TRAVEL WEEKLY BUSINESS
how they cater for markets such as gay, black and disabled customers. JENNIFER MORRIS reports
ACCOMMODATION: HOTELS SLATED FOR JUST ‘BOX-TICKING’
Travel companies were accused of continuing to treat accommodating those with mobility disabilities as “a box-ticking exercise”. Lynne Kirby, managing director of Enable
Holidays, which was established to provide mainstream trips for people with mobility challenges, said she believed only 20% of companies genuinely accommodated people with special requirements. “Our customers don’t want to be treated
differently, they want to be treated equally,” she said. “The DDA [Disability Discrimination
Act] has made people sit up and think, but I would say that one in 10 hotels has embraced it. The others have got the broom cupboard at the back of the hotel that they give away at the last minute. “It’s not embracing and it’s certainly not
treating people equally. “When I do my hotel audits, I would
say 20% [of mobility-friendly rooms] are standard rooms and 80% are rooms overlooking the car park or facing a wall.” Kirby said she believed the DDA had
failed to inspire understanding. “It’s all box-ticking,” she added. Hoseasons managing director Simon Altham said: “Adapted units can often be very utilitarian. “It’s about educating suppliers. Disabled people don’t want to feel they are being denied what able-bodied people have.” A member of the audience, who regularly holidays with mixed-race children and his
BOYCOTTS: PANEL ADVISES AGAINST SUCH A STRATEGY
Boycotting a country because of how it treats certain groups is not an effective strategy, delegates at the Travel Weekly Business Breakfast heard. The panel was asked by a representative
from Stonewall, which works for equality and justice for gay and bisexual people, whether it was viable for big travel
“Our customers don’t want to be treated differently, they want to be treated equally”
partner, who uses a wheelchair, said: “I don’t want my holidays to be influenced by the lowest common denominator. I support integration, so everyone can go through the front door of a hotel and not have to go through the tradesman’s entrance.” Another attendee explained how her
sister, who has severe disabilities, recently had to get up at 3am to drive to Bristol for an appointment, as there was not a hotel in the vicinity with the necessary facilities able to accommodate her. She said the hotel sector “has such a long
way to go”, adding: “Please can we do more.” Kirby said: “It’s not only about educating people to embrace change, it’s just as important to deliver on all the promises you make.”
companies to use their power to “make a point” in relation to countries such as Jamaica, where certain homosexual acts remain illegal. Sandals, a major operator in the
region, lifted a long-standing ban on bookings by same-sex couples at its Caribbean properties only in 2004. Virgin Holidays managing
director Mark Anderson said: “I have no doubt if we were to start boycotting Jamaica, the people who would suffer most
Matthew Todd (left) and Mark Anderson
EDUCATION: UK MUST TAKE LEAD ON RIGHTS
Forward-thinking countries such as the UK should help educate others on equal rights, according to the European director of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation. Carol Hay wanted to make clear that people
travelling to the Caribbean do not need to state sexual preference on immigration forms. “What people are challenged by is public
displays of affection, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a same-sex or mixed-sex couple,” she said. “Work with us, educate us, so that we –
through examples and best practice in other parts of the world – can catch up.” Virgin Holidays’ Mark Anderson said the
best way of educating the industry was to “nudge” rather than enforce views. “This is also about our suppliers,
governance and tourist boards, and trying to change people’s attitudes and open their minds,” he said. “What we’re trying to do is start getting people to think differently. “Obviously, there’s a huge commercial
imperative to do this, but there’s also a point about challenging the norm. “Some of these norms can be self-perpetuating, until someone says ‘actually, you can do this differently’. But how you do this is critical.” Anderson added: “I’m going to the
Caribbean soon. If I say ‘we are the largest long-haul operator in the Caribbean, you must do as we say’, I’m going to get a polite audience but nothing will change. This is about trying to encourage dialogue, and you do that by opening people’s eyes.”
would be the poorest, and the government would be the last to suffer. “It’s a kind of discrimination against people who are not gay, who want to go there. I don’t think it is effective or the long-term way to operate.” Elizabeth Fox, UK and northern Europe regional director for the Jamaica Tourist Board, said: “It is a homophobic country, but the resorts and travel and hospitality industry are way ahead of the rest of the country.”
25 June 2015 —
travelweekly.co.uk • 71
“If we were to
start boycotting Jamaica, the
poorest would suffer most”
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