Determining products for disabled individuals in tourism destinations

The aim of this study is to determine the present regulations that disabled individuals may encounter during their journeys and to enable them to travel in better conditions by stating what is required to accomplish this purpose. A project of a model for touristic products in order to increase the number of disabled tourists and practise a non-disabled tourism has been suggested.The population of the study is based on the touristic destinations that domestic and foreign visitors demand, and the itineraries they make use of. The sample is formed by the destinations in the Aegean and the Marmara Regions that hosts visitors between itineraries in Istanbul and Pamukkale. The techniques of interviewing and observation have been utilized. In the study, 37 hotels and 24 tourist attractions have been included.According to the results of the study, it is observed that there are quite a few restricting factors that the disabled tourists may encounter. The regulations aimed at the disabled have been examined and some actions have been set to be taken. Some suggestions have been made in the services for the disabled in order to facilitate their participation into tourism. It has been revealed that one disabled tourist has been benefited at least once by the hotels, restaurants, and tourist attractions in the research area. Furthermore, within the law, hotels must have 1% in the number of their room capacity for the disabled tourists, thus the hotels in the research area have at least one room for disabled tourists.This study claims that in spite of the inadequate regulations, it is possible to provide services to disabled tourists in the research area. In terms of the touristic attractions, Izmir is determined as a location where disabled tourists are less likely to face difficulties while travelling, and it has different type of services for different disability groups.Key Words: Tourism, Disability, Disabled Tourism, Regulations Aimed at Disabled Individuals.