21 May
Visitors Told to Check if Guide Dogs are Acceptable in NZ Accommodations, Despite Being Legally Protected
At the beginning of this week, tourism operators in New Zealand received an email from the New Zealand Tourism Guide (NZTG) about updates to the site. The updates are centred around Rugby World Cup, a major sporting event to be held here in 2011. NZTG is part of the Yellow Pages Group. Information for people with disabilities is scattered on the site. For example, there is a page headed People with Special Needs (an unfortunate use of language) which claims that “most facilities have wheelchair access, but it is wise to check when booking” (see yesterday’s guest post for a discussion of this statement). Another page – titled Accessible Accommodation – states that
“For travellers with visual impairment, it is important to check whether accommodations welcome your guide dog………..”
This is unfortunate. Under NZ legislation, guide dogs, guide dogs in training, guide dog puppies and breeding stock are legally protected from discrimination by three Acts: The Human Rights Act 1993, Dog Control Act 1996, and Transport Services Licensing Act 1989. This legislation entitles guide dogs to go into any public place and on any public vehicle including: motels, hotels, restaurants, shops, beaches, cinemas, hotels, buses ferries, domestic and international flights, ships, taxis, trains, and so on.
Because denying access to a person with a guide dog is considered a serious offence under NZ law, it is incorrect to tell our potential visitors that they should check if accommodations welcome guide dogs. NZ has already had stories that have gone viral about visitors forced out by accommodation providers because they had guide dogs. Hopefully, no further such stories will arise from similar experiences by our visitors. It would be well if NZTG changed this statement to better reflect the legal obligations of accommodation providers.
