Optimizing shared recreational vehicle service areas: A multi-strategy approach for economic performance and user satisfaction

Abstract

In order to reduce overtourism and traffic congestion, local authorities may have to divert recreational vehicle traffic to off-site service areas. The problem that will arise is how best to accommodate different types of users with opposing preferences in the same area, some wanting to be as close as possible to the major site to be visited, others seeking peace and quiet. We have represented their specific attitudes using a two-stage decision-making process via a conjunctive model followed by a compensatory model. We then propose to model three strategies, seeking either to optimise customer attractiveness, or profit, or space occupation, in order to define a location, capacity and price for this shared area. Using a realistic data set, the results show that economic performance follows a concave curve as a function of the population mix. Moreover, only the strategy of maximising attractiveness suggests always mixing users in the same area.