Showing papers on "Accessible tourism published in 2018"

Accessible tourism experiences: the voice of people with visual disabilities

Abstract: Our research focuses primarily on the understanding of the engagement in tourist activities of people with disabilities. Specifically, we intend to analyze the experience of people with visual impa...

Website accessibility in the tourism industry: an analysis of official national tourism organization websites around the world.

Abstract: Purpose: To analyze the accessibility of official national tourism organization websites of countries around the world, in order to establish possible common patterns and rankings of those with exe...

Towards inclusive tourism? Stakeholder collaboration in the development of accessible tourism

Abstract: Stakeholder collaboration is increasingly being lauded as important in the development of accessible tourism. The purpose of this study is to explore how stakeholders collaborate in the development...

Mobile applications for accessible tourism: overview, challenges and a proposed platform

Abstract: In the Travel and Tourism sector, mobile applications could do much more than simply provide information about specific locations or recommend places and itineraries based on the user location. They could leverage a wide range of technologies to be aware of the interests and specific needs of disabled tourists, providing them with appropriate and tailored information. This information should be presented using appropriate interaction mechanisms, able to help this specific, but large, group of the population in their everyday tourist activities, thus contributing to even more accessible tourism and travel activities. We present an overview of mobile applications that, in some perspective, may be used to support people with disabilities in their tourist activities. This overview allows us to explore the key challenges involved and some available alternatives, as well as to identify their positive aspects. However, it also underlines some issues that could be addressed more carefully and extensively in the application ecosystem. We also present some preliminary recommendations for a collaborative and personalized system framework to support people with disabilities in their tourist and travel activities. Ongoing work on a first prototype has already given us valuable insights into the identified challenges and we expect it to be a major step towards a more formal specification of our platform, as well as its development and test.

Disability, social inclusion and the marketing of tourist attractions

Abstract: The participation of persons with a disability (PWDs) in tourism has received growing academic interest in recent years. This paper contributes to a reflection on how accessible tourism relates to the sustainable development paradigm. To investigate this relationship, it goes beyond the question of PWDs’ access to tourism services, and adopts an inclusiveness perspective. Inclusion is examined in terms of legislation, marketing and imagery, and representations of PWDs as consumers embedded within social units – and families in particular. These dimensions are explored empirically in a study of visitor attractions in Cornwall (England) based on a quantitative and qualitative content analysis of brochures and websites. The study shows that the marketing materials of Cornish visitor attractions mainly focus on access, and the imagery used largely projects quasi invisibility or provides ambiguous messages. Communication with PWDs rarely addresses the family unit, making the family tourism experience i...

Enabling the language of accessible tourism

Abstract: The growing body of literature on “accessible tourism” lacks a critical scholarly debate around its specific language use and nomenclatures. To fill this gap, this paper provides a first examinatio...

Tourism destination choice sets for families with wheelchair-bound children

Abstract: Families with disabled children encounter a range of mobility constraints when travelling for tourism purposes, yet how such constraints affect their ultimate destination choices is currently not w ...

Nepal tourism in the aftermath of the April/May 2015 earthquake and aftershocks: repercussions, recovery and the rise of new tourism sectors

Abstract: This paper discusses the application of the Pacific Asia Travel Association’s (PATA) risk and recovery strategy for Nepal following the April/May 2015 earthquake and aftershocks. The impact...

Tourism accessibility competitiveness. A regional approach for Latin American countries

Abstract: Tourism competitiveness is a topic of concern for everyone involved in planning, investing and studying the tourism sector. Researchers face challenges in measuring competitiveness and evaluating which issues to include in their analyses. The aim of this work is to determine to what extent adequate accessibility —defined as a set of conditions that a destination should have to be used optimally by individuals, including people with disabilities— represents an additional determinant for tourism demand, in a regional context. Using data from 17 Latin American countries during the period 1995-2015, we estimate a gravitational panel data model with fixed effects and show that the attractive assets declared by UNESCO as world heritage sites, as well as the component of accessibility, together increase international tourism demand. In this way, this paper shows the value of prioritizing discussion of issues like accessible tourism to reach a broad and «modern» measurement of competitiveness.

Accessible tourism and its benefits for coping with stress

Abstract: The present study had two main objectives: (i) to understand the relationship between tourism and stress-coping for individuals with disabilities, and (ii) to develop an empirical basis for therape...

Accessible Tourism for Users with Hearing Loss

Abstract: Tourism activities should be inclusive to all persons, no matter if they are adults, children, or disabled people. Websites and apps are powerful tools to plan and organize tours and trips, but in order to be targeted to a wide range of users, and to provide an effective and satisfying experience they should be accessible and usable. This paper concentrates on users with hearing loss, and presents some guidelines for the development of accessible and also usable tourism websites for them. It then proposes and discusses the specific case study of an accessible tourism website specifically targeted to users with hearing loss that want to visit the city of Venice, Italy in an enjoyable and inclusive way.

