Constraints That Prevent Tour Firms from Serving Physically Impaired Tourists in Kenya

Abstract

The number of people living with disabilities is increasing. It is projected that by the end of 2020, there will be over 1.2 billion people living with disability. Notwithstanding, accessibility provisions of this population remains few. Studies reveal that, many tourism destinations have not adequately provided facilities, information for physically impaired tourists. This study therefore sought to know the constraints that face tour firms from the providing for physically impaired tourist by sampling 104 tour firms and agencies in Kenya. A QUAN-QUAL approach was used to investigate this phenomenon. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings of this study reveal that there are a myriad of constraints that tour firms face including the following: The inclusion of dimensions of access, particularly for vision, hearing impairments; Operationalizing information in access, accuracy, detail, format, and presentation dimensions; Inclusion in organizing personalized trips for physically impaired tourists; The inclusion of tourism access information in generic marketing; Destination accessibility; Linkages between transport, the natural and built environments (attractions/parking/activities/ accommodation/services/natural areas e.t.c); Availability and cost of hiring attendants/skilled guides who can handle physically impaired tourists; Costs of adapting transport systems for physically impaired tourists. These findings will facilitate, policy planning, programming and implementation of policies that will see an increased utake of accessible tourism in Kenya. Keywords: Accessible Tourism/Disabled tourism, physically impaired tourists, Impairment, Disability, Universal design DOI : 10.7176/RHSS/9-18-07 Publication date :September 30 th 2019