The concept of accessible tourism tends to be shunted off into a corner whenever talk turns to improvements to facilities for aviation, cruise, hospitality, and public attractions.
To quote Malaysian accessibility advocate Beatrice Leong: “The thing about accessibility is that the moment you talk about persons with disabilities and accessibility, the first thing you think about is a wheelchair and a ramp. But I'm trying to zero in on the fact that it’s more than that.”
The very root of the word itself is access, essentially a means of entering a place, gaining hold of an item or information, or the license to perform certain actions.
For those hampered by the physical impact of age, illness, and injury, as well as those who were born with brains differently wired from the majority, accessibility to the instruments of regular living is a daily struggle, and travel even more so.
In this feature, we at Travel Daily Media take a closer look at accessible tourism and how global travel professionals can make things easier for those who need various forms of assistance.
First things first: what exactly is accessible tourism?
The global research firm EBSCO defines accessible tourism as such:
“Accessible tourism is an approach to travel that ensures accommodations and experiences are available to individuals of all abilities, including those with disabilities, seniors, and families with young children. This concept encompasses a wide range of accessibility features, such as wheelchair-friendly accommodations, transportation options, and venues equipped with Braille signage or audio descriptions to assist visually impaired travellers. The tourism industry is increasingly recognizing accessibility not just as a requirement, but as a valuable opportunity to engage a broader audience.”
This definition certainly concurs with Leong’s statement that accessibility involves just a wheelchair and a ramp, seeing how it allows for signage for the visually impaired and transportation options for disabilities of any stripe.
Likewise, in their study A Whole of Life Approach to Tourism: The Case for Accessible Tourism Experiences for Cambridge University, experts Simon Darcy and Tracey J Dickson pointedly state: “Accessible tourism enables people with access requirements, including mobility, vision, hearing and cognitive dimensions of access, to function independently and with equity and dignity through the delivery of universally designed tourism products, services, and environments.”
Their definition includes infants well below the walking stage, as well as senior individuals in less than ideal health.
It should also be stated there that accessible tourism needs to cover three dimensions of accessibility; namely physical access, sensory access, and communication access.
To elaborate further, related measures need to include:
- Physical access for those with physical disabilities that require wheelchairs, walking aids, or handrails;
- Sensory access for those who have sight or hearing impairments; and
- Communication access for those who have impairments involving speech, vision, and hearing.
Offering calm rooms and other soothing measures for individuals on the autism spectrum or who have been diagnosed as having one form of neurodivergence or another is also something that travel and tourism professionals need to look into.
It’s not that easy
Despite the need for these inclusions to be in place, along with government mandates the world over regarding the comfort and safety of the disabled, it is a sad truth that many countries have yet to implement relevant measures or struggle to place even the barest minimum.
Indeed, it has been noted that there are five key barriers to the proper administration of measures related to accessible tourism.
These are:
- Longstanding misconceptions and prejudices regarding disability tend to lead to weaker legislation and the absence of implementation Whether we like it or not, much of the world’s population has yet to (or potentially refuses to) shake off the notion that the disabled are little more than an annoyance or, worse, a burden to the rest of able-bodied society. Likewise, lawmakers who share that prejudiced mindset see measures for accessibility as either unnecessary or impractical due to “low demand,” and are quick to veto any related proposals for such measures in airports and seaports;
- Accessible tourism is still perceived as a risky investment For the most part, businesses the world over balk at the cost of accessibility upgrades, marking them as too high and either late to deliver returns on investment or are unprofitable all together. This mindset is more common in countries within the developing world;
- Stakeholders never seem to see the big picture In cases wherein the public and private sectors do agree to implement accessibility measures, they figuratively come to blows as to which exact measures to put in place. Progress regarding the implementation of key measures is often hampered by a lack of middle ground among stakeholders;
- Those who are supposed to be in charge lack training Admittedly, the human resources side of global travel and tourism has never quite recovered from the impact of the pandemic, as there is still a staffing shortfall of up to 52 percent throughout the industry. That said, it has been a challenge finding individuals to handle facilities related to accessible tourism due to their lack of qualifications as well as the relevant training for dealing with those in physical or mental difficulty; and
- There remains a major disconnect regarding infrastructure and design Despite the best efforts of urban planners and architects, physical barriers remain in transportation hubs, accommodations, as well as attractions. The concept of faulty infrastructure even applies to websites or booking systems that prove challenging to use for both regular people and those with disabilities.
Now what?
As daunting as the situation may be, implementing measures related to accessible tourism may start small and eventually grow thanks to sustained action on the part of governments or, more likely, the private sector by way of cause-oriented organisations.
For this, we offer the following potential solutions for consideration:
- Maximise the use of contemporary and innovative technologies Japan is already on the forefront here, thanks to the use of robotics-enabled mobility solutions that make travel easier, more comfortable, and certainly fun for those with difficulty getting around. Haptic touchscreens may also be considered as signage for the visually-impaired, essentially offering an alternative to conventional Braille boards;
- Involve stakeholders in the planning and development phase One major mistake we’ve seen among urban planners, transportation companies, and even governments is that the disabled never seem to be involved in the development of related measures. It would be best if these organisers brought in qualified experts or even advocates speaking for the disabled into the planning process in order to properly see what the sector really needs as opposed to, say, yet another useless ramp; and
- Change the mindset, change the game The biggest problem I’ve encountered, particularly as someone whose mobility is compromised by poor vision and weak joints, is that people would rather mock than understand the difficulties others have to go through, especially when travelling. Making people aware of disabilities in an objective manner that enables them to see the disabled as real people rather than objects of pity will go a long way in ensuring greater acceptance of accessibility measures.
I daresay that the conclusion to the study What is stopping the process? Analysis of obstacles to accessible tourism from a stakeholders' perspective authored by Lucía Rubio-Escuderos, Francisco Javier Ullán de la Rosa, and Hugo García-Andreu in 2024 is the best way to sum the matter up:
“Promoting accessible management of tourist destinations is not only crucial for the inclusion of people with disabilities but also renders these destinations straightforward and comprehensible for all individuals, particularly considering the inevitable aging of the global population. Understanding the barriers to accessible tourism enables stakeholders to focus their actions in developing strategies to overcome them.”
