MAKING A TOURISM DESTINATION ACCESSIBLE FOR ALL: PERSPECTIVES FROM TOURISM PROFESSIONALS AND NGO MANAGERS - THE CASE OF IZMIR

According to WHO (World Health Organization) 15% of the world population has a sort of disability. The population of the disabled people is increasing due to aging population, wars, disasters and accidents. This situation leads the built environment and transportation accessibility as a basic need. The study has been conducted to identify how accessible tourism activities can be realized in a destination like Izmir, based on the point of view of tourism professionals and NGO’s working on disability. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Data was analyzed according to content analysis technique and classified as measures for accessible tourism destination