An effort to develop accessible tourism in Greece and Turkey: the MEDRA project approach
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop accessible tourism in two areas of Greece and Turkey. The areas of Drama in Greece and Mersin in Turkey have cooperated in the frame of MEDRA project to assess their potential and set up a plan for developing accessible tourism. Design/methodology/ap...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Emerald Publishing
2016-03-01
|
| Series: | Journal of Tourism Futures |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1108/JTF-03-2015-0009 |
| _version_ | 1811187569146200064 |
|---|---|
| author | Aristotelis Naniopoulos Panagiotis Tsalis Dimitrios Nalmpantis |
| author_facet | Aristotelis Naniopoulos Panagiotis Tsalis Dimitrios Nalmpantis |
| author_sort | Aristotelis Naniopoulos |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop accessible tourism in two areas of Greece and Turkey. The areas of Drama in Greece and Mersin in Turkey have cooperated in the frame of MEDRA project to assess their potential and set up a plan for developing accessible tourism. Design/methodology/approach – The choice of the two areas was not random. Mersin currently enjoys continuous development, as one of Turkey’s biggest ports and a free trade zone. Drama is a developing area in agricultural manufacturing and high-tech sectors with a rich physical environment which aspires to develop a healthy alternative tourism industry. Findings – The findings include, amongst others, the identification of needs of tourists with disabilities, and the relevant historical evolution, legislative framework, international good practices, policy-improvement proposals, accessibility assessment in Mersin and Drama, and suggestions for developing accessible infrastructure together with the training of stakeholders. Practical implications – Greece although made a lot of progress regarding the issues of disability and accessibility still is not on the same level as many European countries, while Turkey has a lot to learn in order to deal with accessibility from a holistic point of view. Social implications – Both countries owe a large percentage of their national income, to the tourist industry and seek ways to gain advantages in this highly competitive sector. Originality/value – The successful implementation of the MEDRA project constitutes an example worthy of a wider application in the development of accessible tourism, not only in the two countries but also to countries with similar characteristics. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T14:04:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2cf93885061741b99d3e3449fa3472f9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2055-5911 2055-592X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T14:04:35Z |
| publishDate | 2016-03-01 |
| publisher | Emerald Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Tourism Futures |
| spelling | doaj.art-2cf93885061741b99d3e3449fa3472f92022-12-22T04:19:55ZengEmerald PublishingJournal of Tourism Futures2055-59112055-592X2016-03-0121567010.1108/JTF-03-2015-0009An effort to develop accessible tourism in Greece and Turkey: the MEDRA project approachAristotelis Naniopoulos0Panagiotis Tsalis1Dimitrios Nalmpantis2Transport Systems Research Group, Faculty of Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GreeceTransport Systems Research Group, Faculty of Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GreeceTransport Systems Research Group, Faculty of Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GreecePurpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop accessible tourism in two areas of Greece and Turkey. The areas of Drama in Greece and Mersin in Turkey have cooperated in the frame of MEDRA project to assess their potential and set up a plan for developing accessible tourism. Design/methodology/approach – The choice of the two areas was not random. Mersin currently enjoys continuous development, as one of Turkey’s biggest ports and a free trade zone. Drama is a developing area in agricultural manufacturing and high-tech sectors with a rich physical environment which aspires to develop a healthy alternative tourism industry. Findings – The findings include, amongst others, the identification of needs of tourists with disabilities, and the relevant historical evolution, legislative framework, international good practices, policy-improvement proposals, accessibility assessment in Mersin and Drama, and suggestions for developing accessible infrastructure together with the training of stakeholders. Practical implications – Greece although made a lot of progress regarding the issues of disability and accessibility still is not on the same level as many European countries, while Turkey has a lot to learn in order to deal with accessibility from a holistic point of view. Social implications – Both countries owe a large percentage of their national income, to the tourist industry and seek ways to gain advantages in this highly competitive sector. Originality/value – The successful implementation of the MEDRA project constitutes an example worthy of a wider application in the development of accessible tourism, not only in the two countries but also to countries with similar characteristics.https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1108/JTF-03-2015-0009GreeceDisabilityTurkeyQualitative researchAccessible tourismMEDRA |
| spellingShingle | Aristotelis Naniopoulos Panagiotis Tsalis Dimitrios Nalmpantis An effort to develop accessible tourism in Greece and Turkey: the MEDRA project approach Journal of Tourism Futures Greece Disability Turkey Qualitative research Accessible tourism MEDRA |
| title | An effort to develop accessible tourism in Greece and Turkey: the MEDRA project approach |
| title_full | An effort to develop accessible tourism in Greece and Turkey: the MEDRA project approach |
| title_fullStr | An effort to develop accessible tourism in Greece and Turkey: the MEDRA project approach |
| title_full_unstemmed | An effort to develop accessible tourism in Greece and Turkey: the MEDRA project approach |
| title_short | An effort to develop accessible tourism in Greece and Turkey: the MEDRA project approach |
| title_sort | effort to develop accessible tourism in greece and turkey the medra project approach |
| topic | Greece Disability Turkey Qualitative research Accessible tourism MEDRA |
| url | https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1108/JTF-03-2015-0009 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT aristotelisnaniopoulos anefforttodevelopaccessibletourismingreeceandturkeythemedraprojectapproach AT panagiotistsalis anefforttodevelopaccessibletourismingreeceandturkeythemedraprojectapproach AT dimitriosnalmpantis anefforttodevelopaccessibletourismingreeceandturkeythemedraprojectapproach AT aristotelisnaniopoulos efforttodevelopaccessibletourismingreeceandturkeythemedraprojectapproach AT panagiotistsalis efforttodevelopaccessibletourismingreeceandturkeythemedraprojectapproach AT dimitriosnalmpantis efforttodevelopaccessibletourismingreeceandturkeythemedraprojectapproach |