Directions of Forming a Barrier-Free Environment in Tourism for People With Disabilities: Theoretical Aspects

ABSTRACT. In the conditions of military aggression against Ukraine by Russia, Ukrainian society not only did not lose its social orientation, but on the contrary, focused attention on the prospects of a humane, socially oriented society. Providing a barrier-free environment for people with disabilities in tourism is a marker of the social development of society and is related to the prospects of the country's economic development. People with disabilities and their family members, guardians and others are concerned about the problems and tasks faced by Ukrainian society. Solving these problems was limited due to the state's financial problems. In connection with the increase of people with disabilities due to war and environmental problems, progress in the activation of social orientation and the development of inclusiveness of communities, Ukraine's accession to the EU - the question of the possibilities of people with disabilities to lead an active social and productive life is being updated. That is why the issue of creating a barrier-free environment in tourism, as one of the directions of social and physical rehabilitation and ensuring the normal life of people with disabilities, cannot be ignored. Research methodology. To achieve the set goal, research and analysis of Ukrainian and foreign scientific literature, including authors from the countries of the EU, the United States, and Japan, was carried out. The main differences in the definition of concepts have been identified, the information obtained has been summarized and the directions for further research have been identified. The results. In the article, the main approaches to the definition of synonymous concepts «barrier-free tourism» are analyzed. The similarity, but not the identity, of the trmins is determined. The main problems and barriers that people with disabilities face due to the lack of a complex approach to solving an actual problem have been identified. Scientific novelty. On the basis of the study of the definition of the concept of «tourism for people with disabilities», the definition of the concept of «barrier-free tourism» is given. The рractical significance. The presented study offers a complex approach to solving the problem of implementing complex accessibility of a barrier-free tourist environment with an emphasis on web, Internet, and software accessibility for people with disabilities.