Sun and beach tourism, senior citizens and accessibility: a study at the coast of the city of João Pessoa, PB

The public of senior citizens is growing, due to the greater concern with physical and mental health. Tourism is one of the ways through which this group enjoys their free time, especially the Sun and Beach Tourism, which provides them different kinds of activities. This work aims to answer the following research question: How senior -friendly are the beaches of the João Pessoa coast in terms of accessibility? To meet this research objective, bibliographic, documentary and descriptive research were carried out, and a qualitative analysis was conducted, based on field research, on-site observation and the application of a checklist as the methodological procedures. Through the reports obtained from the on-site observations, it was clear that the urban beaches, i.e. those closest to large urban centers, are more accessible than those further away from the urban centers. However, none of the studied beaches fully met the accessibility criteria outlined in NBR9050/2015. As future contributions, an accessibility guide to the main beaches of João Pessoa will be produced, based on the information obtained, in order to provide information on accessibly for interested parties, including visitors, the public sector and the tourist trade.


Applied Tourism
ISSN: 2448-3524 https://siaiap32.univali.br/seer/index.php/ijth/index Introdução Sun and Beach Tourism, according to Brazil (2008), covers tourist activities related to recreation or resting on beaches. It an important segment that attracts a huge number of national and international tourists to Brazil. However, one of the major obstacles to the development of this segment is the lack of accessibility to the tourist attractions, as certain characteristics must be in place in order to provide adequate conditions for visitors to the location.
This study focuses specifically on senior citizens, i.e. those aged sixty years and older, who travel to sun and beach tourism destinations. The interest in this group of visitors is justified by the change in the Brazilian demographic profile in recent decades, with a perceptible increase in the life expectancy of the Brazilian population (Brasil, 2016). This increased life expectancy is due to several factors, such as technological improvements, better living conditions and medical advances, among others.
These improvements have enabled people over sixty to fully enjoy many tourist activities (OLIVEIRA, 2001); however, Evangelista, Brambilla and Vanzella (2019) warn that despite being in good health, elderly visitors require special care and adaptations if they are to have full access to the tourist attractions.
Tourist activities allow the elderly to break out of the routine, get to know new places and new people, and enjoy beneficial experiences that will promote physical and mental health. Thus, many Brazilian regions with tourist potential are sought by this sector of the population. The Northeast of Brazil, due to its warm climate all year round and a extensive coastline, has strong appeal to this customer group, and is the most popular destination for senior travelers (BRAZIL, 2014). The city of João Pessoa benefits from this demand as its coastline makes it an important tourist destination, with beaches of unique beauty, attracting visitors and generating high touristic potential, especially among senior travelers, the emphasis being on Sun and Beach Tourism.
In view of the demographic changes with regard to senior citizens in Brazil and globally, and their impacts on the Sun and Beach Tourism, this work aims to answer the following research question: How senior -friendly are the beaches of the João Pessoa coast in terms of accessibility?
To answer this question, the specific objectives were: to make a list of the beaches of João Pessoa; to draw up and apply a checklist, as a research instrument, to determine the accessibility for senior citizens group to the attractions mentioned in this study; to elaborate a comparative report of the analyzed beaches in terms of senior-friendly accessibility conditions, to create photographic records of the accessibility conditions, and to provide advice where necessary.
The justification for this work is that it introduces important discussions on contemporary themes, such as accessibility and the importance of senior travelers as potential consumers of Sun and Beach Tourism.

