The role of technology in facilitating accessible tourism: a systematic literature review of service access for people with disabilities

Vollständiger Abstract

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Purpose Accessible tourism has become increasingly identified as a right, aligned with the global commitment for inclusion outlined in the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. However, there are still significant barriers preventing people with disabilities from having smooth and inclusive tourism experiences. While technology has much potential to bridge these barriers, there is still a limited understanding of how technology currently develops access to services in accessible tourism. This study aims to conduct a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed articles from relevant research databases to assess the specific technological treatments and how they improve access to services for tourists with disabilities in the tourism industry. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from the Scopus database from 2020 to 2025. Scopus was selected due to its extensive collection of peer-reviewed journals, and it is a multidisciplinary, comprehensive scientific database. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria and after a careful screening of the full text of the remaining articles, the research resulted in 68 articles. Findings The study found that there are six main areas in which technology is being applied for accessible tourism; accommodations/hospitality services, attraction/experience, inclusive policy/decision support tools, travel planning/digital decision tools, information/travel bookings, and ways to find/get around destinations. Technology has helped improve or enhance informational accessibility (e.g. website), physical accessibility (e.g. wheelchairs), communication support (e.g. translation) as well as supporting tourists with their decisions about where to go (e.g. search engines). But the results also showed many significant barriers to a seamless use of all available technology by all interested parties (e.g. poor implementation/compliance with accessibility regulations, lack of accurate information about accessibility, little participation from stakeholders involved in tourism, and uneven access to technology among different parts of the tourism industry). Research limitations/implications Key implications include evidence-informed recommendations for tourism stakeholders, encouragement for user-centred design in technology development, and directions for future research to examine accessibility through regulating technology. Originality/value Unlike previous reviews that have primarily examined accessible tourism from policy, sustainability, destination management, or disability inclusion perspectives, this review places technology at the centre of analysis and provides a comprehensive synthesis of empirical evidence published between 2020 and 2025. By identifying six major domains of technological application and five dimensions through which technology supports accessibility, the review offers an integrated framework for understanding how technological innovations contribute to accessible tourism experiences for people with disabilities.