The Covid-19 certificate: consequences on accessibility in the context of inclusive leisure

ABSTRACT One of the prerequisites for the resurgence of the leisure and tourism sector in France, as in other countries, is the adoption of verification documents known as “Covid-19 Certificate” However, this introduction is widely debated. In an endeavor to inclusiveness, given the rejection of the use of this certificate among certain individuals, this exploratory study examines the impact of the Covid-19 certificate requirement on access to leisure. A sequential mixed-methods exploratory design was used to conduct two interrelated studies using data from a netnography (n = 250 online comments), and surveys among concerned subjects (n = 245 participants). First, six hypotheses are proposed to explain the causes of refusal. These hypotheses are tested and validated using SEM, and the results show that the requirement of the Covid-19 certificate to access leisure services places a part of the population at a disadvantage, leading to exclusion. The introduction of the Covid-19 certificate, poses a new challenge for the inclusive society. In the context of leisure, the results obtained allow to point out the constraints of participation related to the use of the Covid-19 certificate and can thus be useful to guide management strategies in an exceptional situation.