed permanently.
Author Contributions: Conceptualization, W.v.A.; writing—original draft preparation, L.D.; writing—
review and editing, W.v.A. and L.D. Both All authors have read and agreed to the published version
of the manuscript.
Funding: This research was supported by Innosuisse.
Data Availability Statement: The data used can be requested from the authors.
Acknowledgments: We are deeply indebted to our late colleague Helmut Schad (deceased 2017). He
contributed significantly to the conception and elaboration of the research findings in this paper. This
paper and the research behind it would not have been possible without his exceptional support.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Appendix A
Table A1. Overview of the Survey.
Segment-constituting questions (Topics A–B)
Topic A • Importance of 27 leisure activities: in everyday life, on day trips, trips with overnight
Leisure orientations stay
Topic B • 26 items for attitudes, social norm, personal norm (environmental protection, weather
Attitudes towards using railroads sensitivity), behavioural control; in relation to rail use in everyday life and travel
in leisure and tourism
Segment-descriptive questions (Topics C–G)
Topic C • Number of trips with overnight stays: total, for leisure purposes, by train
Trip with overnight stay
• Number of day trips: total, leisure purposes, by train
Topic D • Details of the last day trip made by rail in Switzerland: trip origin/destination; means of
Day trips transport used, type of leisure activity, number of companions, type of trip planning
(consideration of weather, planning period, source of information)
• Commuting, rail use
Topic E • Frequency of rail use over the course of one year and for selected leisure activities
Everyday mobility • Travel distances (across all trip purposes)
• Dominant customer benefit: comfort vs. time; comfort vs. price; time vs. price
Topic F • Possession of public transport subscriptions, driving licence
‘Mobility tools’ • Number of cars in household
(cars/public transport • Individual availability of a car
subscription)
• Socio-demographics, household income
• Part of the country
Topic G • Distance between home and train station or bus stop
Socio-economic and demographic • Forms of multi-local living (second homes, visiting friends and acquaintances, partner
characteristics, housing situation relationships ‘living apart together’, regularly visited vacation homes and hotels), travel
frequency and rail useYou can also read
