Inclusive tourism: the experiences and expectations of Indonesian wheelchair tourists in nature tourism

ABSTRACT

This study sought to understand the travel experiences and expectations of wheelchair tourists. The increasing demand for wheelchair tourists to visit natural destinations, the barriers while travelling, and the inclusivity of tourism are the main motivations of this study. While previous studies have investigated accessibility in tourism, they have rarely focused on inclusive tourism, especially from wheelchair tourists’ perspective. Driven by social constructivism theory, this research presents the results of the experiences of Indonesian wheelchair tourists in natural destinations by utilising the exclusion-inclusion and critical theory. In this emancipatory disability research, snowball sampling was employed to conduct semi-structured interviews with ten wheelchair users, and the empirical materials were thematically analysed. The findings revealed that participants were excited about travelling, but the barriers made wheelchair tourists more selective in choosing natural destinations. Inclusivity was perceived to be an issue that required the achievement of a cultural shift. While accessibility was deemed necessary, service and concern from tourism providers and other tourists were crucial at the lower experience level during travel. A ‘friend in tourism’ was reported as necessary to push toward inclusivity and equality in the tourism industry to ensure a better future.

KEYWORDS:

• Exclusion-inclusion theory
• critical theory
• nature tourism
• wheelchair tourists
• inclusive tourism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Acknowledgement

Rosliyana Perangin-Angin had the opportunity and support to pursue her doctoral studies through the ASEAN Tourism Research Association (ATRA) scholarship based at Taylor's University. As it is a part of her PhD research, we want to express our gratitude to ASEAN Tourism for supporting her studies.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Rosliyana Perangin-Angin

Rosliyana Perangin-Angin is a Ph.D. Candidate at the School of Hospitality, Tourism and Events, Taylor’s University, Subang Jaya, Malaysia. Her research interest include virtual tourism, destination planning, tourist behavior, marginalized groups, inclusive tourism, and netnography.

Rokhshad Tavakoli

Rokhshad Tavakoli is an Iranian woman who holds a PhD in Tourism and Hospitality Management. She is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Tourism, Sultan Qaboos University, Masqat, Oman. She contributed to two main areas of tourism research – first, gender studies in tourism and tourists' behavior, mainly Muslim women. Second, 2D and 3D social networks, virtual and augmented reality in tourism. She specializes in Ethnography and netnography research approaches.

Camelia Kusumo

Camelia Kusumo is Associate Professor and Director of Postgraduate Programmes at School of Architecture, Building and Design, Taylor’s University, Subang Jaya, Malaysia. Her research interests include sustainable urban design and architecture, social housing and urban heritage. Camelia is the leader for the research group 'Affordable and Livable Asian Cities' and member of the Centre for Research and Innovation in Tourism (CRiT) at Taylor's University. She is also an editorial board member of the Journal of Advances in Civil Engineering and Sustainable Architecture.