The Accessibility of People with Disabilities to the Tourism Activities in Batu City

Abstract

This study aims at identifying the accessibility of people with disabilities to the tourism activities in Batu City. Batu is a city whose tourism industry develops so rapidly that it is called A Tourism City. Despite its multiple artificial and natural tourist sites, Batu City does not provide the accessible infrastructure for people with disabilities. According to the Local Regulation Number 7 Year 2011 about The Urban Planning of Batu City Year 2010-2030, the regulation about the disabled-friendly infrastructure is still minimum. It is only stated in Chapter 10 Section (4) m, explaining that the pedestrian lane is equipped with the walking lane for people with disabilities. However, if we refer to the Local Regulation of East Java Province Number 3 Year 2013 about Security and Service for People with Disabilities, every city/district is obliged to provide the accessible infrastructure for people with disabilities, including the accessible infrastructure in the tourist site. The accessibility is not limited to the walking lane for people with disabilities included in the Local Regulation of Batu City, but it also covers the toilet, parking area, hotel/inn, transportation, and etcetera. Consequently, this study is necessarily carried out due to the fact that the number of people with disabilities in Indonesia is quite many, as many as 37.5 million people (Wirawan, 2015). This study employs the Mix Methods. It is a survey method strengthened by the descriptive qualitative study. The data are obtained by using questionnaire, in-depth interview, observation, and document study. The finding of this study is expected to be able to give an overview about the readiness of Batu City as a Tourism City that is disabled-friendly, thus, it can be used as a basis of fair policy making for all citizens as well as to eradicate the discrimination, particularly in the tourism activities.