Accessibility and Inclusive Tourism Development: Current State and Future Agenda

Abstract

Accessibility constitutes one important consideration in the field of scholarship relating to inclusive tourism development because it is fundamentally about the inclusion of people with disabilities in tourism and in society. This conceptual paper maps how accessible tourism is currently positioned against an established framework of inclusive tourism development and gives examples of relevant accessible tourism studies to recommend a future agenda for more inclusive outcomes that move towards sustainability. The seven elements of Scheyvens and Biddulph’s (2018) conceptual framework for inclusive tourism development form an appropriate and useful tool upon which to examine the current state of accessible tourism. The application of this framework reveals that we still have some way to go. We conclude this paper with a future agenda that posits attention to all seven elements of the inclusive tourism framework for accessible tourism, notably, to increase the involvement of people with disabilities as tourism producers and consumers; increase their self-representation and participation in decision-making; transform power relations; reimagine tourism places and people; and break down social barriers. We especially urge researchers to examine the dominant ableist discourse, to consider how our inquiry can be more participatory and inclusive, and to seek to bridge inquiry, industry and community.

Understanding Stakeholder Attitudes, Needs and Trends in Accessible Tourism: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies

“…Regarding the second analytical issue, it states that accessible tourism has certain advantages in a market as competitive as the tourism industry is almost obvious, as has been demonstrated in different studies carried out around the world [94][95][96]. Tourist destinations remain in constant competition internationally, with increasingly demanding consumers requiring not only quality, but also socially responsible and sustainable destinations [47,97]. The contributions of our study in this regard focus on synthesizing those strategies that will lead tourism companies to take on new challenges that will allow them to diversify, improve, and add value to their accessible services and services.…”

“…It is intended to, on the one hand show those challenges that accessible tourism must overcome in order to improve its outlook, and, on the other, provide an insight into those trends and practices that may be useful to ensure quality accessible tourism to anyone. Based on the selected methodological perspective of analysis and synthesis of qualitative evidence, and on the perceptions and visions of the different agents involved in developing accessible and inclusive tourism, we intend to showcase the new global perspectives that will have to be taken into account when developing a future agenda that improves the quality and experiences of accessible tourism, as has been requested in previous research [47,48].…”

Improving the Accessibility of the Tourism Industry in New Zealand

“…Scholars argue that the tourism industry has not adequately considered the concept of accessibility, nor are they making changes to their current operations to better cater to those with disabilities [4,[17][18][19][20]. It has been surmised that the tourism industry is generally unaware of the population of disabled people or the fact that their facilities or services are not accessible to everyone [18] and has ignored this valuable market [9].…”

“…It has been surmised that the tourism industry is generally unaware of the population of disabled people or the fact that their facilities or services are not accessible to everyone [18] and has ignored this valuable market [9]. As such, the tourism literature is replete with studies of the inaccessibility and barriers to participation in tourism for travelers with disabilities [19][20][21]. The barriers to participation are generally categorized as physical, informational, and attitudinal [22].…”

“…The barriers to participation are generally categorized as physical, informational, and attitudinal [22]. Yet, participation in tourism is found to contribute meaning and to an individual's quality of life [20,[23][24][25][26].…”