Accessible tourism in Romania

Abstract

This paper examines accessible tourism in Romania, Highlighting the country’s shortcomings in supporting wheelchair users. Despite legal protections, disabled individuals face abuse and limited facilities, especially in tourism areas. It reviews Romania attitudes towards disabilities since the communist era and assesses related policies and laws the concept of accessible tourism is explored, noting the lack of clear definition. Key infrastructure issues are analysed with successful modes in Singapore. It also assesses the attitude Romanian has towards disability and compares it to a model in Germany. The paper also addresses the link between tourism development and motivation using Hungary as an example. The conclusion offers recommendations to improve Romania’s accessible tourism through better infrastructure, social attitudes and tourism strategies

Key words : Romania, accessible tourism


Summary

The topic of this conference paper is accessible tourism in Romania, with a focus on it’s current lack of innovation in the subject area. In Romania the topic of disabilities is still considered taboo in some areas, whilst people facing disabilities are protected under the law, they still face challenges in several ways such as: verbal physical and emotional abuse on top of the lack of support within the country, especially within tourist destinations. This report will mainly focus on wheelchair users and the challenges they may encounter when travelling to Romania. The first section of this report will focus upon the views of the Romanian populace when it comes to disabilities. Over the course of Romania's history the views on disability have shifted. Especially after the fall of the communist regime, under whose reign disabled people were viewed with a social stigma of fear and were heavily mistreated. Further into this section the two categories of internal and external obstacles that a person with disabilities deals with will be explained and explored, the policies and laws that Romania has against individuals with disabilities will also be explored. The following section will discuss the concept of accessible tourism by discussing the lack of a proper definition for the type of tourism whilst still explaining what it entails. It will also describe what accessible tourism should include.

The problems and solutions section of this report will highlight some of the most severe problems that Romania has regarding the accommodation of disabilities, and possible solutions for these problems with the use of examples from foreign nations. The problems that will be explored include: the lack of current infrastructure for accommodating disabilities, and how it can impact the safety and overall experience of tourists with mobility issues, with it providing them a challenge at obtaining transportation and accommodation with the proper facilities, this report will analyse Singapore in comparison with Romania when it comes to these challenges and how to effectively solve them; The attitude of Romanians in certain areas and of the Romanian state is often negative when discussing the topic of people with disabilities, however over time a general shift of attitude towards increasing acceptability of those with disabilities has occurred, this report will explore how the attitude of a country towards those suffering with disabilities will affect the health of the that nations tourism industry, with tourists observing how a nations treats its citizens in regard to this issue as well as the degree to which the nation provides accommodations for disabled people, the example used within this section is Germany a comparison to the social stigma surrounding disabled people and the opportunities afforded to them between the two nations are made; Tourist development and motivation to travel, these topics are heavily intertwined, this section of the report will discuss the lack of research in tourism development regarding accessible tourism, due to this lack of research no credible analysis can be conducted within this report, however it is still a vital area of discussion, due to a lack of development in accessible tourism the motivation of tourists to visit Romania will be impeded, the example used within this section is the nation of Hungary with comparisons drawn to Hungary’s adaptation and development of accessible tourism.

The conclusion of this report will provide insight into possible recommendations based on the research and examples provided within this report. These suggestions may help improve Romania’s approach towards accessible tourism with a focus on wheelchair users, with potential improvements within their social attitude, accessible infrastructure, strategy for tourism development and tourist motivations.

References

Dimitrios Buhalis and Darcy, S. (2011). Accessible tourism : concepts and issues. Bristol Channel View Publications Cop.
Goeldner, C.R. and Ritchie, B. (2012). Tourism : principles, practices, philosophies. twelfth ed. Hoboken, Nj: John Wiley & Sons.
Irina, R.C., 2018. The accessibility of persons with disabilities in Romanian tourism. Revista de turism-studii si cercetari in turism, (25).

This detailed virtual conference paper on accessible tourism in Romania provides an in-depth analysis of the country's limitations in accommodating tourists with disabilities. The author has highlighted that the topic of disabilities remains a taboo subject, rooted in historical and social concerns. The study examines Romania's view towards disability which has changed since the fall of the communist regime, during that period, disabled people living in Romania were severely stigmatised and mistreated. Furthermore, the author gives a comprehensive picture of the issues, considering internal and external barriers, and states that cultural stereotypes, lack of awareness as well limited infrastructure and policy enforcement contribute to these issues (Mihaela, et al., 2011). However, despite legal protections, individuals with disabilities still face verbal, physical and mental abuse. The lack of clear definition and understanding on this subject stops the country from creating effective measures for accommodating disabled visitors.

Accessible tourism is defined by Buhalis & Darcy, (2011) additionally, the author listed all the factors necessary to create accessible tourism, including the need for facilities and services that meet the requirements of all visitors, including those with mobility issues, as well as accessible transportation, accommodation and tourist attractions that are designed or adapted to be inclusive. The solutions section not only identifies concerns but also provides solutions to infrastructure issues using a successful model from Singapore additionally the author assesses the country's attitude towards disability and compares it to a model in Germany. The discussion on the development and motivation highlights the need for this study in accessible tourism. Furthermore, the comparison to Hungary demonstrates how the focus and development of this issue could improve, resulting in increased visitor motivation and overall tourism growth.

In conclusion, the paper provides sustainable recommendations for improving Romania’s approach to accessible tourism. By addressing all these issues mentioned by the author such as societal attitudes, infrastructure and encouraging development, Romania can create a more inclusive environment that can benefit both its residents and tourists. The examples from other countries used by the author shred light on successful development which Romania could follow in order to embrace accessibility and diversity in tourism and make the country more appealing to visitors.

Bibliography
Buhalis, D. & Darcy, S., 2011. Accessible tourism: concepts and issues.. Bristol: Channel View Publications.

Mihaela, B. C., Andrea, N. & Viorel, F. A., 2011. THE TOURISM BARRIERS OF THE DISABLED IN ROMANIA. Research paper, 1(1), pp. 201-205.