Accessible Tourism Research Snapshot

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This document profiles key Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre (STCRC) research into disability and accessible tourism perspectives and issues, an important and growing component of the Australian tourism landscape. The publication, available only in PDF format and free of charge, has been developed with the visitor, service provider, planning agency and industry operator in mind, bringing together summaries, statistics, key findings and recommendations in an easily accessible format.

Cover photo of CRC Accessible Tourism Research Snapshot This document profiles key Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre (STCRC) research into disability and accessible tourism perspectives and issues, an important and growing component of the Australian tourism landscape.

The publication, available only in PDF format and free of charge, has been developed with the visitor, service provider, planning agency and industry operator in mind, bringing together summaries, statistics, key findings and recommendations in an easily accessible format.

The Research

The following four research reports are profiled in this Snapshot:

  • Setting a Research Agenda for Accessible Tourism (2006), Simon Darcy
  • Developing Business Case Studies for Accessible Tourism (2008), Simon Darcy, Bruce Cameron, Shane Pegg and Tanya Packer
  • Tourist Experiences of Individuals with Vision Impairment (2008), Tanya L Packer, Jennie Small and Simon Darcy
  • Visitor Accessibility in Urban Centres (2008), Simon Darcy, Bruce Cameron, Larry Dwyer, Tracy Taylor, Emma Wong and Alana Thomson.

To access the full technical reports relating to this research, please refer to:
www.crctourism.com.au/bookshop

The research indicates that the relationship between disability and ageing is clearly evident and both present a challenge for the Australian and global tourism industry.

In Europe and America, this has been recognised and the tourism industry has been seeking ways to ensure that its infrastructure and products are accessible to all. There has been recognition that the tourism industry needs to adopt universal design principles as a foundation to achieving greater social sustainability as part of the triple bottom line imperative for tourism development.

Understanding the broader issues of visitor accessibility is paramount to developing positive tourism experiences and building capacity in the tourism industry to cater for all levels of disability. The research has indicated that visitor accessibility encompasses all tourism markets including seniors and people with disabilities who have been defined through accessible tourism. The challenges associated with ensuring that people can freely move within and between regions and destinations require further research and investigation in order to effectively plan and implement best-practice access to a tourism experience.