Accessible tourism: a comparison between Curitiba, Brazil and Sunshine Coast, Australia

Providing access for travellers with disabilities has benefits for individuals and tourism industry. For individuals with a disability, benefits include enhancing personal development, quality of life, and contribution to... [ view full abstract ]

Providing access for travellers with disabilities has benefits for individuals and tourism industry. For individuals with a disability, benefits include enhancing personal development, quality of life, and contribution to social inclusion. For the tourism industry, with 15% of the world population having a disability, catering for an increasing market demand makes good business sense.

We compare outcomes of a survey and interviews with tourism providers in both Curitiba, Brazil and the Sunshine Coast, Australia which elicited their level of understanding and preparedness to cater for disabled tourists. We also explored level of participation of disabled workers employed in the tourism industry. General lack of an enabling environment was a key finding.

Recommendations to address deficiency include awareness-raising and training of industry operators in needs and variations in disabilities, making information about disabled access more easily available to travellers, and further review of aspects other than accommodation, such as access to attractions (e/g beach access) and transportation.