Is the Turkish tourism industry ready for a disabled customerʹs market?: The views of hotel and travel agency managers

The purpose of this study was to assess the ability of the Turkish tourism industry to meet the needs of disabled people by surveying the views of hotel and travel agency managers in Turkey. To achieve the aim of the study, a questionnaire-type survey was conducted; a total of 252 hotels and 168 travel agencies took part. These questionnaires were sent to managers of hotels and travel agencies by electronic mail. Following completion, the data were statistically evaluated using frequencies, percentages, arithmetic averages and t-tests. As a result of this analysis, a number of conclusions were drawn. First, although this market is new for the Turkish tourism industry, managers of hotel and travel agency sub-sectors are willing to take part in this market. Second, even though the Turkish tourism industry has a number of weaknesses in some areas, the industry will be able to cater for the customers of this market if some improvements are made. On the basis of the findings, a number of recommendations have been made that may be helpful for improving the conditions in the Turkish tourism industry for disabled customers.