Sections 1- 4 Methodology: Brazilian Study of the Profile of Tourists - People with Disabilities Technical Document - 2013
1. Translation – Sections 1 - 4
Sections 1- 4 Overview of Methodology
Brazilian Study of the Profile of Tourists with Disabilities
Technical Document - 2013
(Original title: Estudo do Perfil de Turistas – Pessoas com Deficiência
Documento Técnico – 2013
Translation by Scott Rains, srains@oco.net
Study of the Profile of Tourists with Disabilities
1. Presentation
Preliminary data from the last (2010) census of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and
Statistics (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística; IBGE) shows that a large
portion of the population has some type of disability. 23.9 % of the Brazilian population
or 45,623,910 (forty five million, six hundred and twenty-three thousand, nine hundred
and ten) persons have least one of the following deficiencies investigated in varying
degrees of severity:
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visual impairment
hearing impairment
motor disability
mental/intellectual disabilities
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was adopted in Brazil through
Legislative Decree No.186/2008 and Decree No. 6.949/2009. It has the legal equivalence
2. of a constitutional amendment. In Article 30 the Convention addresses cultural life,
recreational activities, entertainment and sports and requires States parties to take all
appropriate measures to assure that people with disabilities have access, in terms of equal
opportunities, to locations providing a service or cultural events, such as theaters,
museums, cinemas, libraries and tourism services, and, as far as possible have access to
monuments and sites of national cultural importance.
With this in mind, and taking into account the policy pursued by the Federal Government
to promote the rights of persons with disabilities, the Ministry of Tourism, considering
tourism as a sustainable economic activity with an important role in generating
employment and foreign exchange and providing social inclusion seeks to promote
accessible tourism opening the possibility and condition for people with disabilities or
reduced mobility to access and use safely and autonomously buildings, equipment and
services of tourist interest, and to have access to adequate information about them.
Thus, for the development of an effective policy in the area of accessible and inclusive
tourism, knowledge of the profile of tourists (both current and potential) with disabilities
becomes critical. Based their perceptions of the tourism infrastructure of cities, of the
obstacles that hinder or even prevent their travel, of the needs and expectations
experienced, it will be possible to verify the current status of tourism activity in the realm
of accessibility as well as to contribute to sensitization and awareness of public and
private managers on inclusion of this market.
There is still a dearth of data on the demand profile of people with disabilities and their
consumer behavior as tourists that allows for reliable presentation of current consumer
demand for tourism in this segment, as well as potential demand in the medium and long
term.
This white paper therefore presents the results of the research Study of the Profile of
Tourists with Disabilities, conducted by CP2 Research, during the months of May and
June 2013.
The document is structured in three parts as follows.
Initially, research methodology will be discussed. Next will be a qualitative analysis of
the behavior, habits of consumption, perceptions and expectations of tourists with
disabilities. Finally, conclusions regarding the results of the research as well as references
used for the construction of research tools and subsequent data analysis will be presented.
What follows is the presentation of the scope of the study, its methodology, main findings
and notes, which were organized according to each of the specific objectives present in
the project announcement.
[ 2. ] Background
3. The Multiyear Plan 2012-2015 - Greater Brazil Plan (Plano Plurianual 2012-2015 –
Plano Mais Brasil; PPA) was structured considering innovative public policies that
combined economic growth with reduction in social and regional inequalities. Among the
thematic programs of the PPA involving the social area is the program "Promotion of the
Rights of Persons with Disabilities" (Promoção dos Direitos de Pessoas com
Deficiência), which demonstrates the Federal Government's commitment to the
promotion, protection and defense of rights of people with disabilities.
The Program aims to implement actions aimed at ensuring rights, such as accessibility
and equality of opportunities between people with and without disabilities, as well as
strengthening institutional relationships, the promotion of research and the
systematization of the dissemination of information.
It is noteworthy that travel and full access to tourist activities, services and facilities is a
right enshrined in Article 9 and Article 30 of UN Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities adopted in Brazil by constitutional amendment as equivalent to a
constitutional amendment. Furthermore, to make the facilities and tourist services more
accessible to people with disabilities can represent a great opportunity to attract a greater
number of users/consumers to the tourism sector.
