Inclusion or exclusion: Evaluation of hotel websites from an accessibility perspective

Abstract

This study evaluates the top 100 hotel websites from Web Content Accessibility Guideline 2.0 based on conformance level AA to understand their compliance with the international accessibility standards for disabled people. The study utilizes an automatic online tool - TAW, to check the web accessibility of hotels. The findings demonstrate that the hotel websites have accessibility barriers that prevent disabled people from using the online facility, especially in the guidelines 1.1, 2.4, 4.1, 1.3 and 1.4. Additionally, the study has also discussed various theoretical and practical implications that can help promote inclusive tourism.