Needs, motivations, constraints and benefits of people with disabilities participating in tourism activities: the view of formal caregivers

Although access to leisure is a right for all, people with disabilities (PwD) face great constraints in exercising this right. Using a qualitative approach, this study examines the view of a group of Portuguese social organizations (PSO) that support PwD concerning the needs, motivations and constraints that they face when participating in tourism activities, as well as the benefits obtained through the participation in these activities. The results highlight that PwD are strongly motivated to participate in tourism activities, but they face a great number of constraints (intrapersonal, interpersonal and structural). Moreover, according to the view of PSO, PwD feel the benefits obtained from their participation in tourism activities intensely, which contributes to enhancing their well-being. The paper ends with strategies that should be implemented in tourism destinations to overcome the travel constraints faced by PwD to increase their participation in tourism activities.