Using IoT for Accessible Tourism in Smart Cities

Abstract: In the past few years, the Smart City concept became one of the main driving forces for the transition towards sustainable economy and improved mobility. Tourism, as one of the fastest growing economies worldwide, is an integrated part of the Smart City paradigm. Taking into consideration recent studies performed by the United Nations, stating that almost one third of the population is directly affected by disability, the concept of Accessible Tourism needs also to be integrated in the future vision for tourism, especially in the context of Smart Cities, environments fully benefiting from the recent technological advances. Within the combined framework of Smart Cities and Accessible Tourism, the Internet-of-Things (IoT) concept is the key technological point for the development of smart urban environments. IoT and big data are both technology-driven developments, leading to scenarios such as the Smart Cities one that has the potential to make citizen live smarter, more sustainable and more accessible. This chapter analyses the key requirements for IoT applications in a Smart City context, the state-of-the-art for the use of IoT for Accessible Tourism applications and proposes an architecture together with its practical implementation, tailored for the use-case of accessible tourism for physically impaired persons.

A Mobile Application to Provide Personalized Information for Mobility Impaired Tourists

Abstract: Mobile applications that are developed to assist disabled people in their tourist activities should go much further than simply providing information about points of interest or recommending places or routes based on the user location. Due the specific needs of each person in this group, they should be able to provide them with information about the most suitable points of interest and recommend them with the most suitable places to visit which should be contextualized according to their specific needs and interests. This work describes a proposal for a personalized system to assist mobility disabled people in their tourist activities. The system considers the accessibility features of each tourism service, or product, and the users’ preferences and disabilities and explores information about their interactions and opinions about each place, to recommend points of interest, routes and services that best suit their specific needs and interests.

Religious Tourism and Pilgrimages in the Central Portuguese Way to Santiago and the Issue of Accessibility

Abstract: With this chapter, the authors intend to present the objectives of the research project that they have been developing related to the issue of accessibility of religious tourism and pilgrimages in the Portuguese Way to Santiago. The geographic focus covers the area of the Central Way between Porto and Valença. The developed research enables them to present and reflect on important results. Regarding accessible tourism and accessibility to cultural heritage, especially religious architectural and accommodation sites, the authors conclude that there has been a minimum investment resulting in a manifest lack of accessibility. However, at other levels the impacts have been very positive resulting in a socio-cultural development of the populations of the geographic area under study: the number of places of accommodation have increased significantly and some of these places are renovated old buildings, rehabilitating and safeguarding the architectural heritage and the memory of localities.

Accessible tourism for the seaside. Case General Villamil, Ecuador

Abstract: In Ecuador, Atacames has been the first beach to encourage accessible tourism through the infrastructure implementation. General Villamil Playas is a relevant seaside, located 97 kilometers from Guayaquil city, has a warm and pleasant weather and a large expanse of beach, but at the same time lacks tourist infrastructure for people with limited mobility; therefore, it was the purpose of this study to analyze the accessibility for tourism of this group of people in this area. This research is reinforced by theories and studies raised by several authors, with a mixed approach, using quantitative and qualitative data. Empirical and theoretical methods were applied, operating techniques and tools that helped gather information through interviews, observation files, and surveys. For, the sample, the tourists were considered in a range of 15 to 65 years old, applying the formula for finite population, where 379 people were surveyed, who support the need to introduce facilities for people with limited mobility, giving openness to the design of an accessibility system on the beach boardwalk and also toward the beach. The improvement of accessibility can allow relatives enjoy together because an inclusive infrastructure supports the whole family to visit tourist sites, and also it contributes to developing new tourism products in the community for national and international tourists. To conclude, this research seeks the relationship between the level of accessibility of beaches, the training of service providers and the increase in customer visits, which could be useful for practical applications in other areas.

Implementation of accessible tourism concept at museums in Jakarta

Abstract: Accessibility, sustainability and equitable participation by all makeup what is known as Tourism for All. Tourism product must be designed for all people despite the age, gender and ability as one of the requirements to comply the accessible tourism concept. Museum as one of the elements of tourism chain must adhere to accessible tourism concept thus able to be enjoyed for everyone regardless of one's abilities. The aim of this study is to identify the implementation of accessible tourism concept at the museum in Jakarta and to provide practical accessibility- improvement measures for the museum in Jakarta towards accessible tourism concept. This research is qualitative- explorative research. Jakarta Tourism Board website was used as the main reference to obtain which museum that was selected. Primary data collect from direct field observations and interview. The results outline museum implementation of accessible tourism that classified into five criteria; information, transport, common requirements, universal design, and accessibility. The implication of this study provides recommendations to enhance museums' accessibility performance expected to be in line with accessible tourism concept.

