Beaches


A wave of accessibility improvements at beaches are making sun and sea easier for wheelchair users to reach. Adam Shaw reports


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here is huge demand for – and potential in – accessible tourism. Around one in five people in the UK have a disability and, according to


VisitBritain, their spending power is more than £15 billion a year for domestic travel alone. Across Europe, the accessible tourism market is projected to generate €88.6 billion in revenue by 2025 – up by 65% since 2005 – according to a study published in the Journal of Tourism Futures. Given these figures, it’s little surprise that beach destinations around the world have been enhancing their efforts to cater for this growing market, installing new ramps and roll-out mats on beaches to offer easier access to the sand, and specialist equipment to help wheelchair users enjoy the water.


WHERE TO BEGIN Lucy Rollason, sales team manager at accessibility experts Limitless Travel, says the best advice she can give to agents selling a beach holiday to a client with accessibility needs is to discuss their specific requirements. “Make sure you ask as many questions as possible about their mobility requirements to find out what they can do independently and what they need support with,” she says. Rollason adds that it is important to fully scope out a beach that claims to be accessible. She explains there are many places that cater for disabled travellers, but it’s the finer points that are important. At Limitless, the team checks the accessible facilities before recommending a place, and they try to make a note of as many details as possible so


² 15 DECEMBER 2022 travelweekly.co.uk


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