The German Study, The Economic Impulses of Accessible Tourism for All provides both content and a methological template for those Rolling Rains Report readers who are preparing national policy on Inclusive Tourism and Inclusive Destination Development.
Chapter 1: Introduction and methodology
Economic impulses of accessible Tourism for All 1
Preliminary remarks
In November 2002 Germany's Federal Ministry
of Economics and Labour commissioned
a project group, comprising the
INSTITUTE OF GEOGRAPHY and the
INSTITUTE OF TRANSPORT SCIENCE at the
UNIVERSITY OF MÜNSTER and the consulting
firms NEUMANNCONSULT and REPPEL +
LORENZ, to conduct a study on the economic
impulses of accessible Tourism for
All. The research project was supported by
the National Coordination Agency for Tourism
for All e.V. (NatKo) and various national
disability organisations and tour operators.
The present abridged version of the study
contains a description of the methodology,
the most important results and the ensuing
recommendations.
1.1 Problems and objectives
Following a resolution of the Council of the
European Union, 2003 was declared the
European Year of People with Disabilities.
One of the core objectives of the activities
conducted over the course of the year was
to promote extensive accessibility in all
areas of society.
Besides being a socially relevant concern,
accessibility also has an economic dimension.
This study serves to analyse and
evaluate this economic dimension in relation
to the field of accessible Tourism for
All. The study hence focuses on the
economic, rather than the social, significance
of accessible Tourism for All.
It recognises the fact that in the field of
tourism, too, accessibility is often only considered
in terms of its price tag. However,
if one were to hypothesise that persons
with disabilities generally have the same
travel needs and motivations as everyone
else and are prevented from travelling only
by the presence of barriers, it can be assumed
that their travel intensity and in turn,
the demand for tourism services will increase
if these barriers to travel were removed.
This would turn persons with disabilities
into an important customer group
for the tourism industry, and the promotion
of accessible tourism facilities and
services would become a significant
economic factor (cf. EUROPEAN
COMMISSION 1996, p. 9).
Besides testing this hypothesis, this study
serves to identify the concrete economic
impulses of the implementation
of accessible Tourism for All in Germany,
particularly in terms of
• its customer potential, and
• the resulting economic impacts.
To date, no confirmed statistical data is
available for travellers with disabilities in
Germany. The same applies to their travel
behaviour and travel spending. Any available
information on their market potential in
relation to Germany tends to be based on
the 1998 study by GUGG & HANK-HAASE.
This and other studies are based above all
on estimates and a limited number of random
empirical surveys (cf. e.g. TREINEN
1998; NATKO 2002; WILKEN 2002;
MALLAS/NEUMANN/WEBER 2003).
The study also intends to produce the
first reliable data on the demand and
travel behaviour of this customer group
in Germany.
2 Economic impulses of accessible Tourism for All
On the one hand, this information will help
to identify this potential target group’s concrete
requirements and quality expectations;
on the other, fundamental statements
on the nature of accessible Tourism for All
from a tourism perspective can be produced.
In order to ensure the sustainability of economic
impulses of accessible Tourism for
All, development objectives and strategies
for accessible tourism in Germany
and concrete recommendations for action
must be produced.
Objectives of the study at a glance:
1. Conceptual definition of ‘accessible
Tourism for All’
2. Procurement of reliable data and
statements on the customers’ potential
and travel behaviour
3. Identification of economic impulses
of implementing accessible Tourism
for All
4. Production of development objectives
and strategies for accessible
Tourism for All
5. Development of action programme
including concrete recommendations
for action
1.2 Accessible Tourism for All:
Concept and target group
The idea behind accessible Tourism for All
is based on the Design for All philosophy
that was developed at European level. Design
for All is an approach towards (re-)
designing the built environment, products
and services such that all persons are enabled
to participate equitably in life in the
community (cf. EUCAN 2003, p. 22).
This planning philosophy also provides the
foundation for the concept of 'Tourism for
All': ‘Everyone – regardless of whether
they have any disabilities – should be
able to travel to the country, within the
country and to whatever place, attraction
or event they should wish to visit’
(NORDISKA HANDIKAPPOLITISKA RÅDET
2002, p. 17).
In Germany, accessibility (Barrierefreiheit)
is a civil right and its establishment is
based on the currently applicable legal provisions
and standards. The German act on
the equality of persons with disabilities
(Behindertengleichstellungsgesetz/BGG) of
1 May 2002 provides a statutory framework.
At Länder (federal state) level, acts
on equal opportunities apply that are in
development or have already been adopted
by almost all Länder, along with the respective
construction ordinances (cf. FREHE/
NEUMANN 2003). The currently applicable
DIN standards, e.g. DIN 18024 und 18025,
are also relevant to the implementation of
accessibility. While they determine the
technical standards, they have no direct
legal or factual force.
The legal force of DIN standards for the
tourism industry is defined by the respective
construction codes or other ordinances
of the Länder.
Chapter 1: Introduction and methodology
Economic impulses of accessible Tourism for All 3
The implementation of accessibility affects
all areas of society, including the
facilities and services in the tourism
industry. These comprise not just construction
projects, but also means of transport,
electronic, information and communication
systems as well as facilities and services.
1
The accessibility principle is still applied
only to one target group, that of persons
with disabilities. This is incomprehensible,
especially since reports and studies in
Germany and across Europe2 repeatedly
find that implementing accessibility is in
the interest of everyone, not just of one
particular group of persons with special
needs. For instance, it is a known fact that
an accessible built environment is a crucial
requirement for around 10% of the population,
a necessity for approx. 30 to 40% and
comfortable for 100%.
