Sustainable Accessibility: A Conceptual Framework for Sustainable Destination Development

Accessibility and sustainability have become increasingly important in tourism research and destination development, yet the theoretical position of accessibility within sustainable destination development remains insufficiently defined. This conceptual paper addresses this issue by developing the concept of Sustainable Accessibility. The study draws on an iterative, concept-oriented review and interpretive synthesis of sustainable tourism and accessible/inclusive tourism scholarship, complemented by relevant international policy documents. The literature indicates that accessibility has progressively expanded from barrier removal and individual access requirements towards systemic, destination-level and cross-cutting perspectives. Building on these developments, Sustainable Accessibility is conceptualized as a cross-cutting destination capacity: the ability to embed accessibility principles and practices across destination planning and development in ways that enable equitable participation in tourism and may contribute to environmental, economic, social and cultural sustainability. The proposed framework distinguishes this capacity from the accessibility-related mechanisms through which it is expressed, the potential sustainability pathways associated with these mechanisms, and the enabling and boundary conditions that shape their implementation and implications. It therefore provides an analytical structure for examining how particular accessibility practices may relate to different sustainability objectives and why these relationships may vary across destination contexts. The framework offers a basis for further conceptual refinement and empirical research and can inform more integrated approaches to accessibility in destination policy and practice.