Evaluating the Importance of a Universal Gender-Neutral Symbol in Tourism and Hospitality: A Quantitative Study of Its Impact on Communication, Inclusivity, and Visitor Experience

This study investigates the development and evaluation of an original universal gender-neutral symbol for application in tourism and hospitality environments. It examines the symbol's perceived communication effectiveness, inclusivity, social acceptance, and potential contribution to visitor experience. The research addresses limitations in conventional gender-based visual communication and explores how an alternative visual representation could support more inclusive communication across culturally and linguistically diverse tourism environments. Drawing on semiotics, inclusive design, gender representation, and visual communication theories, the study focuses on three dimensions: communication effectiveness, inclusivity and acceptance, and visitor experience. An original symbol was independently developed by the researcher and evaluated through a quantitative questionnaire-based investigation. The collected responses were analysed using statistical methods, including descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, correlation analysis, comparative analysis, and regression analysis, as appropriate to the final dataset. The research explores potential applications in hotels, airports, restaurants, accommodation facilities, restroom signage, wayfinding systems, visitor information centres, and digital tourism platforms. The study aims to contribute to academic discussions on inclusive tourism and hospitality by connecting original visual symbol development with empirical investigation. It also identifies opportunities for further cross-cultural validation, accessibility assessment, and real-world implementation. Keywords: Gender-neutral symbol; inclusive tourism; hospitality management; visual communication; inclusive design; visitor experience; semiotics.