Open Access
Article
SciPap-1021
Accessible Tourism Development in the Postsoviet Country Context: A Case of KlaipėDa City, Lithuania
by
Goda Sakalauskaitė 1,*, Diana Šaparnienė 2 
and Iveta Reinholde 3
1 Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Recreation and Tourism, Klaipeda University, Herkaus Manto str. 84, Klaipėda LT-92294, Lithuania
2 Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Recreation and Tourism, Klaipeda University, Herkaus Manto str. 84, Klaipėda LT-92294, Lithuania
3 Department of Political Sciences, University of Latvia, Lauvas str. 4, Riga LV-1019, Latvia
* Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract: accessible tourism is one of the scientific tourism studies concern that has been gaining more academic attention due to global demographic changes related to drastically growing disability rates and ageing population. This research took a qualitative approach to investigate accessible tourism situation, trends, and development in a post-Soviet country context. The case of this research – the old-town of Klaipėda city in Lithuania – was chosen for its great tourism potential. Although in the context of strategic planning documents of the Klaipėda city, the old-town is identified as a priority urban development area, the Lithuanian Association of People with Disabilities states that the territory is hardly suitable for people with access needs. Referring to qualitative methodological triangulation (document analysis, observation method applying photography method and semi-structured interview) and data content analysis, the authors examined the situation of tourism accessibility using I. Ambrose’s accessible tourism supply chain model, based on analysis of transport, information, services and infrastructure dimensions.
Keywords: Accessible Tourism, Accessibility, Accessibility Needs, Disability, Klaipėda
JEL classification: Z32 - Tourism and Development, Z39 - Other
SciPap 2020, 28(1), 1021
Received: 10 October 2019 / Accepted: 29 April 2020 / Published: 30 April 2020
