ABSTRACT:
The presented study explores the relationship between digital accessibility and marketing communication in agritourism, with a specific focus on the websites of agritourism farms in Austria, Slovakia and Czechia. The research is grounded in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 and examines how various accessibility barriers influence the user experience and the overall effectiveness of online marketing efforts. Using AChecker and WAVE evaluation tools, the study systematically analysed selected websites with an emphasis on elements such as contrast, link clarity, and the presence of non-text content. The identified shortcomings were assessed in relation to the four WCAG principles: perceivability, operability, understandability, and robustness. Quantitative analysis revealed that while understandability was mostly fulfilled, the other principles showed significant deficiencies. The most frequent issues included poor contrast, missing alternative texts, unclear link purposes, and insufficient target sizes. These accessibility gaps not only hinder user interaction, particularly for people with disabilities, but also reduce the communicative potential of digital content and limit its marketing reach. The findings underline the need for greater awareness of accessibility standards amongst agritourism service providers. The study concludes with recommendations for the development of unified methodological guidelines, training programmes and support tools to enhance the accessibility and communicative function of agritourism websites.
KEY WORDS:
agritourism, digital accessibility, marketing communication, WCAG 2.1, website usability
DOI: https://doi.org/10.34135/communicationtoday.2025.Vol.16.No.2.8