A research of overcoming the barriers in tourism design by the perspective of tourists with disabilities and stakeholders in Antalya

Abstract

Individuals with disabilities, who represent a significant minority throughout the world, must be included in all areas of life. Tourism, which is one of these main areas, should include the needs and desires of individuals with disabilities. The aim of this study is to find out the difficulties individuals with disabilities face in tourism and how to overcome them. A semi-structured interview technique was used for this purpose and the stakeholders serving in the tourism sector, members of the disability associations and tourists with disabilities were reached. As a result, it is found that tourists with disabilities mostly experience bad attitudes and behaviors from the tourism staff and face some difficulties during their transfer due to architectural barriers. In order to overcome these obstacles, tourism design should be given importance for all types of disabilities considering the individuals with disabilities when planning tourism activities.