Tourism And Disability

Attention to the issue of disabilities has intensified in recent decades, prompting States and organizations to respond with appropriate measures to promote inclusion of persons with disabilities in all social environments. This book’s thesis is that the seeds of this inclusivity were planted by the development of tourism for people with disabilities in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The book explores the development of tourism for people with disabilities in Italy during this time period. It adds an important tessera to the mosaic of international literature that has rarely considered the history of tourism and the history of disabilities in a unified manner. While certainly of great interest to an Italian audience, the discussion of the various responses taking form in Italy to the needs of persons with disabilities, and the role these responses have played in the development of mass tourism generally, is also quite pertinent to international contexts. This book is based largely on unpublished sources. The authors’ hope is that the presentation of these new materials combined with the innovative approach of a historical study of tourism through the lens of disabilities will open up international scholarly debate and discussion drawing in contributions from all disciplines.

Inclusion, disability, an ageing population and tourism are increasingly important areas of study due to their implications for both tourism demand and supply. This book therefore sets out to explore and document the current theoretical approaches, foundations and issues in the study of accessible tourism. In drawing together the contributions to this volume the editors have applied broader social constructionist approaches to understanding the accessible tourism phenomena. Accessible tourism, as with any area of academic study is an evolving field of academic research and industry practice. As with other areas of tourism, the field is multidisciplinary, and is influenced by various disciplines including geography, disability studies, economics, public policy, psychology and marketing. "As one would expect from two scholars at the height of their academic abilities, Dimitrios Buhalis and Simon Darcy have delivered a timely and much needed contribution to the under-served area of accessible tourism. Harnessing the best conceptual developments on the topic, Accessible Tourism is a scholarly yet hugely readable collection and readily communicates the various contributors' passion for and command of their subject. This collection is a must have text for anyone engaged in the theory, practice and policy of accessible tourism and will be essential reading on undergraduate and postgraduate courses across a range of disciplines and fields. I cannot speak highly enough of this endeavour and I'm sure it will take accessible tourism and universal design debates into the mainstream of academic enquiry and industry practice." Professor Nigel Morgan, The Welsh Centre for Tourism Research, University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, Wales

This volume presents an international selection of invited contributions on policy and best practice in accessible tourism, reflecting current practices across a range of destinations and business settings. It brings together global expertise in planning, design and management to inform and stimulate providers of travel, transport, accommodation, leisure and tourism services to serve guests with disabilities, seniors and the wider markets that require good accessibility. Accessible tourism is not only about providing access to people with disabilities but also addresses the creation of universally designed environments, services and information that can support people who may have temporary disabilities, families with young children, the ever-increasing ageing population, as well as creating safer work places for employees. The book gives ample evidence that accessible tourism organisations and destinations can expand their target markets as well as improve the quality of their service offering, leading to greater customer satisfaction, loyalty and expansion of business.

This book addresses a growing demand to hear the authentic voices and understand the lived tourist experiences of people with disability. The latest volume in The Tourist Experience series challenges what is arguably an exclusionary, marginalising, discriminatory, and ableist (tourism) world.

This book addresses existing challenges and opportunities related to tourism for people with disabilities. A niche market that is largely underdeveloped, its potentials are also often underestimated. It examines the strategies, policies, and initiatives – at regional, national, and international levels – to foster the development of accessible tourism for people with disabilities. It does so by examining the different social, cultural, legal, and information/interactive barriers that represent important constraints to welfare, inclusion, integration, and promotion of civil rights, which bring difficulties and detriment to tourists with disabilities. Additionally, the book analyzes the characteristics and dynamics of that portion of the tourism industry that is more oriented to meet the distinctive travel demand of people with disabilities. In doing so, the book explores how preferences for travel services and facilities of people with disabilities differ from preferences of tourists without disabilities. All these issues are addressed from both a theoretical and a practical perspective by adopting a multidisciplinary approach, which leverages from the fields of management, economics, and statistical analysis. The book can be useful for a broad audience made of both researchers and practitioners (among which tourism companies and corporate trainers) who are expected to deal with the topic of tourism management.

​This book covers a very broad range of topics in marketing, communication, and tourism, focusing especially on new perspectives and technologies that promise to influence the future direction of marketing research and practice in a digital and innovational era. Among the areas covered are product and brand management, strategic marketing, B2B marketing and sales management, international marketing, business communication and advertising, digital and social marketing, tourism and hospitality marketing and management, destination branding and cultural management, and event marketing. The book comprises the proceedings of the International Conference on Strategic Innovative Marketing and Tourism (ICSIMAT) 2019, where researchers, academics, and government and industry practitioners from around the world came together to discuss best practices, the latest research, new paradigms, and advances in theory. It will be of interest to a wide audience, including members of the academic community, MSc and PhD students, and marketing and tourism professionals.

Provision for disabled holiday makers is an important consideration for operators and it is vital that planners, policy makers, students and researchers understand the requirements and demands of disabled people in a tourism context. This book addresses the background, trends, implications and theory of disability in tourism, as well as practical topics such as marketing, destination accessibility and modes of transport, concluding with a discussion of the future for disabled tourism with a focus on change needed at governmental level.

This comprehensive volume seeks out ways in which those who are typically marginalized by, or excluded from, tourism can be brought into the industry in ways that directly benefit them. It addresses the central questions asked by an inclusive tourism approach: Who is included? On what terms? With what significance? Tourism is often understood and experienced as an exclusive activity, accessible only to the relatively wealthy. This volume seeks to counter that tendency by exploring how marginalized groups can gain more control over tourism. The book starts by defining the concept of inclusive tourism and discussing seven different elements which might indicate inclusivity in tourism. Research from a wide range of geographical contexts – from Cambodia to Australia, Sweden, Turkey and Spain – have been drawn upon to illustrate the need for more inclusive tourism. The examples encompass the actions of a multinational tour operator, hotel owners, and social enterprises, while also examining how to ensure tourism is accessible for those with disabilities. Inclusive tourism is offered here as both an analytical concept and an aspirational ideal. The authors hope that this book inspires a restless quest to find ways to include new actors and new places in tourism on terms that are equitable and sustainable. The chapters were originally published as a special issue of the journal Tourism Georgraphies.