The travel industry’s changing attitude to disability

Until relatively recently, travel industry provision for disabled people was pretty token: widening a few doorways, installing some ramps, requesting special assistance from an airline.

The travel industry is highly competitive, especially on price, and catering for people with disabilities can be a significant logistical exercise, as well as an expensive investment.

However, increasingly the industry has seen that better catering for disabled people is a win win situation: not only does it enable people with accessibility needs greater choice of where to travel, but also it provides a bigger marketing opportunity. In Europe generally, approximately a fifth of the population has a disability, and doing more than the bare minimum for these people is not only altruistic but can increase profits as people book more holidays with the company catering for their needs rather than those that can’t.

And as disability doesn’t only affect the person, but impacts on the whole family, if one member of the family is excluded on access grounds, the whole family is too.

Disability awareness is increasing too: it’s not just about wheelchair access but taking into account such things as visual impairment, dementia or deafness, which will become increasingly common as our populations increase in age.

There are many ways the travel industry can and is improving things for disabled people. For example, Gatwick Airport has an initiative to provide special lanyards for passengers with hidden disabilities.

For people with hearing impairments, facility providers could install induction loops; for those with visual impairments, a restaurant introducing large-print menus and a policy to welcome assistance dogs could noticeably increase its number of diners.

Travel agents and tour operators who acquaint themselves sufficiently with their products so that they are able to inform potential clients of precise disability facilities at a particular resort or disability access at certain attractions will invariably be awarded with greater custom.

And the more accessible facilities an attraction provides – such as London’s St Paul’s Cathedral’s special touch and feel tour – the greater the likelihood of increased attendances.

Research by UK home care provider Helping Hands has found that more than half of those affected by limited accessibility (58%) believe travel companies have become more understanding of those with accessibility issues.

One thousand UK adults with accessibility issues were surveyed to find out if they experience issues whilst on holiday. Results show that taking a break from home has become less of a worry for those with limited mobility, with more than one in three people (38%) saying that they go on holiday a lot more now that places have become more accessible.

Eighteen to 24-year-olds are the most likely to go on holiday to gain more independence, whereas respondents aged 55 and over are travelling to have more life experiences.

However, a significant amount of people surveyed still found travelling with their accessibility issues tiresome. More than a quarter of people (29%) had experienced companies that were unaware of how to deal with certain disabilities.

Results also found a disparity between the opinions of men and women with limited mobility. 43% of women strongly agreed that there isn’t enough information available about holidays suitable for people with accessibility issues, compared to 22% of men. Almost one in three women (30%) also said they no longer go on holiday because they worry about accessibility issues, compared to almost one in five men (19%).

Richard Thompson, Accessible Worldwide Travel Organiser at Travel Counsellors explains how the travel industry has changed for those with accessibility issues: «Twenty years ago the main providers of accessible travel were charities and a couple of ‘disability specialists’ with extremely limited offerings. The industry is much more geared up to service the requirements of those with mobility, sensory and cognitive requirements. That’s not to say there aren’t a ‘lot of dots’ to be joined up to make journeys easier to arrange and undertake. It’s certainly better but there’s a long way to go.»

Some of the best destinations catering well for those with limited accessibility:

• Germany has integrated accessible travel initiatives for a long time, and its BarrierFree Germany website goes even further, promoting such pursuits as accessible skiing, cycling for the blind, exploring scented gardens and jet skiing. You can delve deep into a coal mine or try rock climbing and white water rafting. This year Germany’s marketing strategy includes its exceptional accessibility initiatives.
• Switzerland also caters for people with accessibilty issues well. The tourist board’s myswitzerland.com website has a dedicated page for guests with special needs, with links to websites and information for such organisations as Mobility International Switzerland, accommodations for disabled people, travel and accessible holidays.
• Rotterdam, Netherlands, which was runner-up to Chester, UK in the 2017 EU Access City of the Year. Accessibility legislation in the Netherlands is very comprehensive meaning that disabled people are very well catered for.
• The spa town of Jurmala, Latvia, places the active lifestyle of disabled and elderly citizens right at the heart of its efforts. Third in the 2017 EU Access City of the Year, public transport is particularly accessible here.
• Washington, USA, has initiatives such as disabled parking outside main attractions, wheelchair hire inside them, numerous museums with tactile displays, and its Metro transport system is particularly accessible.
• All 192 taxis and 129 buses in Chester, UK, are wheelchair accessible, helping it be crowned EU Access City of the Year 2017.
• Barcelona, Spain, is a particularly accessible city, and has a dedicated site, barcelona-access.com.