Tourism for all: Accessibility and social inclusion in Brazil ”“ the case of Socorro (São Paulo State) tourism destination

Abstract

The article reflects about the relationship between accessibility and social inclusion for people with disabilities (PWD) ”“ people with physical, intellectual or sensory impairments and senior people ”“ through tourism. Brazilian tourism industry is preparing for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The paper analyses the case of Socorro, a tourist destination 130 km far from São Paulo City (capital of São Paulo State). Socorro has been recognized as having multiple initiatives in accessible and inclusive tourism focused on PWD as tourists, public infrastructure and hospitality organizations adapted to this segment. These organizations also search for the economic insertion and social inclusion of PWD as employees. The results show that comparing with Brazilian and International accessibility legal requirements/guidelines Socorro can be visualized as a reference destination although it has improvements to enhance.