20 May
Updated NZ Tourism Guide Website Still Lacks When it Comes to Accessible Accommodation
Guest article by Veroniek Maat, Intern, NZ Tourism Research Institute, Auckland University of Technology, and Masters Student, Leisure, Tourism, and Environment, Wageningen University, The Netherlands
The New Zealand Tourism Guide (NZTG) is “one of the top commercial tourism directory websites in New Zealand” providing comprehensive information for tour operators and tourists. This week, an updated NZTG was launched in anticipation of Rugby World Cup , a major event occurring in NZ in 2011. A paragraph about accessible accommodation for People with Disabilities (PwDs) – slightly altered from previous versions – can be found after extensive key word search.
The NZTG makes a distinction between ‘accessible’ accommodations and ‘disabled’ accommodations, although it is not clear why this is done. Visitors to the site are told that they can expect some, if not all, of a list of accessible facilities at accommodations, but “before booking your accommodation, you should always confirm with your hosts that adequate provision is available”. This is unfortunate because research done into access for PwDs at accommodations in NZ shows that many operators think their premises are accessible when they are not. Therefore, potential guests willing to reserve at accommodations which claim they are accessible cannot assume accessible facilities are present just because they are claimed to be.
A link to “View all listings for accessible accommodations” leads potential guests to a list which is organized in alphabetic order and contains around two hundred accommodations. Unfortunately, none of the accommodations emphasize accessibility, and an in-depth search of the websites of the first ten “accessible” accommodations listed shows that they have little or absolutely no information about access for PwDs. Regrettably, it is can be concluded that the list of “accessible” accommodations given on the NZTG website could be misleading to potential visitors with disabilities. By providing such information, NZTG made a step in the right direction, but it needs to examine content and not rely just on operator self-assessment of access. After all, by listing such providers (who may or may not be accessible to PwDs), NZTG seems to be endorsing that such accommodations are in fact accessible.
