Abstract
The number of people with disabilities in the world is growing every year. When traveling, they encounter various barriers. The article focuses on Slovakia, a country in which accessible tourism has not yet been examined. It is the result of extensive research carried out in the years 2016 to 2020. The scientific goal of the article is to examine the tourism demand and the degree of adjustment of the tourism supply for visitors with physical disabilities in Slovakia and to find out the connection between the accessibility of the tourism facilities and the destinations attendance. Article emphasizes the need to improve the country's accessibility in tourism for visitors with disabilities. Research is based on the theoretical research methods, exploratory statistics, and correlation analysis to evaluate the accessibility of the supply in all self-governing regions in Slovakia. It analyzes the demand of the visitors with disabilities based on the results of a qualitative survey carried out by the method of sociological questioning using the standardized interview technique with the representatives of associations for people with disabilities (19). The results of the research show that people with disabilities want to travel and urge the lack of accessibility of tourism attractions and facilities and on the various types of barriers. The research sample consists of 11,281 tourism supply facilities in Slovakia. The results of the research points to an insufficient rate of accessibility of the country (19.7%) for visitors with physical disabilities and the need for higher investments in debarierization of the environment, which can make the whole country more attractive and increase its importance on the international tourism market.
Highlights
Evaluation of the tourism demand of the visitors with disabilities and the tourism supply for visitors with disabilities in Slovakia is a current topic, as the number of people with disabilities is constantly growing
Slovakia is characterized by the diversity of supply, which in terms of international classification of tourist attractions according to IUOTO-WTO contains up to 38 of the 39 possible most sought-after tourist attractions
This article focused on the analysis of the tourism demand side of the visitors with disabilities in Slovakia and finding the accessibility of tourism supply in Slovakia for visitors with disabilities
Summary
Evaluation of the tourism demand of the visitors with disabilities and the tourism supply for visitors with disabilities in Slovakia is a current topic, as the number of people with disabilities is constantly growing. Discussions at the national and international level focus on the need to remove barriers of various kinds. We want to emphasize the need to change the current situation in tourism to suit everyone without distinction. We want to contribute to the scientific and professional discussion on the importance of adapting the primary and secondary supply of tourism for the most vulnerable so that the target group and Slovakia as a country will be competitive in the international tourism market benefits from new opportunities
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