Trunina Irina, Doctor of Economics, Professor, Head of the Department of Tourism, Kremenchuk Mykhailo Ostrohradskiy National University, Kremenchug, Ukraine

ORCID ID: 0000-0002-7416-1830
e-mail: truninairina0@gmail.com

Sosnovska Julia, Master in Tourism, Kremenchuk Mykhailo Ostrohradskiy National University, Kremenchug, Ukraine

ORCID ID: 0000-0002-5134-4036

The State of International Tourism for People with Disabilities in Ukraine

Introduction. In the world, about 23% of the population have different forms of disability. In Ukraine, it is more than 2.6 million people (6.25%). In recent years, the number of disabled people has increased in the international tourist market. The type of tourism that attracts people with disabilities has many names: “inclusive tourism”, “social tourism”, “barrier-free tourism”, “paraturism”, etc, but they all understand the availability of travel as a further integration of persons with disabilities into society. Inclusive tourism in Ukraine is a rather new concept and activity. This is due to a number of problems, both social and economic.

Purpose. The purpose of the work is to identify and analyze the problems of the development of international tourism for people with disabilities in Ukraine, and to develop possible solutions for them.

Results. The article deals with the status of international tourism for people with disabilities in Ukraine. The concept of “disabled person”, “disability” is defined. It has been established that inclusive tourism is a rather new concept and a kind of activity in our country. The functions of tourism for persons with disabilities are considered. The international documents are analyzed and Ukrainian normative acts and laws regulating tourist activity for the disabled are investigated. The European and world experience of tourist industry adaptation for persons with disabilities (on the example of Slovenia, Israel, Spain and the USA) is analyzed. The problems that impede the development of international tourism for people with disabilities in Ukraine are identified and measures are being taken to solve them.

Conclusions. The category of persons with disabilities, although having certain physical and mental disabilities, should not be separated from society, they want to have the opportunity to live, as well as to a healthy person, including to travel and to know the world. Many Western countries highly appreciate the prospects for the development of affordable tourism and are actively working in this direction. In Europe and in the world, a lot of things have been done for a long time to comprehensively integrate people with disabilities into society. What can not be said in full about Ukraine.

Keywords: disability; person with disabilities; international tourism; tourism market; inclusive tourism; barrier-free tourism; accessibility; adaptation; rehabilitation.

References:

1. Leidner, R. (2008). Tourism accessible for all in Europe. Tourism Review. Ethical: Barrier Free Tourism.
2. Sesolkin, A. I., Makhov, A. S. & Chepik, V. D. (2015). Problems of development of inclusive tourism. Uchenyye zapiski universiteta imeni P.F. Lesgafta, 11 (129), 241-
3. Belousova, N. V. (2017). The introduction of inclusive tourism in the social rehabilitation system of Ukraine. Molodyy vchenyy, 14-
4. Belousova, N. (2017). Problems of creating an “accessible environment” for inclusive tourists in Ukraine. Tendentsiyi rozvytku turystychnoyi industriyi v umovakh hlobalizatsiyi [Trends in the development of the tourism industry in a globalizing environment]. Materialy I-oyi Mizhnarodnoyi naukovo-praktychnoyi konferentsiyi [Materials of the I International Scientific and Practical Conference]. Uzhhorod: PP Invazor.
5. Naumenko, L. YU. (2015). Inclusive tourism as a type of rehab: modern needs of the disabled. Ukrayinsʹkyy visnyk medyko-sotsialʹnoyi ekspertyzy, 2, 23-26.
6. Khrushch, YU. M., Ivanova, V. M. & Medvedsʹkyy, R. S. (2017). Tourism for the disabled: modern approaches to the definition of the concept. Naukovyy visnyk Khersonsʹkoho derzhavnoho universytetu. Seriya: Heohrafichni nauky, 6, 206-211.
7. Trunina, I. M., Likhonosova, H. S. & Hrechyshkina, O. O. (2017). Market of tourist services in the conditions of globalization processes. Visnyk KrNU imeni Mykhayla Ostrohradsʹkoho, 6(107), 49-53.
8. International Disability Statistics (2016). Retrieved from http://specialbank.ru/2016/12/23/stats_world [in Russ.].
9. Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (1995). About tourism (Act No. 324/95–VR, September 15). Retrieved from https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/324/95-вр [in Ukrainian].
10. Say, D. (2013). Attitudes towards people with disabilities: People’s Republic of China, Japan and India. Sotsiologiya: teoriya, metody, marketing, 1, 117-
11. International experience in organizing tourism for people with disabilities. Retrieved from https://studbooks.net/693903/turizm/mezhdunarodnyy_opyt_organizatsii_turizma_lyudey_ogranichennymi_vozmozhnostyami [in Russ.].