Technology for accessible tourism

How to make a husky sledding tour in Beitostølen available to everyone? How to design technology enabling people with visual impairments to experience a dog sledge ride across a frozen lake bathed in silvery moonlight?

In the research project Accessible tourism for inclusion and value creation in rural areas (ACCESSTOUR) we investigate how to develop sustainable and accessible rural communities and nature-based tourism destinations. Tourism that is accessible to different groups including seniors, families with small children and people with disabilities contribute not only to sustainable development of local communities, but also to better quality of life and better public health. This project will explore and test how technology can contribute to increased accessibility of tourist destinations.

New technologies and ways of interaction such as augmented reality and tangible interaction opens for new possibilities. Here, we want to explore if and how such technology can enrich experience of tourists with different disabilities.

The project is a collaboration between research partners, actors in tourism and organisations of disabled people. This Master thesis will be done in the collaboration with SINTEF and Beito Husky and with support of other partners. The student working on the thesis will be a part of a project group at SINTEF.

-> ACCESSTOUR

Useful courses: IN5120 Tangible interaction, IN5530 Research Through Design