Accessibility and Inclusion of People with Disabilities in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry Within the Fourth Industrial Revolution: A Review

The high levels of inequality and lack of access for older people and those with disabilities in the tourism and hospitality industry warrant consideration of how to make the industry more accessible and inclusive, harnessing the potential of the fourth industrial revolution. The advent of the fourth industrial revolution in 2016 brought with it the hope that the industry can be made more accessible and inclusive for those with different types of incapacities to enjoy the industry’s products and services in various destinations around the world. This chapter explores how the tourism and hospitality sector can promote inclusion and accessibility for older people and people with disabilities. This chapter adopted the review of available literature on accessibility and inclusion as the methodology and examined the seven components of Scheyvens and Biddulph’s (2018) conceptual framework for inclusive tourism development. Only the literature on accessibility and inclusion of people with disabilities in the tourism and hospitality industry was reviewed, together with the conceptual framework for inclusive tourism development as assessed by various authors. The results show challenges for inclusion and accessibility in the tourism and hospitality sector. It is recommended that the fourth industrial revolution be used to revolutionise the tourism and hospitality sector and expand access and inclusion for older people and people with disabilities.