Aware of such a scenario, taking into account the policy pursued by the Federal
Government to promote the rights of persons with disabilities, the Ministry of Tourism
launched the Accessible Tourism Program, in partnership with the Human Rights
Secretariat of the President of the Republic and EMBRATUR (Brazilian Tourist Board or
Brazilian Tourist Institute) considering tourism as a sustainable economic activity with an
important role in employment generation, foreign exchange and social inclusion.
The program constitutes then the accessibility policy of the Ministry of Tourism and
proposes a set of actions to promote safe and autonomous social inclusion and access for
persons with disabilities or reduced mobility to activity tourist.
Thus, as an outcome of the Accessible Tourism Program, this study contributes to the
planning and implementation of plans and projects dealing with accessibility and the
awareness of public and private managers regarding the true needs of the persons with
disabilities and their consequent inclusion in the tourist activity in the country.
3. Our Goals
Our goal is to identify the characteristics, consumer behavior and needs of tourists with
disabilities - (current and potential), knowing their perceptions in relation to
infrastructure and service delivery in cities, the barriers and obstacles to the realization of
travel, their expectations and their reports of positive and negative experiences.
From this information, what is proposed is to disseminate this knowledge to the supply
chain of tourism as a way to raise awareness among public and private managers to adapt
the services offered, considering the needs of people with disabilities, and to adopt
4. measures for compliance with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
regarding the participation of this population in cultural life, recreation, leisure and
sporting activities.
The proposal undertakes therefore to build and format a tool for verifying the current
status of the accessibility of tourism activity and contribute to the planning and
development of public policies, plans and projects related to accessibility and human
rights.
The present study was driven by the following objectives:
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Establish the demand for accessible tourism with a focus on persons with
disabilities.
Evaluate the tendencies of persons with disabilities to travel.
Map out the principle factors present in the leisure travel decision-making as well
as the in the overall tourist experience.
Identify, in a segmented manner (type of disability) the principle needs related to
accessibility of facilities, equipment, services and communication.
Knowing the profile and perceptions of actual and potential tourists with disabilities it is
possible to reason to…
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What is the current status of tourism accessibility?
What public policies, plans and projects regarding accessibility and human rights
can be developed?
The variables analyzed were:
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How is the trip planning done?
What sources of information are used for this?
How often and how regularly is leisure travel carried out?
What is the duration of travel, on average?
Do they usually travel with companions? With whom?
Do they find challenges while traveling? If yes, what are these challenges?
What are the difficulties and barriers encountered?
Do they hire travel service professionals?
Do they use lodging, entertainment and transportation?
What are the levels of satisfaction with the tourist experience?
What type of vacation/travel, what are the tendencies, what is frequency and
destination of travel undertaken and desired by these target groups?
4. METHODOLOGICAL INFORMATION
4.1 Who we Researched
5. Two distinct groups of people with disabilities were surveyed - so-called “real” (actual;
current) tourists and “potential” tourists currently residing in the cities of Belo Horizonte,
São Paulo, Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba.
The “real” tourists are those who have traveled to some Brazilian leisure tourism
destination in the last 12 months.
“Potential” tourists are those who have not traveled in the last year but who intend to
travel for pleasure for any tourist destination in the next 12 months.
4.2 Methodology, Tools and Sample
This research employs a qualitative research technique, using as instruments to collect
primary data both Focus Groups and In-Depth Interviews. Scripts were designed for both
methodologies in order to guide the discussion and allow deepening of the subject.
A Group Discussion is a natural and semi-structured interview guided by a trained
facilitator with a script along with a small group of respondents (the number ranging from
8 to12 people.)
An In-Depth Interview is a semi-structured direct, personal interview guided by a script,
wherein a single respondent is tested by a highly trained interviewer to discover
motivations, beliefs, attitudes and feelings underlying theme study.
Data were collected between May 13 and 20 2013.
