Tourism Accessibility of People with Disabilities: A Comparative Study Gina Puspitasari Rochman, Afiati Afiati, Ernady Syaodih, Riswandha Risang
Universitas Islam Bandung
Abstract
Previous research has examined the accessibility of persons with disabilities to tourism but have not identified differences in tourism accessibility based on the specificity of persons with disabilities. This study compares the tourism accessibility of persons with hearing, blind, and physical disabilities based on their needs and experiences. This study uses a qualitative-comparative study approach and content-qualitative analysis. Interviews was conducted with key informants, namely persons with deaf, blind, and physical disabilities who have experience traveling in the city of Bandung and its surroundings. This study concluded that the deaf has greater access to tourism attractions than the blind and the blind. The availability of guides or assistants affects the accessibility of tourism for the blind, the availability of infrastructure or visual media affects the accessibility of tourism for the deaf, and the availability of physical infrastructure affects the accessibility of tourism for the blind. Furthermore, this condition affects the opportunities for persons with disabilities to have attractive and comfortable travel experiences known as friendly tourism. This study recommends the need to improve the accessibility of persons with disabilities with a focus on improving main services and infrastructure according to the needs of persons with disabilities.
