IN FOCUS ICONS OF INCLUSION A swimming pool hoist can transform a customer’s hotel stay
Caribbean. “Our owner is a paraplegic, and he was heavily involved in the design of all our resorts, ensuring that the luxury aesthetic is never compromised,” says chief marketing officer Henny Frazer. “Pool hoists are also available, and modifications are made in any space that isn’t fully accessible by default. We always think how we can make each guest’s experience joyful, so the design of each resort has always been through our owner’s eyes.”
Challenges to overcome Of course, major issues remain. While some brands are getting it right, others are lagging behind. Airlines and transfer services are often cited as poorly serviced sectors, but Pearson says a major problem also lies in properties not being able to hold accessible rooms – a major roadblock for those travelling with disabilities. Kirby claims many hotels simply don’t
have enough adaptive rooms to start with. “The difficulty sometimes is that, country to country, it’s different,” he says.
“Legislation in some destinations means you only have to have one adaptive room in your hotel and so sometimes it’s more of a box-ticking exercise rather than actually in consideration of the customer.” But demand is growing. Kirby says Enable Holidays has seen a rise in younger people using its services and describes the demographic as a “big growth opportunity” for the trade. Inclu co-founder and chief executive Richard Thompson says the disabled community is “almost certainly the last major untapped market”, adding that to deny or impede them of their right to travel is both “morally unjust and, commercially, a huge missed opportunity”. TV host and disability advocate Sophie
Morgan says an investment in inclusion would have benefits for all. “We think of accessible travel and our mind immediately springs to all of the ways in which it’s niche and catering for specific types of people and that there’s not that many of us,” she says. “But the reality is accessible travel, if done right, benefits absolutely everyone.”
Accessible travel will form one of the themes of discussion at the inaugural Icons of Inclusion, an educational and networking event with a focus on diversity and inclusion in tourism. The event, hosted by OutThere magazine, will be held on March 18 at London’s The Dorchester hotel, with Aspire as trade media partner. Uwern Jong, editor of OutThere, said: “It’s unwise and impossible to ignore the need for greater accessibility for travellers with physical or cognitive disabilities when it comes to your DEAI (diversity, equality, accessibility and inclusion) credentials. Not only is being able to work with, accommodate and – most importantly – celebrate disabled travellers good for your brand, it is also good for business. Disabled travellers, and their travelling party, are an important and RTQƂVCDNG EQPUWOGT YKVJ URGEKƂE requirements who are wholly underserved by the industry at large. There is a desperate need HQT GFWECVKQP KP VJKU ƂGNF YJKEJ is why at Icons of Inclusion we will highlight this subject with expert speakers. The bonus? It’s free for the travel trade to attend and learn about how you can succeed in
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Uwern Jong
XXX
aspiretravelclub.co.uk
JANUARY 2024 ASPIRE 31
CREDITS: Shutterstock/Eleonora_os, Hernan E Schmidt; Àni Private Resorts
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