THEORETICAL REFERENCE
Demographic changes in a population affect many sectors of society; the increased life expectancy of the Brazilian population has led to several needs that must be met. Population aging and increased life expectancy are issues inherent to the Brazilian scenario, since Brazil, like many countries, has shown a significant growth in the elderly population -defined in the first article of the Statute of the Elderly as comprising people aged sixty years or over (BRASIL, 2014). Supporting this statement, Vanzella (2019) states that by 2030, there will be about 41.5 million Brazilians aged 60 or over, and by 2060 the elderly population may reach 73.5 million.
Although the subject of aging has already been addressed by several studies, changes in the way we view and understand the behavior of so-called senior citizens have demanded further studies, seeking to understand and fulfil the needs of this group, as in addition to living longer, senior Brazilians are also traveling more frequently. Therefore, tourist destinations must improve the quality of their touristic products and services  According to Brasil (2008), tourism is one of the activities most in demand, as a leisure opportunity, among senior citizens. However, among the tourism segments, Sun and Beach Tourism -defined as the Applied Tourism ISSN: 2448-3524 https://siaiap32.univali.br/seer/index.php/ijth/index segment related to entertainment, contemplation or resting on beaches -is sought by the majority of senior travelers, who enjoy the benefits of water, sun and warm weather.
Senior citizens who engage in Sun and Beach Tourism become consistently healthier, allowing them to engage in many tourist activities. However, this group also requires special attention (BRAMBILLA, VANZELLA and BAPTISTA, 2012), particularly when it comes to the accessibility of these locations, one of the major obstacles to the development of this kind of tourism.
According to ABNT (2015), accessibility is understood as the possibility and condition of reaching, perceiving and understanding for the safe and autonomous use of spaces, urban equipment, buildings, means of transportation, as well as other services and facilities open to the public, of public, private or collective use, both in urban and rural areas, by people with disabilities or limited mobility.
Thus, accessibility in tourism means enabling people with disabilities or limited mobility to participate in touristic activities. The offer of hospitality to senior tourists, respecting their wishes and desires in order to exceed their expectations, supports decision-making, since senior citizens establish their own criteria when choosing a tourist destination. Consequently, a destination with good accessibility is more likely to attract senior travelers (RUSCHMANN e SOLHA, 2012) In order to attract senior travelers, tourist destinations must offer infrastructure and organization, and in particular, good accessibility. Therefore, the importance of accessibility management and planning for Sun and Beach Tourism segment should be emphasized. Tourism related sectors of society must conduct studies in order to discover and monitor accessibility actions carried out by tourism localities that offer Sun and Beach Tourism as an attraction, and to define strategies that will enable broader inclusion of all, in the tourist activities of the region.
Public tourism policies must promote tourism development through basic actions for the sector (LOHMANN and PANOSSO, 2012). The basic public policy actions for tourism and accessibility include infrastructure issues, such as non-slip sidewalks without cracks, accessibility ramps with handrails, accessible routes, parking close to routes and in sufficient quantity as established by law, among other aspects. The lack of these aspects to meet the needs of senior traveler may prevent their access, or even result in accidents (MELO, VANZELLA and BRAMBILLA, 2019). This obstacle may, according to , is harmful to the tourism sector, and tourist structures at present do not offer good conditions of accessibility to the community. (SHIMOSAKAI, 2016).

METODOLOGY
This study is characterized as bibliographical, docu- Other complementary activities related to the project were carried out, such as participation in seminars focused on accessibility, which supported the understanding of the studied expression and its scope.
Developing accessibility projects also involves empathy, to better understand the needs, fears, desires and anxieties of the senior travelers, providing more comfort and quality of life through the promotion of a more accessible and personalized kind of tourism designed for this group.
Weekly meetings were held during this research, to check how the research was going, and to ensure it was keeping to the established schedule. The meetings were to provide guidance on written works with a view to their publication at congresses related to Tourism, Aging, senior citizens and accessibility.

