Here's a lesson that some destinations we could name might stand to learn.
When you make tourists feel welcome, everybody wins.
Guided by that principle, the city of Salzburg, Austria, has introduced a new program expressly for tourists this summer. The region is giving visitors free access to bus services, S-Bahn trains, regional trains, long-distance trains, and local shuttles.
All you have to do to earn the free pass is stay overnight at one of the city's official hotels or hostels. That simple act entitles you to a Guest Mobility Ticket that your hosts automatically issue in digital form (so bring your smartphone). The pass can be used to waive fares on local public transportation.
Why on earth would Salzburg do that when there might be money to be made from charging tourists per ride?
Because increasing ridership is thought to benefit the greater good.
This initiative "aims to reduce traffic congestion, promote sustainable tourism, and enhance public transport services for both visitors and residents," the EU Tourism Platform wrote when the initiative was announced earlier this year.
It also makes life a lot easier for foreigners. The freebie is about "saving them time and money, and reducing stress," said the EU Urban Mobility Observatory. Simply hopping on a tram and showing a digital pass liberates travelers from having to navigate payment and unfamiliar ticketing systems, making it more likely that visitors will be willing to see and do more things.
The Guest Mobility Ticket is funded by a nightly accommodation surcharge of €0.50 (US 58¢), which rises to €1.10 ($1.29) in May 2027. That amount is far less than what travelers would have to pay if they bought fares instead.
Salzburg isn't the only place in Europe that extends this courtesy, either.
Geneva, Switzerland, a city normally known for catering to the wealthy, already grants the similar Geneva Transport Card, which moves tourists all around the western end of Lake Geneva without charge.
There, the freebie is only offered by a list of preapproved hotels, which you can consult ahead of time via the Geneva Transport Card website.
As a sign of how intelligently implemented the program is, Geneva's digital card is automatically sent to travelers at midnight on the day of arrival. For visitors who turn up unannounced, the pass is sent within 15 minutes after hotel check-in.
The country of Luxembourg, snuggled amid Germany, France, and Belgium, might be tiny (the population is only about 680,000), but it's not so puny that it squeezes visitors out of every cent just to get around.
In 2020, Luxembourg declared all public transportation free, regardless of your citizenship or where you're staying. You don't even need to get a ticket—you can just hop on any train, tram, and bus as you wish.
Travelers will also find free fares for local bus transport in the historical coastal town of Dunkirk, France; in the Alpine town of Livigno, Italy; and in the scenic northern town of Akureyri, Iceland.
There's a secondary list of European destinations, including Belgrade (Serbia), Montpellier (France), and the island nation of Malta, that offer free public transit for residents but exclude tourists.
But it's the "pioneering" systems in Salzburg and Geneva, which are linked to bookings in the local hospitality industry and are designed to stimulate tourism, that show the most promise to travelers.
Imagine if you were handed an unlimited free pass on local transportation when you checked into a hotel in a new city. Would it entice you to explore more?