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Tourist facilities for disabled people on the French Riviera: a strategic model of the controversial plans to develop the seafront areas

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Abstract

Faced with a growing demand from the disabled community in Europe and encouraged by new regulations regarding people with disabilities, the French Riviera has joined an initiative which makes its seaside facilities more accessible. Adapted amenities are consequently currently available on the French Riviera. A survey carried out of 20 seaside tourism professionals and representatives of local institutions aimed to understand the underpinning strategies of these developments, which are very heterogeneous as regards their size, their localization, and their level of service. On the whole, it seems that on the French Riviera the services offered to disabled tourists are the product of a mixture of willingness and obligation by the regulations. Disabled people are not yet considered as real clients but as a separate population, not to be mixed with the able-bodied holiday clientele.

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Notes

  1. Disability Discrimination Act

  2. Tourists centers (Menton and Roquebrune Cap Martin), Exhibitions and convention centers (Cannes and Nice), hotels (Cannes and Cagnes sur Mer), 1 campsite (Cagnes-sur-Mer), 1 apartment-hotel (Théoule-sur-mer), 1 garden (Roquebrune Cap Martin)

  3. Phone interview realized on June 25th, 2008

  4. Urban continuum of some several tens of hundreds of kilometres.

  5. The Conservatoire du Littoral, the official name of the Academy of the littoral space and lakeside banks. Created in 1975, this French public institution is a member of the World Union for the Nature (UICN). It leads a land policy aiming at the definitive protection of natural spaces and landscapes on the French maritime and lakeside banks.

  6. Interview with the president of the association “Tourism and handicap”, in 2007 and 2008.

  7. System allowing people in wheelchairs to reach the sea without danger.

  8. Nice-Matin, June 17th, 2008, p. 16

  9. Cannes possesses two tourist facilities with the label Tourism and handicap: the Palais des festivals (conference hall) and a hotel.

  10. The Nice conference hall and exhibitions are the only equipment in the French Riviera’s capital to possess the label Tourism and handicap.

  11. Report from the technical seminar “Accessibility for all ” - October 25th, 2007 - Nice - Regional Committee of the Tourism Riviera Côte d’Azur.

  12. Report from the technical seminar “Accessibility for all” already quoted.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, Planning and Environment, University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis, UMR 6012 Espace - GVE Tourism / URE Lamhes - Health Education by Physical Activity, Nice, France

    Sylvie Christofle

  2. Department of Physical Activities, Recreation and Health Resources, University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis, UMR 6012 Espace - GVE Tourism / URE Lamhes - Health Education by Physical Activity, Nice, France

    Bernard Massiera

Authors
  1. Sylvie Christofle
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  2. Bernard Massiera
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Correspondence to Sylvie Christofle.

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Christofle, S., Massiera, B. Tourist facilities for disabled people on the French Riviera: a strategic model of the controversial plans to develop the seafront areas. J Coast Conserv 13, 97–107 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-009-0059-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-009-0059-6

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