RESULTS
The research was conducted from August 1, In order to define the beaches for inclusion in study, the Sun and Beach segment is understood to include maritime, fluvial, lake and artificial beaches. This study considered maritime beaches as "environments bor- The checklist also included a blank space for the researcher's remarks, since the observation technique was very useful. To gather other results, photographic records were also made, to better exemplify the analyses, as a photograph can show the information in a clearer way, supporting the cataloging of the research data. "These records will allow more detailed analyses, as they provide more objectivity and credibility, as an mage provides tangible proof of the existence of a cer-Applied Tourism ISSN: 2448-3524 https://siaiap32.univali.br/seer/index.php/ijth/index with limited mobility; however, the vast majority of tourists do not have access to this information, preventing the engagement of a larger number of senior travelers with limited mobility. b) Bessa: This is one of the largest beaches on the Paraíba coast. It is situated between the Intermares beach, which belongs to the municipality of Cabedelo/PB, and the Manaíra beach, in João Pessoa/PB. As it is in a neighborhood with a many bars, restaurants, drugstores, supermarkets, banks, gas stations, among others, the flow of tourists has increased significantly in the region.
In relation to Sun and Beach Tourism and accessibility for senior citizens, the promenade along Bessa beach has non-slip and anti-vibration paving. It is over 1.20 m wide, but there is no tactile paving (Figure 2: in the appendix) for visually impaired people. There are lowered curbs in some sections with crosswalks, but in other sections, the curbs are irregular, with differences in height of more than 5mm, and unmarked crosswalks.
The area also lacks toilets and tourist information points.
Despite attracting many tourists, the beach has a lack of accessibility, which could cause discomfort to tourists or visitors. c) Manaíra: The visit to Manaíra beach was conducted in two stages, in order to analyze the entire beach. The beach starts at Gameleira Square, where the "Saudação ao sol" (Salute to the Sun) monument, by the sculptor Erickson Britto, is located, and ends just after one of the city's shopping malls located on the sea front. Thus, the beach is situated between Bessa and Tambaú beaches.
Along the Manaíra beach promenade, the paving is non -slip, but vibrates. This can make access a little more difficult for elderly people with limited mobility, whether temporary or permanent, or for wheelchair users or people using crutches or walking sticks. Access to the beach is a major difficulty, due to the presence of steps, which reduces the number of visitors to this beach.
Other negative aspects related to accessibility are the lack of a tourist information point, and the presence of guides for wheelchair users but without any pedestrian which the authors participate as researchers.
The data collection instrument -the checklist (sample in Appendix 1) -included the following items: tourist information points; access related features such as sidewalks, crosswalks, paving, steps, ramps, obsta- To check whether Tambaú beach offers accessibility for the senior people, aspects of accessibility were analyzed. It was noted that the sidewalk is wider than 1.20 m, providing comfort for everyone who walking or performing physical activity, with separate lanes for pedestrians, cyclists, rollerbladers and skateboarders. The surface of the sidewalk surface is in a good state of repair, with non-slip, anti-vibration paving, allowing for safe, comfortable walking. The entire sidewalk line has tactile paving (Figure 4: in the appendix); according to ABNT NBR 9050 (2015), this is paving characterized by a different texture in relation to the adjacent floor, to facilitate movement visually impaired people. In some cases, associated with the tactile paving, there is the hazard warning tactile paving, which signals the existence of an obstacle for sight impaired people.
The crosswalks at Tambaú beach are painted, and in some cases protruding strips were seen, but none of the crosswalks has a lighting system. In regard to signage, there was only indication of accessibility through the international access symbol, with lowered paving and hazard warning tactile paving.
In some cases, there were non-accessible lowered curbs, with differing heights of approximately 5 cm ( Figure 5: in the appendix), making them difficult for persons with disabilities to negotiate. According to ABNT NBR 9050 (2015), differering heights of more than 15 mm should be considered as steps, and indicated as such with signs.
Along the sidewalk there are spaces to access the beach, but these spaces are not considered accessible for senior tourists with limited mobility. There are no accessible steps or ramps in these spaces. It was also seen that tactile paving diverts pedestrians away from obstacles along the access route, following the guide- Applying the checklist, it was found that the beach has no accessibility, as none of the items of the research instrument was seen at the beach. It became quickly apparent that the route to the beach itself is not very accessible, as it is down a bumpy road with lots of potholes and cracks.
A lack of cleanliness was also observed, with garbage bags left lying around, including in the mangrove. Despite its natural beauty, which is much appreciated by tourists and visitors, it cannot be considered accessible for senior citizens due to the lack of minimum conditions that would enable a good experience. g) Barra de Gramame: similar to Praia do Sol, with characteristics that include natural beauty but a lack of infrastructure. This is where the Gramame River meets the sea water, providing a unique landscape.
But despite its picturesque scenery and unique experiences, such as crossing the river to enjoy the local cuisine, kayaking and paddle-boarding, the access route to the beach, and the lack of infrastructure that meets the recommendations of standard ABNT 9050, make this beach an inaccessible tourist attraction for senior citizens and those with disabilities or limited mobility.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS
As an empirical investigation, this study conducted a field research which, according to Kaiser (2006), is an essential stage for analyzing social issues. Based on reports and the field research, this study aims to produce and promote an accessibility guide to the beaches of João Pessoa, in partnership with the Paraíba Tourism Company (PBTUR), which will contain information for all kinds of visitors, but particularly senior citizens and the tourist trade. The guide may be used by tourists and visitors seeking to find out whether a tourist attraction is accessible.
It is hoped that through this survey, the João Pessoa Municipality and the Paraíba State Government, along with the GCET, will be able to find solutions for improvements, observing the following recommendations: Cabo Branco, Bessa, Tambaú, and Manaíra beaches, despite being meeting most of the accessibility items on the checklist, need further structural developments, such as the placement of vertical and ground-level signs for parking of senior citizens and disabled persons, visual and Braille signage, tactile maps, information signs so that everyone can have equal access Applied Tourism ISSN: 2448-3524 https://siaiap32.univali.br/seer/index.php/ijth/index to information, accessible toilets, ramps with suitable inclination, and handrails, thus providing greater safety for disabled and senior citizens. Access ramps to the sea and amphibious chairs for senior and disabled people should also be included. Audible and light signals are needed on the pedestrian crosswalks, and the curb levels should be checked, to ensure they meet ABNT standard NBR 9050/2015.
Regarding the Seixas, Penha, Praia do Sol and Gramame beaches, the implementation of more complex projects is imperative, as they do not have the minimum infrastructure features to offer senior tourists and visitors the necessary autonomy and independence to safely enjoy these beaches.
For Penha beach, we therefore propose the implementation of structural development projects, in particular, the installation of adequate signposting at the main access points, such as the steps, the chapel/ sanctuary, the observation deck, and the road leading to the beach. A tactile map should also be installed.
There is a need for adequate parking for visitors, with places for senior and disabled people, according to ABNT standard NBR 9050, as the current parking spaces are located on a soccer field, and parking near the chapel is disorderly, with the steps making it difficult for cars and pedestrians to circulate. As it is a tourist site, the steps, which are cracked an in a poor state of repair, should be restored to their original form. The observation deck, also one of the most visited spots on Penha beach, also requires investments in the physical structure, to make this environment more attractive and offer better conditions for visitors. The construction of accessible toilets and the implementation of a ramp, with adequate inclination and a handrail, are also necessary.
Regarding Praia do Sol and Barra de Gramame beaches, Sun and Beach Tourism will only be fully enjoyed if public policies are implemented to improve the areas e.g. adequate access routes, signposting, parking for cars, vans and tourist buses, places for storage of garbage to preserve the environment, chemical toilets, access ramp, information points for tourists, and nautical activities in partnership with the private sector, among others. Some of the items on the accessibility checklist were not met, as there are no access ramps for wheelchair users, the parking lot is improvised, and amidst vegetation, there are no specific places for senior or disabled people, and there are information points for tourists with qualified staff to assist visitors.
These beaches therefore require public policies aimed at developing responsible tourism, preserving nature, and offering comfort and safety to tourists, visitors and the local population. Promoting the study of the senior citizens and tourists accessibility in the Sun and Beach segment is, therefore an action that aims to create conditions that will enable senior citizens to take part in tourist activities and, in a broader sense, to be integrated in society, helping them to remain active.
The study enabled students involved in the project, teachers of the Tourism and Hospitality Department (DTH -UFPB), researchers from other institutions, and the community in general to have a perspective focused on the needs of the senior citizens, and a concern for inclusiveness of all kinds of people in tourist activities.

