COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE DEVELOPMENT TRENDS OF BARRIER-FREE TOURISM: INTERNATIONAL AND RUSSIAN PRACTICE

Abstract

Nowadays, the availability of tourism for disabled people has increased significantly. Social tourism is developing dynamically, positioning itself as one of the priority areas in the tourism industry. Special tourist programs are created for people with special needs, which allow them to fully exercise their right to rest and leisure. Today, the problem of developing barrier-free tourism is very important and relevant, since it has a very significant humanitarian component, namely, the life of disabled people in the contemporary world. Owners of hotels, motels, hostels, and other accommodation facilities are interested in this issue since no tourist trip can do without accommodation facilities. In the territory of the Russian Federation, this segment of the hotel services market is the most promising at the moment, because this niche has not yet been filled. This issue is extremely serious, as it is directly related to the physical health, needs, and capabilities of guests. In the present article, the authors consider the conceptual framework that defines the main components and growth areas of barrier-free tourism, as well as analyze the theoretical aspects of the development of this type of tourism and highlight the main development problems and prospects based on study and analysis of the barrier-free tourism promotion practices in several advanced European countries.