Accessible Tourism Businesses as a Means of Promoting Sustainable Cultural Tourism in Thessaloniki, Greece

Thessaloniki is a city with an important cultural heritage, which is recognized internationally. In addition to the cultural monuments which must be accessible to all, the accessibility of the city’s tourism businesses is also important for the sustainable development of the cultural destination. Accessible tourism has been intensively researched in recent decades, and its relationship to the long-term sustainability of tourism development is well established. In an effort to promote the city’s cultural heritage, a combination of accessible tourist facilities and cultural heritage sites should be offered. The purpose of the present research is to examine the accessibility of tourism businesses, specifically hotels and food and beverage businesses, in Thessaloniki. A quantitative survey was conducted in the area (Ν = 74), where it was found that the tourism businesses are in average condition in terms of their accessibility (Mean score = 2.77 out of 4) and staff training in serving people with disabilities (Mean score = 2.86 out of 5). The areas that need to be improved in order to achieve the goal of accessible cultural development in the city were also identified. The present research is considered to contribute significantly to the development of cultural sustainable tourism in Thessaloniki, as the accessibility of the city’s tourism businesses has not been studied in the past.