What Is Leading Destinations Towards Inclusivity? Analysis of Accessible Tourism Drivers from a Stakeholders’ Perspective

This research examines the factors driving the development of accessibility in tourist destinations and interprets them within the Weber’s theoretical framework on types of rationality. To do so, a Stakeholder Analysis with the testimony of accessible tourism stakeholders has been conducted by means of 83 in-depth interviews. Both formal and substantive rationality play a key role in the development of Accessible Tourism. That is to say, the motivation of the tourism industry towards promoting accessibility is not only economic but also grounded in moral values (substantive rationality). Formal rationality underlies one of the most significant drivers: the certification of a Smart Tourist Destination, as it generates a public–private synergy that significantly drives accessibility. Unlike previous works, this research has unraveled a diversity of explicit and tacit alliances among actors within a “favorable climate” towards accessible tourism, as well as some types of social conflicts that even stimulate its development.