Αναπηρικός & Αθλητικός τουρισμός και Αναψυχή για άτομα με αναπηρία (ΑμεΑ) & Εμποδιζόμενα άτομα.

Abstract

Tourism for people with disabilities, involves the constant endeavor to ensure that tourist destinations, products and services are accessible to all people, regardless of their physical limitations, disability or age.

Therefore, people with specific accessibility requirements, including mobility, hearing, sight as well as cognitive impairments, should be able to function independently equally and with dignity. This can be delivered via a design and implementation project that encompasses the touristic product itself, the provided services as well as the settings. As such this definition of ‘’accessible tourism’’ includes people travelling with their children in push-chairs,-prams, people with special needs and the elderly. There is an increasing awareness in our societies to strive to integrate people with disabilities as well as specific accessibility needs.

Planning of tourism policy in our country has not taken into account satisfying the needs of tourists with disabilities. This is in fact a shortcoming in policy-design , as evidenced by the relevant facts and findings of the international tourist market concerning people with disabilities. With figures taken from the European Disability Forum, we conclude that in Europe 50 million people have some disability. If we consider the rapidly growing population of the people aged 65 and over, as well as the fact that people with disabilities rarely travel alone, this market is almost tripled. Our most reliable data is sourced from a detailed study by the German Ministry of Finance on the dynamics, specifications and distinctiveness of the specific tourist market.

The evidence in this study firmly highlights the necessity to invest money and brain-power, in order to attract more disabled people to spend their vacation in Greece, especially given the contribution of the tourist industry to the country’s economy.

Therefore, a holistic approach to developing an ‘’Accessible Tourist Product’’ is a prerequisite for its success.