Beyond technical website compliance: Identifying and assessing accessible tourism value chain information content on national tourism organisation websites

Abstract

COVID-19 has produced numerous changes in the tourism sector, accelerating the transition to digitally based offers. Today, most tourists use the internet, including people with disability, the elderly, families with children and others with access needs. However, while there have been many studies examining the technical access compliance of websites, there have been no studies that have examined the access information content across the accessible tourism value chain. Thus, the aim of this study is to analyse the access information content provided about the accessible tourism value chain on official national tourism organisation websites. The sample was 198 websites; the findings showed there is a general lack of quality and quantity in the information on the accessible tourism value chain. There were major problems with the visibility, level of detail, correctness and completeness of information. This finding has implications for the appropriateness, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of accessible tourism content offerings for people with disability and others with access needs, and the opportunity generated by the use of online resources and tools for destination regions.