Background Air and noise pollution are two of the main issues to be tackled in seasonal tourist resorts. This represents a problem in small/medium size resorts, where the environmental impact tends to be high. Consequently, implementing an integrated model for improving urban mobility, based on reducing the average distance travelled to find a parking space, will help to improve the quality of life for inhabitants and to improve accessibility for tourists. Objectives The main objectives of the T.A.SM.A.C. project were to reduce the environmental impact (acoustic and air pollution) of car traffic due to tourists entering urban centres; increase the accessibility of urban centres for tourists and residents; define an urban mobility governance model (T.A.SM.A.C. model) linked to tourist flows; rationalise access and parking through an information system based on space availability; develop community-led sustainable mobility initiatives; improve public transport services to offer an alternative to private car use; and establish a mobility management office to co-ordinate private accessibility to city centres. Results The T.A.SM.A.C. project demonstrated a sustainable mobility strategy at three pilot locations, to show how different policy, technical and social factors have to be matched to achieve desirable environmental benefits. The project’s urban mobility governance (T.A.SM.A.C.) model can reduce traffic flux into urban centres, by adapting the use of variable electronic message panels, and a number of sustainable alternatives to private car use (e.g. shuttle buses and trains, walking paths), depending on local mobility and social contexts. The project implemented three different mobility plans according to the T.A.SM.A.C. model in three municipalities: Albisola superiore (seaside locality), Recanati (cultural locality) and Prè-Saint-Didier (skiing/thermal locality) in Italy. The impact of these models on traffic fluxes and on air and acoustic pollution were determined. The T.A.SM.A.C. model helped reduce traffic fluxes into town centres in all the pilot localities, with results varying site-by-site, but without reducing air and acoustic pollution significantly. The mobility model was most effective in Prè-Saint-Didier, where a positive feedback on limiting car accesses into town was obtained, and where a successful utilisation of the shuttle bus was observed. At the other pilot sites, despite good communication of the services implemented and positive feedback from the few users interviewed, the facilities made available were not used to the extent expected. The on-line booking system for parking was quite unsuccessful, for instance, due partly to the unfamiliarity of the target users with this kind of service, and tourists still preferred to drive around (increasing travel distances and congestion) searching for a free-of-charge parking lot. SWOT analyses was used to identify the problems and obstacles found during the drafting and implementation of the pilot mobility plans and these were included in the Guidelines produced, summarised in terms of 13 key lessons learnt. These included the need to take fully into account the “value of time” for tourists; to exploit local public transport to improve the accessibility to city centres; to involve tourist and economic operators in mobility decisions; to better focus on state-of-the-art communication policies, using open source applications and social networks; and to coordinate the different actors involved, both private and public. The environmental targets foreseen in the application (3db and 0.6 kg/day of NOx reduction) were not met, except partially in the case of Prè-Saint-Didier (acoustic pollution down 1db). Learning from its experience, the project team identified refinements to the urban mobility models to obtain better environmental results in the future. For instance, in Albisola superiore, closing illegal town centre parking and establishing new towing zones would make the designated Luceto parking site more attractive for tourists, while new parking areas (on payment) were created nearer to the seaside, to reduce the average distance travelled to find a parking lot and consequently the environmental impact. These solutions were included in the Technical Report of the new Municipality Mobility Plan for Albisola superiore. In Recanati, the municipality is investing in a new parking area, with 450 lots bookable on-line, which is expected to reduce traffic fluxes; while in Prè-Saint-Didier, the municipality is committed to finding other funds to guarantee the shuttle service over the next few years. At EU policy level, the project contributes to the strategies and challenges identified in the EC Green Paper on urban mobility (2008) and the White Paper 'Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area - Towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system' (2011), whose aims include the improvement of urban traffic fluxes, identification of smart local transport, and reductions in pollution. The project’s innovation and demonstration value relates to the implementation of its mobility models, particularly the involvement of public entities and private actors (e.g. tourist operators, citizens, tourists) in the decision-making process; the identification and integration of alternative mobility solutions (e.g. park and shuttle, walking paths); continuous monitoring of environmental impacts (e.g. traffic fluxes, acoustic and air pollution); and the application of real-time information (e.g. on variable message panels) and of an on-line booking system for parking. The project’s approach to reducing the use of private cars, in favour of sustainable means of transport, promotes transport movement overall and can make small tourist towns more attractive for visitors, and less polluted for both visitors and local residents. Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report (see "Read more" section).