A BARRIER-FREE ENVIRONMENT FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN TOURISM

Abstract

Creating a barrier-free environment for people with disabilities in tourism is a public good that is linked to the economic and social development of any country. The article systematizes the existing scientific approaches to defining the essence of the concept of “barrier-free tourism”. After analyzing domestic and foreign literature, it was concluded that when talking about tourism for people with disabilities, the following terms are most often used abroad: “accessible tourism”, “tourism for all”, “barrier-free tourism”,“tourism for people with disabilities”. The classification of groups of persons included in barrier-free tourism has been generalized and supplemented. The current state of tourism for people with disabilities in Ukraine is analyzed and its low level of development is revealed. It is determined that the organization of barrier-free tourism in Ukraine is at an early stage of development. The majority of the population of Ukraine does not consider the cities accessible to people with disabilities, but actively supports the idea of making the urban environment accessible to all. Various problems of tourism development for people with disabilities in Ukraine have been identified, which indicates the need for enhanced and comprehensive attention from the state and society. The considered legal aspects of the formation and development of a barrier-free environment have proved that the legislation of Ukraine needs decisive changes. An analysis of the legislation and scientific literature on tourism shows that in Ukraine there is no generally accepted definition of tourism for people with disabilities as well as the available approaches to its definition do not have an in-depth study that would reveal the essence of this phenomenon. A number of problems have been identified related to the accessibility of tourist facilities for people with disabilities and the lack of adapted tourist products, which requires the solution of specific tasks at the level of the state, regional local authorities and entrepreneurs.