Internet tourism marketing strategies of leading Indian states: a content analysis.

Abstract: Tourism is believed to be a tool for accommodating individuals with different needs. But, it is still far from entertaining the interest of people with limited ability. For such shortcomings, accessible tourism can be taken as the best remedy. The aim of this study is to evaluate accessible tourism challenges and development issues in hotels and attraction sites. Based on the assessment most of the tourist standard hotels have tried to fulfil basic accessibility facilities like ramps, telephone, accessible drop-off area, etc on the other hand, most of them have failed to fulfil elevators, pushchair, shower chair, bed risers etc. In the attractions assessment, compared to the Royal enclosure of Gondar, the Rock hewn churches of Lalibela are trying to improve the site and are constructing facilities in and around. Generally, there are efforts to make tourism accessible in Amhara Region; but, still there is a lot to do.

A New Framework for Accessible Tourism Mobile Application Development

Abstract: Recent years have seen an increasing realization of the importance and potential of accessible tourism. To support it, the ICT industries have provided many different applications, especially for mobile computing frameworks. An analysis of these applications allows us to identify some issues that are not yet fully addressed. These include the absence of collaborative features; the lack of involvement of all stakeholders; the inexistence of synergies; the lack of widely accessible geographic databases and the limited scope of focus within the disability range. To tackle some of these issues, the authors propose a common framework for development of tourism accessible related applications. This framework stores and manages tourism information and makes this information available to be used by mobile applications developers through specific web services. This approach can represent an important contribution to accessible tourism, by decreasing the cost and facilitating the development of new applications supporting new products and services. KeywoRDS Accessible Tourism, Common Framework, Integration and Sharing, Stakeholders Involvement, Tourism Services

Adaptation Process in Context-Aware Recommender System of Accessible Tourism Plan

Abstract: In this paper, we propose an adaptation process to generate accessible plans based on the retrieved plans by the recommender system. In our case, if one of the activities of the retrieved plan does not apply the user preferences or contextual information, we change it for another activity to adapt the plan. We use a taxonomy based on the open data of the Madrid’s council to adapt the plan and achieve an accessible tourism plan.

The Ship Transportation of Passengers with Disabilities and The Disability-Related Training Procedures of Seamen: A Legal and Social Framework

Abstract: Recent programs aimed at the independent living of persons with disabilities, allow them to be costumers of sectors in which they have never had full access in the past. The Lisbon Treaty has distinctly recognized the existence of a community tourist area within the primary law, and CRPD has defined the principles of accessibility (art. 9) and accessible tourism (art. 30) as tools for the inclusion. In addition, tourism and transportation stakeholders must guarantee non-discriminatory services; they must approach persons with disabilities as every other customer, by taking in consideration their needs and rights, especially when it comes to their accessibility, assistance, and information. Companies of transportation must cooperate with DPOs in order to define disability-related training procedures.

Inclusive Design: Towards Social Equity in the Built Environment

Abstract: As this special issue of Built Environment on Inclusive Design was coming to fruition, an article in The Guardian posed the question ‘what would a truly disabled-accessible city look like?’ (Salman, 2018). The piece identi- fied that globally by 2050, 940 million people with disabilities will live in cities (this equates to 15 per cent of all urban dwellers) resulting in the United Nations declaring that the inacces- sibility of our built environment is a ‘major challenge’. Salman’s article also presented an economic value to poor access – in the UK this is estimated to be £212bn (known as the purple pound), with an accessible tourism market estimated at £12bn. The article then presented a series of cases from around the world to highlight how greater access to the built environment was being achieved through design. This included the ‘traditional’ focus of inclusive design in considering the needs of our ageing and disabled populations (with an emphasis on mobility and sight), as well as considerations for citizens (or city/ sens – citizens of urban environments who experience sensory barriers) on the autistic spectrum.

