Accessible Tourism – understanding blind and vision-impaired tourists’ behaviour towards inclusion

Abstract

Purpose The physiological and psychological issues that limit people with vision impairment make it difficult for them to participate in tourism activities and enjoy the various benefits of tourism. This study aims to construct a theoretical model of the tourism-influencing factors that can lead to problems for people with vision impairment to meet their travel desires and improve their enjoyment of life. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a mixed-methods approach. A theoretical model of the tourism-influencing factors for people with vision impairment was constructed based on grounded theoretical analysis of interviews and was then tested in a quantitative survey. Findings In the first stage, a new theoretical model of the tourism-influencing factors for people with vision impairment was conducted. In the second stage, five research hypotheses arising from the theoretical model were tested in a quantitative survey. The results show that internal psychological perception, perceived behavioural control and perceived social intention have a significant positive impact on the tourism intention behaviour of people with vision impairment. However, subjective norms do not significantly influence the tourism behaviour intention of people with vision impairment. Originality/value The right to tourism should be available to disabled as well as to able-bodied people. Few tourism research studies have focused on people with vision impairment, and the influencing factors on the behaviour of people with vision impairment have not received due attention. This study extends the theoretical model of the theory of planned behaviour and provides a new perspective for understanding the travel behaviour intention of people with vision impairment.