The Pillar of Accessibility in the Spanish Smart Tourism Destinations (DTI) Model

Accessibility is a core aspect of the smart tourism destination model, recognizing the need to promote tourism development in the destination pursuant to the principle of universal accessibility, thus improving the tourist experience of all visitors and, at the same time, the quality of life of local residents. This particularly applies to residents who, on account of their age, disability, or other temporary or permanent circumstances, have greater accessibility needs. The chapter begins by offering a review of the concept of tourism accessibility, to then describes how the DTI methodology integrates it into destination management through the pillar of accessibility. This pillar represents a weight of 18% of the model and is articulated through 17 requirements and 43 indicators through which the performance of the destination is evaluated in two areas: Accessibility management and Accessibility implementation. Finally, by areas of action, this chapter details the requirements and indicators of the accessibility pillar together with the main recommendations, linked to each of the areas of the pillar, which are usually made to destinations that are implementing the DTI Model in terms of accessibility.