Transport and tourism in the Hebrides: the impact of ferry improvements on tourism in Mull

Doubts have recently been raised about the benefits local communities derive from transport improvements. Whatever the merits of the arguments in other circumstances, there are certain local communities for whom transport improvements still provide unambiguous benefits. Many remote communities on the rural fringes of Western Europe remain heavily dependent for their livelihood on the provision of a heavily-subsidised transport infrastructure. This paper offers evidence that for such communities improvements to the transport infrastructure continue to be important for local economic development.