This paper reviews the existing literature concerned with air passengers with specific access requirements, often referred as passengers with disabilities (PwDs) or passengers with reduced mobility (PRMs). While accessibility in air transport is an emerging field of research, the literature lacks a more in-depth understanding of the barriers that air passengers face, which can guide future research and help practitioners in improving the services to this passenger segment. To this end, we conducted a systematic review of 50 peer-reviewed articles to explore how these challenges have been addressed in existing literature. The analysis expanded upon the established primary barrier categories (architectural, transport, communication and information, attitudinal, and technological). Within these categories, novel sub-groups of barriers were identified and proposed. The analysis further revealed the most suggested solutions to overcoming those barriers: i) legal obligations and standard operational procedures; ii) improving airport facilities and services; iii) digitalization of operations and services; iv) recommendations for improving cabin safety and accessibility; and v) training for airport and airline staff. This study emphasizes the importance of gaining a thorough understanding of the challenges faced by PwDs and calls for more collaborative efforts from various stakeholders to enhance the accessibility and inclusivity of air travel.
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Airports look alike all over the world. Schiphol has conformed to the patterns of the airport, but its unique design makes it stand out. The book Megastructure Schiphol looks into the history of the Netherlands’ most famous national airport and its sophisticated appearance.Schiphol has grown in fits and starts as a result of ever-expanding traffic in freight and passengers. The area around Schiphol is constantly evolving, yet there is great consistency in the visual aspect of this airport, which can rightly be called a ‘megastructure’. This is not merely due to the efforts of its designers, who have strived to achieve a spectacular simplicity. Other factors, such as its location in a polder and the local planning culture, have also played a role.In Megastructure Schiphol an analysis of its metamorphoses over the past century demonstrates Schiphol’s unique character and its function as a model for other airports.
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Several western governments have implemented environmental policies which increase the cost of air travel. Such policies aim to reduce the impact of air travel on climate change, but at the same time they restrict tourists in their travels. This study examines the extent to which the average tourist's happiness is affected by 'involuntary green travel', defined as reduced CO 2 emission travel imposed by government regulations. This issue was addressed in a study among 588 Dutch citizens who completed a self-report questionnaire containing questions about their happiness. The strongest determinant of tourists' happiness is freedom in choosing a destination. Any policy measure that interferes with tourists' freedom in destination choice will negatively affect tourists' happiness. Six percent of their happiness is at stake and potentially 17% of all holiday trips are affected. The number of tourists involved is possibly much smaller. The best options for governments are to impose taxes on long-haul destinations, which affect only a small share of all tourists, and air routes which can also be travelled by a variety of alternative modes of transport and thus less limiting to destination choice within this market segment.
In the Netherlands approximately 2 million inhabitants have one or more disabilities. However, just like most people they like to travel and go on holiday.In this project we have explored the customer journey of people with disabilities and their families to understand their challenges and solutions (in preparing) to travel. To get an understanding what ‘all-inclusive’ tourism would mean, this included an analysis of information needs and booking behavior; traveling by train, airplane, boat or car; organizing medical care and; the design of hotels and other accommodations. The outcomes were presented to members of ANVR and NBAV to help them design tourism and hospitality experiences or all.
Het thema duurzaamheid komt steeds prominenter naar voren in onze samenleving (Griggs, 2013). Zo ook binnen de reissector waar het vervuilende effect veelal in de media verschijnt. Dit resulteert in bewustwording, echter is reizen nog nooit eerder zo populair geweest (Vermeulen, 2014); het verandert niet de manier waarop wij boeken. Dreamtraveller beoogt sector en reiziger samen te laten werken en vertegenwoordigt de stem van de bestemmingen die ondergaan aan toerisme. Dit onlinefiltersysteem dat op bestaande boekingswebsites geïnstalleerd kan worden laat de beste keuze binnen de (duurzame)wensen van de reiziger zien. Zo creëer je niet alleen droombestemmingen, maar ook droomreizigers.
The purpose of this project was to create a roadmap with selected mechanisms to assist destination management organisations to optimize the benefits generated by tourism for their destination communities and ensure that it is shared equitably. By providing tools to identify and address inequality in terms of access to the benefits and value tourism generates, it is envisaged that a more equitable tourism model can be implemented leading to the fair distribution of benefits in destination communities, potentially increasing the value for previously excluded or underserved groups. To produce the roadmap, the study team will explore the range of challenges that hinder the equitable distribution of tourism-induced benefits in destinations as well as the enabling factors that influence the extent to which this is achieved. The central question the research team has set out to answer is the following: What does an equitable tourism model look like for destination communities?Societal issueHowever, while those directly involved in tourism will gain the most, the burden of hosting visitors is widely felt by local communities. This imbalance has, unsurprisingly, sparked civil mobilisations and protests in destinations around the world. It’s clear that placemaking and benefit-sharing must be part of the future of destination management to maintain public support. This project addressed issues around equity (environmental, economic, spatial, cultural and tourism experience). In line with the intentions set out in the CELTH Agenda Conscious Destinations.Benefit to societyBased on 25 case studies around 40 mechanisms were identified that can grow or better distribute the value from tourism, so that more people in destination communities benefit. These mechanisms are real-world practices already in use. DMOs and NTOs can consider introducing the mechanisms that best fit their destination context, pulling levers such as: taxes and revenue sharing, business incubation and training, licencing and zoning, community enterprises and volunteering, and product development..This report also outlines a pathway to an Equity-Driven Management (EDM) approach, which is grounded in participatory decision-making principles and aims to create a more equitable tourism system by strengthening the hand of destination governance and retaining control of local resources.Collaborative partnersNBTC, the Travel Foundation, Destination Think, CELTH, ETFI, HZ.
