Strategic hotel management for inclusive tourism: improving accessibility, service quality, and competitive advantage

Inclusive tourism represents a significant shift in hospitality management, one that requires the strategic integration of accessibility, service excellence, and competitive positioning. This conceptual study examines how hotel firms may cultivate enduring competitive advantages through inclusive practices that serve a broad range of visitor groups, including travelers with disabilities, senior travelers, families with young children, and culturally diverse guests. Drawing on strategic management theory, service quality frameworks, and disability studies, the paper develops an Inclusive Tourism Strategic Framework (ITSF) that connects accessibility management, service quality enhancement, and competitive strategy. The framework is constructed through a narrative review and theory-building synthesis of existing literature rather than through original empirical data. The analysis argues that inclusive tourism practices can generate several streams of value, including market expansion, brand strengthening, regulatory compliance, innovation, and sustained competitive advantage. The paper systematically examines accessibility management across physical, service, communication, and attitudinal dimensions; service quality enhancement through an adapted SERVQUAL model; and the mechanisms through which competitive advantage may be generated. It contends that inclusion is a strategic imperative rather than solely a social responsibility, and it offers conceptual guidance for hotel managers, policymakers, and tourism educators. The paper proposes that hotels which develop strong inclusive tourism capabilities are likely to achieve higher guest satisfaction, greater employee engagement, stronger stakeholder relationships, and improved financial performance, and it sets out a series of propositions to guide future empirical testing. The study contributes to hotel management literature by synthesizing previously separate theoretical perspectives into a unified strategic framework while offering practical guidance for industry professionals.

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