For information systems to be successful, it is important to involve and consider the perspective of all stakeholders. In the accessible tourism market, higher education institutions (HEI) are a very important stakeholder, playing a major role in training and research. This work intends to explore the information requirements that are most valued by higher education institutions in order to conceptualize a Web-based information system which is capable of promoting more accessible tourism conditions for visitors with disabilities (VwD). To achieving this goal, questionnaires were applied to a sample of students and directors of tourism in HEI. Generally speaking, both groups understood the need for a Web platform and also revealed interest in using it. Regarding information to retrieve from the platform, accessible market characteristics and training opportunities were highlighted, while inputs connected to research sharing were the best regarded. Overall, this work allows a general view of information technologies in education, for the specific case of accessible tourism.

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There is a clear need to address the technological effects of providing conditions for accessibility in tourism. Accessible tourism is becoming very important, and technology may be the tool which will surpass barriers to accessibility in tourism. New information technologies focus not just on the divulgation of information, but also on making sure everything is connected, which in the case of accessible tourism has significant value. Therefore, this chapter aims to share the results of a systematic literature review conducted on the topic of the impact of ICTs on accessible tourism. The research will be done via analysis of a range of bibliometric indicators present in the main academic and research databases. This approach will allow the characterization of the main technologies in the service of accessible tourism and an understanding of how they can enhance the quality of tourism experiences for people with disabilities.

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BACKGROUND: In the tourism industry, people with disabilities (PwD) are frequently excluded from certain activities. The Internet is one of the most used information sources for planning tourism trips. However, the level of accessibility of information disseminated by the tourism industry through websites is still very low. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore the existence of diversity in Web accessibility in the tourism industry. METHODS: A systematic literature review method was used for the identification, selection, and evaluation of the published research on Web accessibility in the tourism industry. A set of 40 papers obtained from relevant scientific databases, and complemented with a snowballing effect, was synthesized and analyzed. RESULTS: Low levels of diversity of Web accessibility were found in the different tourism activities analyzed. The majority of studies published in this field are relatively recent and both manual and automated methods were employed. Web accessibility failures were mainly related to lack of connectivity with assistive technologies, complex layout, and navigation difficulties. CONCLUSION: The results obtained in this systematic literature review provide important contributions to increase knowledge of Web accessibility in the tourism industry. Moreover, practical and theoretical contributions can help Web developers creating more accessible tourism websites.

Accessible tourism is a very important growth market that should not be ignored by the tourism industry, not only due to legal obligations and social responsibility but also because of business opportunities. However, people with special needs face various constraints in accessing tourism products. The absence of accessible information is one of the main barriers that people with special needs face when they intend to travel. The Internet represents one of the most important information sources in tourism. However, a limited number of studies examine the use of the Internet in the accessible tourism market, specifically website accessibility. To extend knowledge in this field, this study aims to analyse the website accessibility of hotels and Pousadas de Portugal located in the Central Region of Portugal. A sample of 306 websites was analysed based on Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, using automatic web diagnostic tools (AccessMonitor and TAW). This analysis was performed considering the A, AA and AAA conformance levels of WCAG. Findings reveal that the web accessibility level of the hotels analysed is low, with the ‘Perceivable’ and ‘Robust’ guidelines being the most critical. Moreover, there are differences in the web accessibility levels in terms of hotel category. Contrary to what was expected, the higher category hotels present the lowest level of web accessibility. These results can help hotel managers and web designers to improve communication with an important growth market – accessible tourism.

This chapter aims to examine internet usage to plan a tourism trip by people with special needs (PwSN), particularly addressing differences in the intensity of internet usage according to their age and education level. To achieve these aims, a survey was applied to a sample of Portuguese people with special needs who have already undertaken tourism trips. Various bivariate statistical tests (chi-square, t test, ANOVA, and Kruskal-Wallis) were used to examine differences in internet usage according to respondents' age and education level. Results obtained reveal that the internet is the most important information source used by PwSN in planning their tourism trips. However, respondents report that they are not very satisfied with the online sources used. Moreover, online sources used to plan tourism activities vary according to PwSNs' age and education level.