“Ebilities” tourism: an exploratory discussion of the travel needs and motivations of the mobility-disabled

doi:10.1016/S0261-5177(02)00037-7

Tourism Management

Volume 24, Issue 1, February 2003, Pages 57-72

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0261-5177(02)00037-7 Get rights and content

Abstract

With the 1990 passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the earlier Air Carrier Access Act, US marketers began to pay some attention to one of the most important but overlooked of all market segments. This article discusses the importance to the travel and tourism industry of the US disabled market, concentrating on the mobility-challenged travelers, which number 36 million (Murphy & Baig, 1997). Post-ADA literature regarding marketing to the disabled is reviewed and results are reported of a focus group with one support group attended by wheelchair-bound members and survey respondents attending an Abilities Expo. Data are also collected from general tourists, eleven percent of whom indicated that they have a physical disability. Survey respondents reveal that word-of-mouth, the Internet and travel guides serve as the most important sources of information when planning travel. The main special interests they pursue while vacationing involve nature activities, often participating in sports. A temporary disability or “slowing down” does not stop their enjoyment of travel, especially nature travel. Tourism operators, especially those involved with heritage and nature activities, should consider appealing to the mobility challenged, as they do not shy away from travel. They are, however, careful in planning their travel and are impressed by “personal inspection” of hospitality facilities and accommodation.

Section snippets

Introduction and literature review

A few years ago, one of the authors’ cousin had a terrible travel experience in the Denver airport during a “hundred year” blizzard. No flights were arriving and departing, no transportation was available to get to local hotels and even emergency medical supplies at the airport were depleted. Passengers were sleeping on the floor of the airport for several days. While this nightmare would be terrible for anyone to go through, the family felt a lot worse that this particular passenger had to

Methodology

The main research objectives are, first, to include mobility-impaired persons in the consideration of preliminary travel/tourism research, and second, to examine their preferred sources of information used to plan travel, and in some cases, their preferred destinations. Some possible conclusions seem obvious. After all, it would be much easier for a wheelchair-bound person to visit a world-class art museum than to hike the rain forest of Central America. However, many disabled are participating

Results

The findings from these informal data collections can do little more than guide future research. The numbers are so small that no statistical meaning can be derived. But, the comments and rankings of sources of information used when planning travel and of desired activities and destinations might be of use to tourism marketers in their attempts to reach the mobility challenged.

Suggestions for further research

Based on the information gathered from the focus group and from respondents in other travel/tourism research who consider themselves disabled, some preliminary ideas emerge as to what issues need to be addressed in future tourism studies with the mobility challenged. Perhaps an on-line survey appearing on a popular web-site with the disabled would generate much higher numbers of respondents and more generalizable data, since “e-abled” respondents often indicate preferences to respond to surveys

Conclusions

The US disabled consumer market is said to be the next consumer niche. According to recent figures, the market is at around 50 million consumers (Kahn, 2000). And these consumers have more disposable income than marketers often think. While the decade-old Americans with Disabilities Act explains some increase in attention to this group by marketers, marketers need to think more carefully about this large consumer niche.

The recreation and travel/tourism industry in the United States is around 36

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¹: The word “ebilities” refers to www.ebility.com, which emphasizes “your abilities online”. The “e” (electronic) portion is later shown to be relevant to this paper with the discussion of the importance on on-line surveys in the collection of marketing research data from the mobility challenged and because of the importance of the Internet as a source of information when planning travel.

View full text

Research note“Ebilities” tourism: an exploratory discussion of the travel needs and motivations of the mobility-disabled1

Abstract

Section snippets

Introduction and literature review

Methodology

Results

Suggestions for further research

Conclusions

Tourism Management

Tourism Management

American Sign LanguageA teacher's resource text on grammar and culture

Assessing the travel-related behaviors of the mobility-disabled consumer

Journal of Travel Research

Assessing the media habits and needs of the mobility-disabled consumer

Journal of Advertising

Train go sorryInside a deaf world

Ticket to ride?

ABA Journal

Measuring the psychosocial impact of assistive devicesThe PIADS

Canadian Journal of Rehabilitation

Body Language

Marketing Week

The travel motivations of Canadian ecotourists

Journal of Travel Research

Moving violationsWar zones, wheelchairs, and declarations of independence

Western society and ecotourismTraveling companions?

Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society

Walks in welcoming placesOutings in the northeast for strollers of all ages and the disabled

Library Journal

Shop ‘til you drop’Tales from a physically challenged shopper

Journal of Consumer Marketing

Retailers’ perceptions of the Americans with Disabilities ActSuggestions for low-cost, high-impact accommodations for disabled shoppers

Journal of Consumer Marketing

An exploration of the specialization concept within the context of heritage tourism

Journal of Travel Research

Interface between culture and disability in the Tanzanian context

International Journal of Disability, Development and Education

Profiling the nature-based touristA multinomial logit approach

Journal of Travel Research

Congress upbraids ‘cynical’ airlines

Aviation Week and Space Technology

Ecotourists’ motivational and demographic characteristicsA case of north carolina travelers

Journal of Travel Research

Research note
“Ebilities” tourism: an exploratory discussion of the travel needs and motivations of the mobility-disabled¹