The Impact of Transportation on Accessible Tourism for Physically Challenged Individuals in Ghana

Abstract

Accessible tourism is a social right that everybody should be able to access despite their circumstances. In Ghana not much is being done to improve accessibility despite its worldwide acceptance. The looked at how accessibility to tourism for people with physical challenged in Ghana is affected by transportation services. The goals to do this are as follows: To evaluate the specific transportation challenges faced by physically challenged individuals when accessing tourist sites and to propose recommendations for im-proving transportation systems and policies to enhance tourism accessibility for physically challenged indi-viduals in Ghana. The study reviewed the Social Model of Disability theory and further discussed concepts related to disability and tourism with support from case studies in Ghana. qualitative method was adopt-ed for data collection and analysis to recover in depth information. The research reviews a lot of signifi-cant challenge which include the absence of transport means which were fitted with ramp and seats thus restricting the disabled from touring on their own. The study also found that access to vehicles going to these tourist locations alone was difficult as the tourism network was not well developed in the country. The study also showed that majority of tourist attractions lacked provision of facilities that were friendly to all arrivals, hence the disabled experienced difficulties and discomfort in movements. The study identi-fied the need for better implementation of the policies that have already been put in place regarding access for physically challenged persons and the provision of services for tourists with disabilities at the sites of tourists’ interest. The finding recommended improved accessibility of public transportation, espe-cially in remote areas, by adding accessible amenities such allocated seating and ramps. Recommending the need for mobility aids and employing qualified personnel to help tourists with mobility impairments at tourism destinations. The study suggested further research to assess the effectiveness of current legal measures aimed at enhancing accessibility in travel, with special emphasis of the practical application and the experience of physically disabled people.