Smart Tourism Destinations from the Perspective of Travelers with Disability

Abstract

This study elaborates a theoretical structure regarding the drivers of well-being and the conditions under which it is achieved by travelers with disabilities (TwDs) in a smart tourism destination (STD). The grounded theory was applied in the research. The focused coding revealed 65 codes distributed among 14 categories. The correlation among them established the theoretical code with the dimensions of the STD, their consequences, the drivers of well-being, and the moderating conditions of smart tourism experiences (STEs). The results showed that the STD generates trust, safety and autonomy in the TwDs, supporting the overcoming of physical and social barriers and favoring their well-being. The theoretical structure exposed relations that can be tested in future researches and focused codes that support the elaboration of items that can be used to measure the categories. The proposed model provides managers and policymakers with information to better welcome TwDs.

Keywords

• smart tourism destinations
• smart tourism experience
• travelers with disabilities
• grounded theory
• theoretical coding