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Accessible tourism is the ongoing endeavour to ensure tourist destinations, products and services are accessible to all people, regardless of their physical limitations, disabilities or age. It encompasses publicly and privately owned tourist locations. The term has been defined by Darcy and Dickson (2009, p34) as:
== Overview == Modern society is increasingly aware of the concept of integration of people with disabilities. Issues such as accessibility, design for all and universal design〔Preiser, W. F. E., & Ostroff, E. (2001). Universal Design Handbook. New York: McGraw-Hill.〕 are featured in the international symposia of bodies such as the European Commission.〔(European and International Associations at the European Commission's Enterprise and Industry Tourism web page ).〕 Steps have been taken to promote guidelines and best practices, and major resources are now dedicated to this field. A greater understanding of the accessible tourism market has been promoted through research commissioned by the European Commission where a stakeholder analysis has provided an insight into the complexities of accessible tourism.〔Buhalis, D., Michopoulou, E., Eichhorn, V., & Miller, G. (2005). Accessibility market and stakeholder analysis - One-Stop-Shop for Accessible Tourism in Europe (OSSATE). Surrey, United Kingdom: University of Surrey. http://www.ossate.org/doc_resources/OSSATE_Market&Stakeholder%20Analysis_Public_Version_Fina..pdf Retrieved 2012.08.26〕 Similarly, the Australian Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre funded an Accessible Tourism Research Agenda〔Darcy, S. (2006). Setting a Research Agenda for Accessible Tourism. STCRC Technical Report Series, Gold Coast - Australia. Available from http://www.crctourism.com.au/BookShop/BookDetail.aspx?d=473〕 that sought to outline a research base on which to develop the supply, demand and coordination/regulation information required to develop the market segment. The research agenda has now seen three other funded projects contribute towards a research base on which the tourism industry and government marketing authorities can make more informed decisions.〔Darcy, S., Cameron, B., Pegg, S., & Packer, T. (2008). Technical Report 90042: Developing Business Cases for Accessible Tourism, STCRC technical report Available from http://www.crctourism.com.au/BookShop/BookDetail.aspx?d=582〕〔Darcy, S., Cameron, B., Dwyer, L., Taylor, T., Wong, E., & Thomson, A. (2008). Technical Report 90064: Visitor accessibility in urban centrespp. 75). Available from http://www.crctourism.com.au/BookShop/BookDetail.aspx?d=626 at〕〔Packer, T., Small, J., & Darcy, S. (2008). Technical Report 90044: Tourist Experiences of Individuals with Vision Impairment STCRC Technical Report Available from http://www.crctourism.com.au/BookShop/BookDetail.aspx?d=602〕 As of 2008, there were more than 50 million persons with disabilities in Europe, and more than 600 million around the world. When expanded to include all beneficiaries of accessible tourism, as defined above, the number grows to some 130 million people affected in Europe alone. In addition to the social benefits, the market represents an opportunity for new investment and new service requirements, rarely provided by key players in the tourism sector. According to ENAT, the European Network for Accessible Tourism, accessible tourism includes:〔 * Barrier-free destinations: infrastructure and facilities * Transport: by air, land and sea, suitable for all users * High quality services: delivered by trained staff * Activities, exhibits, attractions: allowing participation in tourism by everyone * Marketing, booking systems, web sites & services: information accessible to all 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Accessible tourism」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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