Problems and Challenges of Prospective Accessible Heritage Tourism in Alexandria

Document Type : Original Research Articles

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Abstract

Accessible tourism is about making it easy for everyone to enjoy tourism experiences. Evidence shows that making basic adjustments to a facility, providing accurate information, and understanding the needs of disabled people can result in increased visitor numbers as well as improving the quality of life in local communities.
This paper aims to study the accessibility problems and challenges which prevent the improvement of this kind of tourism at some selected famous ancient sites in Alexandria. The accessibility challenges included multi-plinth levels within monuments, stepped access to reach important areas of tourist interest, lack of accessible amenities and facilities, untrained staff, community awareness and a resistance by the heritage conservation professionals to make changes in the built environment. It would be a necessary to strike a balance between the strict conservation norms and the needs of incorporating accessibility to make the sites “visitable” by all. Making heritage available for future generations is the core purpose behind sustainable conservation practices, which should include the participation of people from all ages and abilities. It is important to remember that people are not disabled; rather, it is poorly designed environments that create barriers which disable people. Furthermore, the sustainability benefits of achieving heritage accessibility is not only in the cultural domain, but environmental and economic as well. 
May this study of Accessible Heritage could be a start to help make Egypt’s history and heritage accessible for people of all abilities for both international and domestic tourists.

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