Ergonomic approach in tourism for visitors with special needs

Abstract

The number of people with disabilities has been increasing as a result of ageing population, chronic health diseases and environmental factors such as accidents, natural disasters or conflicts. Disabled people make valuable part of community and their integration into society reflects the level of human development and public awareness. Social responsibility and human rights legislations support the improvement of tourism conditions for visitors with special needs resulting in hotel industry in accessible tourism policies including transport, accommodation, destinations and attractions appropriately meeting their needs. Ergonomic design should be preventive design. Sustainability is assured by ergonomic premises which are safe, pollution free, hygienic and nonhazardous. In ergonomics applications, functional efficiency privails and individuals are able to live in environment which is safe, convenient and healthy. The cooperation of builders, architects and ergonomics designers is essential. This paper presents results of research in hotel sector in Kusadasi, Turkey. The aim was to determine if the hotel facilities are provided to the disabled people, the perceptions of general guests about the disability and their accommodation in disabled rooms. Semi-structured interviews with hotel's department managers were conducted in 9 hotels ranked as 4 and 5 star.