Five Focus Groups were conducted in the cities of Belo Horizonte, São Paulo, Porto
Alegre, Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba with “real” tourists with disabilities, i.e., those who
traveled for pleasure to a Brazilian tourist destination in the last 12 months. The Focus
Groups were distributed as follows:
Table 1:
Order
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
Group 5
City
Belo Horizonte
São Paulo
Porto Alegre
Rio de Janeiro
Curitiba
Group Profile
Current Travelers with
Disabilities
(Motor, Auditory, Visual,
Intellectual)
In addition, 20 In-Depth Interviews (Entrevistas em Profundidade; EP’s) were conducted
with tourists classified as potential travelers with disabilities, i.e. those who had not
traveled in the last year but plan to travel to a Brazilian leisure tourism destination in the
next 12 months. Four In-Depth Interviews were carried out for each of the segments
covered by the study resulting in the following profiles of respondents:
6. Table 2:
1 Potential Tourist with a Motor Disability
1 Potential Tourist with a Auditory Disability
1 Potential Tourist with a Visual Disability
1 Potential Tourist with an Intellectual Disability
The dates of the Focus Groups and In-Depth Interviews by region are:
Table 3:
City
Belo Horizonte
São Paulo
Porto Alegre
Rio de Janeiro
Curitiba
Focus Group
5/9/2013
5/14/2013
5/14/2013
5/16/2013
5/1/2013
In-Depth Interview
5/9-10/2013
5/13-14/2013
5/13-14/2013
5/16-17/2013
5/16-17/2013
4.3 Selection of respondents
To select the participants of both Focus Groups and the In-Depth Interviews as well as
seeking an agile workforce and following an established trend in research institutes of
Brazil, in the case of Porto Alegre and Curitiba local recruiters we hired. In other cities,
Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, the recruitment of participants was
conducted by telephone.
This differentiation between recruiters in the cities surveyed was because, initially,
institutions were contacted in each city and these institutions in turn passed along the
names of possible people with disabilities to be interviewed - among these institutions
include APAE 's (Association of Parents and Friends of Exceptional Children) Regional,
Associations, Councils, among others (as can be seen in tables 2 to 6, below, on page 8).
The initial plan was that these institutions would send a list of people interested in
participation and could possibly contribute to the research, i.e., the institution would be
the bridge between the company and the research participant with disabilities.
Each recruiter was responsible for recruiting the Focus Groups and In-Depth interviewees
of a city. So in total five recruiters were hired (three that performed the work via
telephone, at the headquarters of CP2, in Belo Horizonte - Porto Alegre and Curitiba, as
was explained and two others that operated in their respective cities.)
4.4 Training of researchers
7. All professionals hired to perform this study underwent training taught by the Research
Coordinator and the Field Coordinator of CP2 before the start of data collection. This
training was aimed at general training on the standards adopted and also specific training
in research in the area in order to enable them to perform their respective functions in the
field (as recruiters, interviewers, moderators and analysts)
As each of the selected professionals were in a different locality training occurred
individually on April 25 and 26 via Skype. The basic topics covered in this training were:
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The Code of research ethics, in accordance with the standards of ABEP Brazilian Association of Research Companies (Associação Brasileira de
Empresas de Pesquisa) and the International Code of ICC/ESOMAR – the
European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research
General and specific objectives related to research
Profile of the participant demographic of the project
Specifically with recruiters the following topics were discussed:
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Posture expected in the selection and user invitation to participate the Focus
Groups
Reading and understanding the Recruiting Sheet and Invitation Letter
For moderators and interviewers the following topics were covered:
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The approach expected in conducting Focus Groups and In-Depth Interviews
Role-play reading and understanding of the scripts for Focus Groups and InDepth Interviews
Explanation and discussion of the possibilities allowed by the script
Methods to be used to record the Focus Groups and In-Depth Interviews
4.5 Method of Analysis
Analysis was performed using the inductive method, i.e., break down specific cases to
reach general conclusions. That is to say that the discourse produced by each region and
every segment (translator’s note: “disability type”) researched was analyzed separately
in the light of each variable investigated. With this strategy, it was possible to point out
the commonalities in all segments, as well as the specificities of certain regions or
segments
Throughout this document, whenever the terms ”responders” “those researched” or
”persons with disabilities” are employed the reader should consider that it refers all
participants, or, that is, all participants presented similar opinions or behaviors.
8. On the other hand, when a differentiation factor appears in report, there will be the
correct identification of the segment and/or region where this differentiation has
occurred.
In the present study we identified a broad convergence of views and behavior. The
categories covered by the survey behaved quite similarly, and between different types of
disability, only specific demands were identified as differing. On the more general issues
opinions were more similar than differentiated.
Source: pp 5 -15