Disability, holiday making and the tourism industry in the UK: a preliminary survey

Abstract

The 1995 Disability Discrimination Act has focussed attention on the tourism industry in the UK. More specifically, national tourism agencies are promoting the Act within the context of the economic potential of disabled tourist. This paper, based on a pilot study of disabled people, argues that the needs of the disabled are far more complex than is currently being debated. It also argues for research on the disabled tourist to be part of wider studies of disability that encompass the social model of disability. The findings from the survey also point to close similarities with other studies of marginal tourists, at least in terms of the meanings attached to holidays.