Access Tourism NZ TOURISM FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, SENIORS, AND AGEING BOOMERS IN NEW ZEALAND AND WORLDWIDE

The New Zealand National Foundation for the Deaf (NFD) has set up a captioning working group with the aim of establishing equal access to TV and movies for deaf and hearing impaired people in this country.  A 2011 survey, “Captioning in New Zealand”, conducted by members of the group, showed the deaf and hearing impaired community felt a strong sense of injustice and frustration at the way poor TV, home video and cinema captioning denied them the simple pleasures of relaxation, entertainment and access to information and education.  Over the next 12 months the
NFD Captioning Working Group will push for legislation to make the captioning of TV programmes in New Zealand compulsory – a change favoured by 86% of the  Captioning New Zealand survey respondents.  New Zealand TV captioning is among the worst in the western world with even Uganda having a better service. While some captioning is funded by NZ On Air and a high quality captioning service is provided by TV1, TV2 and TV3 it amounts to less than 10% of total TV hours each week across all free to air and subscriber pay channels.  Captioning is about equal access for both hearing and non-hearing people. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Disabled Persons, ratified by New Zealand, states that all persons with disabilities should enjoy equal access to television programmes, films, theatre and cultural activities in accessible formats.  Many countries,  Australia and the USA included, have mandatory captioning legislation. We are seriously lagging behind the rest of the world and it’s time we caught up.

Members of the NFD Captioning Working Group come from t he NFD and Deaf Aotearoa.

Source: NFD press release.

Two new text books on accessible tourism are available through the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT) from Channel View Publications. The first is “Concepts and Issues” (eds: Dimitrios Buhalis and Simon Darcy), which sets out to  explore and document the current theoretical approaches, foundations and issues  in the study of accessible tourism.  Professor Nigel Morgan, The Welsh Centre for Tourism Research states that this volume harnesses “the best conceptual  developments on the topic” and that it will “take accessible tourism and universal design debates into the mainstream of academic enquiryand industry practice“

The second volume is “Best Practice in Accessible Tourism” (eds: Buhalis, Darcy, and Ivor Ambrose).  It focuses on policy and best practice in accessible tourism, reflecting the ”state-of -the-art” as expressed in a selection of international chapters. It brings together global expertise in planning, design and management to inform and stimulate providers of travel, transport, accommodation, leisure and tourism services to serve guests with disabilities, seniors and the wider markets that require good accessibility. Chapter 8, written by Sandra Rhodda of Access Tourism New Zealand, describes the state of accessible tourism in this country.  Overall, the book gives ample evidence that accessible tourism organisations and destinations can expand their target markets as well as improve the quality of their service offering, leading to greater customer satisfaction, loyalty and expansion of business.  Accessible tourism is not only about providing access to people with disabilities but also it addresses the creation of universally designed environments that can support people that may have temporary disabilities, families with young children, the ever increasing ageing population as well as creating a safer environment for employees to work. Noel Scott, of the University of Queensland, Australia says that the volume “provides a ‘state-of-the-art” assessment of both theory and practice. This book establishes a new field of study and provides the benchmark against which other contributions will be judged. It integrates the work of all the key players and should be read by academics, managers and government policy makers.”

Congratulations are due to Tauranga City Council for becoming probably the first Council in New Zealand to decide to adopt an Age-Friendly Vision and to integrate a strategy in the Council Long Term Plan 2012-2022.  For some years now various individuals and community agencies in Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty have promoted the relevance of the Age-Friendly Cities concepts for this high ageing region.  A Towards Tauranga Age-Friendly City Collaboration of 11 agencies submitted to the City Council Annual Plan seeking ‘A City For All Ages.’  Similar submissions were addressed to Western Bay of Plenty District Council and the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. It was proposed that each Council allocate staffing resource to develop a strategy this year for inclusion in Council Long Term Plans. Many people took part and attended in support of the submission hearings.  “It is very heartening that the community voice was respected by the City Council,” said Carole Gordon, Convener of the collaborative effort.

The Global Age-Friendly Cities framework is promoted by the World Health Organization as a guide for Local Governments to respond to planning for population ageing. It seeks to adapt systems and policies to meet the independence needs of increasing numbers of mature and older people as the baby-boomer generation ages. “What is really interesting is that when improvements are made to suit elders, the outcomes produce social and economic benefit for all generations,” says Carole.  “While this is often hard to understand, we have to look ahead with a generous and not limited perspective, after all, this group will be largest set of consumers the world has ever known! Here in Tauranga the number of people 65+ will increase by 50% within the next ten years and is projected to reach nearly 32,000 by 2026.”

