Living in an untouchable world: Barriers to recreation and tourism for Portuguese blind people during the COVID-19 pandemic

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic having affected the lives of all citizens, some groups, as people with disabilities (PwD), have felt its effects more intensely, specifically due to social distancing measures adopted. However, PwD are a heterogeneous group and the impacts of COVID-19 are, therefore, experienced differently. Blind people (BP) face considerable challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, since they “access the world” through touch, something strongly discouraged in order to control the spread of the virus. Nevertheless, no studies are known which analyze the constraints experienced by BP during COVID-19 on participating in recreation and tourism activities. To extend knowledge in this field, the intention of this study is to examine the constraints faced by BP during COVID-19 on participation in outdoor recreation and tourism activities and the strategies used to overcome these constraints. A qualitative methodology (in-depth interviews with BP) was used. The results reveal that during the COVID-19 pandemic, BP faced several constraints that made their participation in outdoor recreation and tourism activities difficult. The paper ends with a discussion of the strategies used by BP to overcome these constraints. MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS: Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on the recreation and tourism practices of blind people, and the constraints that they face as a consequence of this pandemic, this study provides relevant implications managers for public and private tourism supply agents. Therefore, managers and planners can use the findings of this study to design strategies to overcome the strong constraints faced by blind people due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to minimize risk exposure and to increase their quality of life. Thus, the type of activities offered and the marketing strategy should be rethought to increase the engagement of blind people in recreation and tourism experiences in an “untouchable world.”