FINAL CONCLUSIONS
Sun and Beach Tourism for the elderly is a market segment that helps increase jobs and provides working conditions, as tourist destinations must offer, in addition to infrastructure and attractions, a range of professionals to properly host, guide and assist visitors. Investing in accessibility for tourists will foster the development of localities. The participation of the local community, the government through public policies, and the private sector, will support the creation of a tourist demand, with the simultaneous consumption of goods and services that does not exclude people, i.e. making the tourist destination viable as a tourist product.
According to Evangelista, Brambilla and Vanzella (2018), accessibility is an interesting topic, not only for disabled people, but for everyone, as anyone can experience mobility difficulties at certain times in their lives.
Hence the importance of considering the needs of all types of users when designing projects related to public policies.
It is important to emphasize the need for public policies to promote accessibility, as tourists may require differentiated assistance. To that end, public agencies and private businesses must comply with a

VERIFICATION CHECKLIST
There is an information point for specific assistance There are trained staff to assist senior tourists on accessibility issues There are plans to train staff of the information regarding quality assistance in accessible tourism?
The facilities meet the accessibility requirements If not, there a project to make facilities accessible The information point at the tourist attraction was designed with accessibility features in mind The tourist information point requires partial adaption The tourism information point has been renovated and now meets the accessibility criteria?

Surfaces are regular
The sidewalk is at least 1.20 m in width There is audible signaling in the traffic light (Button) There is a tactile map The tactile map is properly inclined The tactile map base and height are at least 0.30m high to disabled people

Parking spaces C N/C N/A
There is the minimum number required by law There is a reference module besides the fixed seats of the accessible routes The reference module is located properly, and does not affect free circulation There are accessibility adaptable benches