Exploring the barriers and constraints of families travelling with children on the ASD: Proyecto Alas para el Autismo y Alojamiento

Abstract

The past year 2016, the World Tourism Organization dedicated the year to work for a more accessible tourism for all. Consequently, we found important to understand the barriers and constraints that families with children on the ASD have when staying in hotels. As a spectrum, the needs of this market segments are non-homogeneous, but nevertheless, they present some common problems during their stays. This paper completes the literature on accessible tourism with a focus on how to make hotel stays more accessible to individuals who present a disorder within the Autist Spectrum and to their families. To this aim, mobile ethnography tools and in-depth interviews were used to better understand the experiences they had during stays in hospitality properties, as well as recommendations on which strategies to follow to make travelling with children on the ASD easier and more enjoyable for both parties. Finally, a series of recommendations where given to academic institutions, hospitality industry and families