The group of persons for whom accessibility
is a crucial prerequisite for participating
in community life includes persons with
physical limitations (e.g. persons of limited
mobility or manual dexterity, wheelchair
users), sensory disabilities (e.g.
blind/visually impaired or hearingimpaired/
late-deafened persons) as well as
those with mental or learning disabilities or
chronic diseases. The group of persons for
whom an accessible built environment is
1 Cf. the definition of ‘barrier-free’ in Section 4 of the
BGG: ‘Buildings and other installations, means of
transportation, technical devices, information processing
systems, acoustic and visual sources of information
and communication devices as well as
other designed environments are deemed barrierfree
if they can be accessed and used by disabled
persons in a normal manner, without encountering
any difficulties and as a rule, without requiring help
from a third party.’
2 Cf., at European level e.g. INSTITUTO UNIVERSITARIO
DE ESTUDIOS EUROPEOS/UNIVERSIDAD AUTÓNOMA DE
BARCELONA 2002, EUCAN 2003, EUROPEAN
COMMISSION 2003 and COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN
COMMUNITIES 2003.
necessary includes above all persons with
activity limitations3, e.g. persons who (may)
encounter difficulties in terms of mobility or
activity both in everyday situations and
while travelling. These include e.g. persons
suffering temporarily from the effects of an
accident, parents with prams or baby carriages,
travellers with heavy baggage, families
with small children or older persons.
Ultimately, the establishment of accessibility
in the tourism infrastructure enables all
persons to enjoy simple, intuitive and safe
access, thereby enhancing the level of
comfort, the attractiveness and quality of
tourism facilities and services (cf.
ZEIMETZ/NEUMANN 2000).
1.3 Methodology
The complexity of analysing the economic
significance of accessible Tourism for All
called for a combination of approaches
and methods of empirical social research.
As economic impulses were being
identified rather than directly monitored, the
study employed both direct and indirect
research methods.
A choice was made in favour of direct access
in the form of quantitative and qualitative
surveys. The quantitative collection
method, which employed written and oral
surveys among potential customers with
disabilities and service providers in the
holiday regions, proved highly effective for
recording general tendencies regarding the
3 In the 2001 World Health Organization's International
Classification of Functioning, Disability and
Health (ICF), the term ‘activity limitation’ replaces the
term 'disability’. In consequence, the term ‘people
with disabilities’ is replaced by ‘people with activity
limitations’, which is defined as follows: ‘Those people,
of all ages, who are unable to perform, independently
and without aid, basic human activities or
tasks – because of a health condition or physical/
mental/cognitive/ psychological impairment of a
permanent or temporary nature.’ (cf. WHO 2001).
Chapter 1: Introduction and methodology
3 Economic impulses of accessible Tourism for All
attitudes and requirements of travellers
with disabilities.
The qualitative interviews with tourism
service providers and decision-makers
proved particularly useful in those areas
where the collection of scientifically valuable
information is difficult due to the complexity
and intransparency of problem
situations related to accessible Tourism for
All. Tourism service providers and decision-
makers were surveyed who are particularly
familiar with the spatial and social
circumstances in the five regions selected
for this study.
In addition, written questionnaires (socalled
‘mystery mailings’) and an analysis
of Web presences were used to establish
the quality of tourism destinations’ marketing
efforts and information with regard to
accessible travelling. This investigation
covered 146 tourism regions, 46 cities and
62 spa towns.
For instance, documents and reports on
promotion programmes for accessible tourism
from 18 European countries were analysed.
Relevant minutes, files, specialist
publications, statistics and press releases
were analysed and evaluated.
The following sections discuss the characteristics
of the various surveys. The full
version of this report also illustrates the
results of the European benchmark study.
1.3.1 Survey among potential customers
The conceptual and organisational focus of
the first phase of the research project was
a survey among the potential users of accessible
tourism facilities.
The first task consisted in drawing up an
database of addresses of those persons
with disabilities who were eligible for taking
part in this survey. In this context, the cooperation
with major German disability
organisations (associations for visuallyimpaired,
blind or physically disabled persons
or persons with learning or mental
disabilities)4, the tour operator ‘mare nostrum’
and the German Automobile Club
(ADAC) proved highly effective. An address
list containing some 20,000 persons
with disabilities was thus produced. In February
2003 these persons were sent a
largely standardised, easy-to-understand
questionnaire by post. The questionnaire
was also placed on the internet at
www.tourismus-fuer-alle.de/umfrage, having
been made accessible also for blind
and visually impaired persons.
As, from experience, the rate of return was
anticipated to reach 10 to 15% at most,
some 2,000 questionnaires were expected
back.
However, these expectations were far
exceeded by the return of 4,401 completed
questionnaires which gives rise to
the assumption that accessible travel is of
strong interest to persons with disabilities.
4,062 questionnaires were considered suitable
for statistical evaluation.
Strongly representative results were not
expected prior to the survey, also due to
the voluntary nature of the study that
tended to cause only those persons to respond
who feel strongly about, or are particularly
affected by, the subject of the
questionnaire. Furthermore, when selecting
addressees for the questionnaires it was
impossible to extract a strictly representa-
4 BSK, DBS, DVBS, People First and Pro Retina (cf.
Acknowledgements).
Source:
http://www.bmwa.bund.de/Redaktion/Inhalte/Pdf/doku-526-en,property=pdf.pdf
Posted by rollingrains at May 25, 2005 01:22 AM