SETTING WHEELS IN MOTION…
Travel has a long way to go to make itself more accessible. Dave Richardson previews today’s conference session on accessible travel, which will address the challenge
W
hat do you think of when the subject of accessible travel –
or travel for the disabled – is mentioned? Probably people in wheelchairs and their carers as well as some of the more specialised businesses that have grown up to serve them. But this view will be challenged
today during Tourism for All: the business case for inclusive tourism, when speakers – including a wheelchair user and another who is blind – will argue the worldwide tourism industry isn’t doing nearly enough to serve disabled travellers, therefore missing out on a large and loyal market as a result. One misconception is all
disabled people are wheelchair users, when many may not seem to have any disability at all. Another is disabled people want to go on holiday with other disabled people, when many do not. The afternoon session will be moderated by WTM London’s responsible tourism adviser, Harold Goodwin, who is managing director of the Responsible Tourism Partnership. He was also a co- founder of UK agency Responsible Travel, which has drawn up a 10-point checklist on how to serve this market (see panel, right). “There are a lot more dimensions to this than how airlines and airports handle disabled passengers, or whether hotel bathrooms are wheelchair friendly,” says Goodwin. “We also need to address
affordability. We need to create more opportunities for families including a disabled traveller to go on holiday together,
46 WTM OFFICIAL EVENT DAILY 04.11.2019
“Phrases like ‘wheelchair accessible’ mean
absolutely nothing; disabled
people need certainties”
like a resort in Brazil that has made everything accessible either for wheelchairs or children’s pushchairs. “Equal access to travel and
tourism is a myth. On average, adults with a disability travel just over half the distance per person per year travelled by adults without a disability.”
POWERFUL POTENTIAL One of the main speakers today is Fiona Jarvis, who set up UK company Blue Badge Style in 2007 after becoming disabled herself. Her approach is people don’t lose their sense of style or love of fine food or exotic destinations just because they have become disabled. The company’s Blue Badge Access Awards celebrates hotels, restaurants,
bars and other providers of visitor services that have fully recognised the commercial opportunities for them in catering for this growing market. Jarvis’s research indicates the
European market for accessible tourism is worth €394 billion and supports 8.7 million jobs in the European economy. But only 9% of the infrastructure is accessible, so this is a major lost opportunity. “A survey we carried out found 90% of people expected to find accessibility information on a venue’s website, but only 12% found any,” adds Jarvis. “80% said they’d be more likely to visit if there was credible information on accessibility, but there is no confidence in the information that is displayed.” In the US there are an estimated
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