Accessible information in tourism: case of casual italian restaurant

Abstract: Information is a collection of data that can be useful for decision making and currently an important material or commodity for all groups of people, including tourists.Accessible information is information that can be read or accepted and understood by individuals or groups, including a restaurant visitor. Restaurant is a part of supporting sector in tourism and one type of restaurant that quitevisited a lot is casual Italian restaurant which serves Italian food at affordable prices. This study aimed to identify the application of accessible information criteria by UNWTO in 10casual Italian restaurantsfrom 5 brands in Jakarta.This study used a qualitative method with an explorative approach. The object of the study was selected based on Zomato’s website on January 2018. Primary data was collected through interviews and direct observation on 10 casual Italian restaurantsfrom 5 brands in Jakarta, namely; Domino's Pizza, Pizza Hut, Pizza Marzano, Popolamama and The Kitchen by Pizza Hut. Data were analyzed by arranging data, describing it into units, synthesizing and arranging patterns from the observation list. The findings showed that the application of accessible information is divided based on seven criterias; printed material, digital documents, audio-visual content, websites, mobile apps, self-service terminals-mobile devices and signage. The results showed that printed material and signage have been widely applied by the majority of casual Italian restaurants, while self-service terminals-mobile devices are not implemented yet. The implication’s studyis providing recommendations for casual Italian restaurants to maximize the application of accessible information to meet the diverse needs of customer and giving opportunitiesto maintain restaurant existence and to expand its business. Keywords: Accessibility,accessible information, accessible tourism, information, restaurant

Guía de turismo accesible del centro histórico de quito para personas con discapacidad visual

Abstract: The graphic design, as a tool for innovation and access to information, have a social responsibility of assuming the needs not only of the common population, but also of the groups that have been neglected. As is the case of people with visual impairment, with low vision and blindness, who need to access at the different tourist places. In Ecuador, the accessible tourism has taken on importance since 2016, so it is an goal in stage of initiation in the city of Quito, where policies are being adopted so that tourism is for all, being its Historical Center one of the most beautiful attractions. But, one of the barriers faced by people with visual impairment is the lack of products that allows them to obtain tourist information in an understandable format. So one question arises: How to inform at tourists with visual impairment about a tourist route of the Historic Center of the city of Quito? The answer, designing an accessible tourism guide with principles of the universal design that doing possible the access at the information through visual, tactile and auditory perception. For this goal, a mixed investigative methodology was used to develop the product, using a qualitative and quantitative techniques such as the interview and poll. The conclusion of this project was the desing of a tourist guide about sites of the Historic Center of Quito that has the service of accessible tourism for people with visual impairments, through a printed format with contents in Braille, macrotypes, graphic illustrations in high relief and audio tracks through QR codes, which was requested by the National Federation of Blind of the Ecuador (FENCE) for its production, promotion and distribution. Keywords: Graphic Design, Guide, Accessible Tourism, Braille, Visual Impairment.

Turismo Acessível em Portugal – Estudo de casos de boas práticas

Abstract: This paper addresses issues pertaining to the development of accessible tourism destinations. It sets forth the competitive advantages of developing goods and services that are adequate for a segment of tourists that may have permanent or transitory reduced mobility and/or sensory or intellectual impairment. In the first place, we offer the underlying conceptual framework that derives from analysing recent research and publications on the theme, so as to discuss the competitive advantage of developing accessible destinations, in line with tendencies in tourist demands. Secondly, we take the matter further by analysing instances of good practice and give relevance to the innovative nature of on-going projects, thus contributing to their dissemination. We see such dissemination as a means to enhance the development of accessible tourism and as a pedagogical tool to make providers and the tourists themselves, even those without a disability, aware of need to dissipate the prejudices and stereotypes that are still to be found in society.

Co-creating universal design hotel rooms

Abstract: Many people with care needs are prevented to participate in travel and tourism activities because of limitations imposed by the design of the built environment. Increasing the Universal Design qualities of hotel accommodations is one way to support the ambitions of accessible tourism. In this proposal, we describe an interactive workshop in which participants co-create a Universal Design hotel room, based on their own experiences, together with user-experts and other stakeholders1.

Responsible Hospitality: Inclusive, Active, Green

Abstract: The book broadens the reach of Tourism studies by providing comprehensive and rigorous examinations of many issues related to Responsible Tourism development. The collection considers the subject of Responsible Hospitality broadly, and in line with concerns for the social, cultural, economic and natural environment. It provides a distinctive and balanced overview of both theoretical issues and practical cases. Starting from the perspective that commitments to accessibility and social inclusiveness are the ultimate frame of reference for Responsible Tourism development, in part 1) the collection first provides contributions on Accessible Tourism and social sustainability through the principle of inclusion. In the context of the rising demand for all-encompassing and in-depth experiences, the contributions presented in Part 2) contribute to understanding of Active Tourism and Sports Tourism. Finally, the authors of contributions also examine the issues of Responsible Tourism development in the context of green, healthy and local from three different perspectives: That of tourists, local (service) providers, and from the governance level. The overall aim of the book is, thus, to construct a vision of hospitality that operates in a manner that supports people and communities, promotes responsible environmental consumption, and is socially inclusive.