The role of occupational therapy in accessible tourism

Abstract

Abstract Disability is an increasing area of scholarship across all areas of citizenship due to the 182 signatory nations to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Accessible tourism is one area of the convention that is becoming increasingly important and popular among tourism scholars and practitioners alike. Yet, existing literature recognises the uncertainty among practitioners of what essentially entails accessible tourism, with a lack of awareness toward the wider disability spectrum clearly present. However, tourism scholars and practitioners have yet to acknowledge the role of occupational therapy in delivering accessible tourism experiences in the areas of hard infrastructure development (transport, built environment, destination management) and quality service experience development (adaptive activity, interpretation, universal experience development). This is despite their expertise in understanding the capacities of individuals with a wide range of disabilities and how environments might be adapted to increase inclusivity. This note finds a need exists for interdisciplinary approaches to accessible tourism research.