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Hospitality Servicescapes Seen by Visually Impaired Travelers

Marketing Places and Spaces

ISBN: 978-1-78441-940-0, eISBN: 978-1-78441-939-4

Publication date: 22 June 2015

Abstract

Tourism and servicescape are usually figuring in the literature as mobile and seeing as a template for all guests. However, mass-customized servicescapes tend to restrict moves and acts of some groups of customers. The purpose of this research is to understand why manmade servicescapes may create barriers and how restricted customers behave. The research gap is addressed through the specific case of how visually impaired persons (VIPs) act and move in hospitality servicescapes. The study emphasizes the importance of spatial approach in service research.

By utilizing a qualitative approach the research employed go-along observation, individual and focus group interviews to elaborate more on how this thesis relates to mainstream tourism. The empirical data were collected during three years in Sweden and Kazakhstan. Fifty-six visually impaired and blind travelers were interviewed and/or observed. Research results demonstrate that hospitality servicescapes restrict acts and moves of visually impaired guests. But VIPs resist constraints by developing different tactics to get expected services.

Keywords

Citation

Raissova, A. (2015), "Hospitality Servicescapes Seen by Visually Impaired Travelers", Marketing Places and Spaces (Advances in Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol. 10), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 107-120. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1871-317320150000010008

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2015 Emerald Group Publishing Limited