Everyone should have equal opportunities to participate, access services and receive the support they need. In tourism, equality means ensuring that services, environments, communication and interactions enable as many people as possible to participate. Accessibility is often associated with the physical environment, but it also involves removing barriers related to seeing, hearing, understanding, communication, services and interaction. In this project, we examine accessibility particularly from the perspectives of mobility, visual and hearing impairments, and neurodiversity. Below, we have compiled key concepts related to equality, accessibility and accessible tourism.
Equality is a fundamental right. Everyone must have equal opportunities to participate in employment and education and to access various services.
Accessibility means an environment, service or activity from which as many barriers as possible to mobility, functioning, seeing, hearing, understanding and communication have been removed. Traditionally, accessibility has been associated with the built environment, but today the concept also covers the accessibility of services, communication and interaction between people.
Digital accessibility means taking all people into account in digital environments, access to information, services, communication and attitudes. In this context, accessibility refers to non-physical matters, such as the digital accessibility of websites, understandable information, service communication and how easily a person can obtain the information they need. In this context, accessibility does not refer to geographical accessibility.
Participation means an individual’s opportunity to live a life that reflects who they are and to decide which activities or services they participate in. Participation also means the opportunity to belong to meaningful communities and groups and to influence matters that are important to them.
Accessible tourism means tourism that is available to everyone and in which customers’ needs are taken into account as well as possible. Everyone should have equal opportunities to travel independently, enjoy experiences and access the services they need and want. Accessible tourism takes into account, for example, the built environment, routes, facilities, signs, services and customer communication.
Physical accessibility refers to the facilities and environments used during a journey. These include buildings, other infrastructure, routes and means of transport. Physically accessible environments serve as many users as possible. In tourism, the equipment used in activities, arrival at the destination and mobility within the destination must also be taken into account.
Accessible communication means that accessibility is also implemented in communication, for example on websites, in travel brochures, on signs and in customer service situations. Communication must be accurate, understandable and considerate of customers’ needs. Accessible communication is closely linked to accessibility.
Social accessibility is related to equality, participation and attitudes. In tourism, it means that everyone has the opportunity to travel and choose the destinations, services and experiences that interest them.
Mobility limitations may affect, for example, wheelchair or rollator users, older people, people with chronic illnesses or people with temporary mobility limitations. In tourism services, supportive solutions include step-free routes, sufficiently wide doorways, accessible toilets, support rails, non-slip floors, clear signs and opportunities to rest along the route.
Visual impairments may affect, for example, mobility, reading signs, perceiving spaces and the sense of safety. In tourism services, solutions that take visual impairments into account include good lighting, clear contrasts, audio guidance, materials produced in Braille, accessible routes and accommodating guide dogs.
Hearing impairments may affect, for example, customer service situations, guided tours, receiving safety instructions and participating in group activities. In tourism services, solutions that take hearing impairments into account include induction loops, accommodating the use of hearing aids, interpretation, subtitles, written instructions and visual signs.
Neuroaccessibility refers to accessibility solutions in environments, services and activities that take neurodiversity into account, particularly people belonging to neurological minorities, such as people with ADHD and autistic people. Neuroaccessibility can take into account, for example, lighting, sounds, smells, the clarity and layout of spaces, predictability, quiet spaces, clear instructions and the possibility of obtaining information about the service in advance. The definition of the concept has not yet been established.
In tourism, accessibility has traditionally been defined through the dimensions of physical, communication, and social accessibility. The figure below summarizes the needs of the project’s target groups from different accessibility perspectives. It is important to understand that accessibility is a holistic concept consisting of multiple interrelated dimensions.
Dimensions of Accessibility and Practical Solutions from the Perspective of the Target Groups (Kilpeläinen et al., 2026)