The right to enjoy leisure and travel is an important aspect of participating in everyday life. Most research on inclusive tourism is focused on user experiences, but little is known about tourism employee attitudes to guests with disability. So what do employees need to know and be able to do? A study from Norway explores the issues from the perspectives of employees and guests with disability.
Employee attitudes that were perceived by guests with disability as discriminatory are paradoxically caused by the fear of doing something wrong. Consequently, they often do nothing.
The researchers held a collaborative stakeholder workshop to devise the questions for the two surveys – one for guests, and one for employees. The questions were designed to gain maximum information, and ensured correct language was used. The also checked they were universally designed, understandable, and precise.
Guests with disability said…
There were unhelpful or disrespectful employees, they felt neglected and that fellow travellers were sometimes more helpful. Some responses, such as rolling eyes and saying sick people should stay home, were also recorded. Travel processes, such as check in and ticketing are frustrating despite the best planning. Discrimination is particularly difficult for people with invisible disabilities.
Digital information is a problem when you need to use several digital tools at the same time. It takes digital competence to negotiate the apps. Special solutions are expected because there are few integrated universal solutions.
Tourism employees said…
The way they know they are dealing with a guest with disability is because it is visible or were told prior to arrival. Almost half the respondents said their company did not have guidelines for receiving guests with disabilities. Most said they felt comfortable interacting with guests, but others were worried they would say something wrong.
Most employees said they try to act just the same as they do with other clients. Others admitted to improvising because of their fear of doing something wrong. However, this often led to inaction. Most employees said they were interested in more training, but management doesn’t give the time. They also said ‘back office’ staff also needed the training.
The title of the paper is, Attitudes of Employees in Tourism Towards Guests with Disabilities in Norway” A Survey Study. The paper was presented at UD2024 in Norway.
The findings also relate to any service-driven business. It’s not just tourism.
From the abstract
Associations for people with disability in Norway receive much feedback about negative experiences with travel. There is little knowledge about what can be done to improve these experiences. With two digital surveys we mapped travel experiences of people with disability and attitudes of employees in the tourism industry.
A collaborative workshop with researchers, user representatives from a national disability organisation, and tourism employees formed the questions.
The results show that some of the employees’ discriminatory attitudes are paradoxically caused by fear of doing something wrong. They need more knowledge about invisible disabilities, and a company-level strategy for implementation of universal design in customer service.
Management perceptions are key
Management perceptions of disability are key to encouraging inclusive tourism. A study comparing national parks in two countries highlighted this and other factors that impact universal accessibility. A legal perspective and no penalties imposed for lack of accessibility means the status quo remains. Taking an economic perspective and an inclusive attitude is more helpful.
National parks within South Africa and Zimbabwe were the subject of a study comparing them for universal design and accessibility. The attitude and perceptions of national park management was found to be a contributing factor for accessibility.
Everyone wants to experience nature
In South Africa there was an understanding that people with disability wanted to experience nature as much as anyone else. There was also a recognition that there was a good economic argument for being inclusive. In Zimbabwe, management considered disability to be a legal issue and did not believe that tourists with disability wanted to visit national parks.
The study revealed that, generally, the management of parks in both countries appreciate the plight of people with disabilities who want to visit their parks. However, the managers from South Africa seemed more willing and prepared to make their parks universally accessible compared to their counterparts in Zimbabwe.
This study was the subject of a doctoral thesis which takes a holistic approach to the issues. The conclusions and recommendations beginning page 184 are relevant to all national parks. Staff training, an understanding of the economic benefits and community consultation are just three of the recommendations. It’s an easy read and the conclusions and recommendations easy to follow.
The doctoral thesis is titled, The development of a universal accessibility framework for National Parks in South Africa and Zimbabwe.
The findings are also published in a journal article which requires institutional access for a free read. The title is, Universal Accessibility of National Parks in South Africa and Zimbabwe: Park Management Perceptions.