Prerequisites of development of an accessible tourism for everyone in the European Union


Keywords: tourism, accessibility, universal design, European Union, Ljubljana

Abstract

Modern approaches of understanding the concepts of accessible tourism for everyone are analyzed in this paper. Accessible tourism for everyone means that anytourism product should be designed irrespective of age, gender and ability, and with no additional costs for customers with disabilities and specific access requirements. The role of the principles of universal design for accessible tourism for everyone is described. In contrast to the concept of accessibility, which only applies to low-mobility categories of the population and focuses on physical access to transport and premises, as well as access to information, the concept of universal design emphasizes creating the same conditions convenient for all users, without impersonating any of them. The connection between accessible tourism for everyone and the goal of sustainable development is revealed. Accessible tourism for everyone significantly contributes to the achievement most of sustainable development goals. Three main prerequisites for the development of accessible tourism for everyone in the European Union are determined and characterized by: existing accessibilitylegislation and standards at the global, European and national levels, population ageing and increase in the number of people with disabilities. In Ukraine there is a lack of accessibility standards for tourism facilities and services. It is important to transfer experiences and knowledge that exists in the European Union to Ukraine and ensure an adapted implementation to local requirements. A map of the most accessible cities of the European Union is created and the quantitative distribution of these cities by country of ownership is presented. Accessible to all tourism chain is analyzed on the example of Ljubljana city in Slovenia, which was twice noted by the European Commission as one of the most accessible.

Author Biographies

Mariana I. Senkiv
Lviv Polytechnic National University, Lviv
Viktoriia S. Tserklevych
Khmelnytskyi Cooperative Trade and Economic Institute, Khmelnytskyi

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Published
2021-10-06
How to Cite
Senkiv, M., & Tserklevych, V. (2021). Prerequisites of development of an accessible tourism for everyone in the European Union. Journal of Geology, Geography and Geoecology, 30(3), 562-570. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.15421/112151