The barriers to holiday-taking for visually impaired tourists and their families

Abstract

Although the provision of holidays for people with disabilities (PwD) and their families has been mainstreamed within social care policies in recent years, such a concern has not been given ample discussion in the tourism context. This investigation of the importance of accessibility factors from the point of view of both the PwD and their family members may direct future improvements in tourism destinations, with a special focus on the visually impaired group. It helps to provide an understanding of the factors affecting the decision-making process while evaluating a destination. It is hoped that, through recognising and raising awareness of equal travelling opportunities, PwD and their families will be encouraged to undertake more tourism activities. Thus, with a focus on the visually impaired group in Macao, this paper is an exploratory study that gathers insights from people with visual impairment and their family members. By conducting a qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews, the issues discussed are organised in three themes, namely structural, intrapersonal, and interpersonal aspects. A conceptual model is developed based on these themes, adding to it the perceived barriers that resulted from the interviews. The results contribute to a better understanding of these two groups as consumers in the tourism industry, leading to better enjoyment and more quality time at the destination. As indicated in this paper, the public's tendency is mainly to focus on structural aspects and typically underestimates the beneficial effects of intrapersonal and interpersonal aspects. The implications of the relationships among these three aspects can help tourism practitioners to acknowledge the most significant factors for better and more efficient resource management in tourism destinations.