INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO DESIGNING BARRIER-FREE TOURIST ROUTES

Abstract

The relevance of the research: the development of barrier-free tourism in Ukraine gains particular importance in the wartime and post-war period, as the accessibility of tourism infrastructure becomes a tool of social integration, rehabilitation, and restoration of mobility for broad population groups, including veterans, persons with disabilities, and internally displaced people. Subject research: innovative approaches, technologies and managerial solutions for designing barrier-free tourist routes. The purpose of the study is to substantiate modern innovative approaches to the creation of barrier-free tourist routes in Ukraine and to identify practical instruments for their implementation. Research methodology: the study applies a systemic approach, comparative analysis of European practices, elements of project-based methodology, as well as expert evaluation methods and structural-logical modelling. The results of the study: the conceptual foundations of barrier-free tourism have been clarified; existing accessibility barriers in Ukrainian tourist destinations have been identified; the role of digital technologies, local communities and multistakeholder partnerships in creating barrier-free routes has been explored; and an algorithm for their design has been proposed. Practical Significance: the obtained results can be used by local governments, tour operators, excursion bureaus and non-governmental organisations for the development and implementation of barrier-free tourist routes and excursion products. Conclusions: efficient design of barrier-free routes is possible through the integration of innovative technologies, community participation and the adaptation of European accessibility standards. The prospect of further research lie in the development of evaluation criteria for barrierfree routes and the practical testing of the proposed algorithm using specific tourist destinations in Ukraine.