GIVING EVERYONE THE RIGHT TO TRAVEL MANAGEMENT OF ACCESSIBLE TOURISM

Abstract

Accessible or barrier-free tourism is still an under-researched area in tourism research in
Hungary. With a better management and a more focused marketing, better access and more
successful involvement of this this target group with special needs is an unused reserve in tourism
development. Based on the results of a questionnaire survey, the authors highlight some important
aspects of the travel demand of people living with disabilities, which should be considered by
tourism destination management when developing tourist attractions and products, as well as in the
design of visitor management tools and methods. Accessible tourism concerns more than one-tenth
of the European population, so in addition to its social and societal importance, it is also a nonnegligible
business opportunity. Understanding the expectations and specific consumer habits of
the stakeholders is essential to develop an appropriate offer and to ensure equal access to services.
The authors, having acted as experts in the Erasmus Peer Act project, are demonstrating findings of
a Hungarian survey on the issue, with international outlook.