As well as the WHO Global Age-Friendly Cities programme, there are a number of other international initiatives to improve access in cities.  Recently for example, Avila Spain won the first European Commission Access City Award, and Charlotte North Carolina and Brazos Valley Council of Governments Texas (U.S.A.) won the Environmental Protection Agency “Building healthy Communities for Active Ageing Award”.  Singapore has created a “City for All Ages Project Office”, London’s Mayor promises an access legacy from Olympics/Paralympics 2012 and access improvement has been part of the games planning since 2004, and many cities across both the developed and developing world have access guides for seniors, people who are not as agile as they once were, or people with disabilities.  The reason? Populations across the world are ageing and there is an economic benefit to becoming age-friendly and improving access.

Guest blog by Jim Llewellyn. In February, Ann and Jim Llewellyn of Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia toured the south island of New Zealand for two weeks. Jim is a right-leg amputee and – depending on circumstances – alternates between a wheelchair, crutches, or a prosthesis to get around.  When booking accommodation for their trip, all providers were notified of Jims need for lodgings accessible to a wheelchair user, and all booked the couple into what they (the providers) considered wheelchair accessible rooms. On their return home, Jim sent Access Tourism New Zealand the following report on their accommodation experiences.

Ann and Jim Llewellyn

In summary, Jim found:

 • Although all 10 operators claimed their accommodation was accessible, none of the ten we stayed at were fully accessible, and accessibility ranged from non-existent to poor for most, to excellent for one (Amber Court Motor Lodge, Nelson).

• There seems to be no standard requirements

• In most hotels/motels disability features are at the whim of the installer as to location and design

• So-called accessible rooms for people with disabilities are often located well away from entrances to buildings, and I got the feeling that in some places it was “out of sight, out of mind”.

• Design features are such that microwaves, power outlets and switches are not suitably placed.

• Showers have no curtains so that the whole floor gets wet. To get from the shower I would have to place my crutches in the wet and walk in the wet. No squeegees were supplied.

• Taps generally are of the knob-type not the extended-arm type (i.e., easy to use by people with physical disabilities).

• Many consider only wheelchairs, not other disabilities. • There were no visual or vibratory emergency alarms for the hearing impaired.

 In addition, Jim reports that where wheelchair- accessible public toilets were used en route (when available) they were in general use, and were dirty, with very wet floors. Therefore, if a person had to remove a prosthesis, their clothes would get soiled.

Jim also writes that, in looking on the internet for accommodation for a return trip planned later this year to the north island of New Zealand, he has found discrimination in many instances where a disabled person is charged considerably more for accommodation.

You can read Jim’s assessment of the ten accommodations here:

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In a press release, the New Zealand National Foundation for the Deaf (NFD) have called for the government to come up with innovative ways to help people with hearing disabilities afford alarm systems that would alert them when they’re activated.  Louse Carroll, NFD Chief Executive stated that people who are deaf cannot hear audio alarms, and nor can many hearing impaired people who take their hearing aids out when they go to bed.  “And that includes people staying in hotels and motels, as well as people in their own homes. Getting an alarm that links with the lights or to a vibrating pad that goes under a pillow is expensive, and we need to look at how we can make these more affordable.”  Mrs Carroll said governments overseas were moving to deal with the issue, and it was time for the New Zealand government to do the same.  A 2003 study of small accommodation businesses in four areas in New Zealand showed that there are a number of factors that impact on the small business owner’s compliance with fire safety regulations.  These include access to resources

The New Zealand Tourism Research Institute at Auckland University of Technology is currently conducting a survey of people who have slight to total hearing loss to find out what their tourism, travel, hospitality, and leisure experiences and needs are.  Included in the survey is a question about visual and vibrating fire alarms.  Tourism is New Zealand’s largest export earner, and we can expect that more and more of our guests – both national and international – will have hearing impairments due to the ageing of the world population.  There have been numerous examples of fatal fires in travel accommodation worldwide, so there is no reason to believe it could not happen in New Zealand.  For example, in 2007-2008, the New Zealand Fire Service reported 139 fires in hotels, motels, and lodges, 1, 147 calls to places of public recreation, and 1, 238 calls to commercial premises such as food and beverage outlets.

Scoop reports that for the first time ever, the New Zealand deaf community will be fully included in Waitangi Day celebrations at Waitangi.   Waitangi Day marks the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 between representatives of the British Crown and over 500 Maori chiefs.  This year New Zealand Sign Language Interpreters of both Maori and English will sign during formal speeches at the Treaty Grounds.   The Office for Disability Issues will provide this service as a direct result of lobbying by Whangarei-based Tiaho Trust, a Northland disability-led organisation.  The 2006 New Zealand Census showed that 24,090 people use New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL).  New Zealand Sign Language was formally recognised as the third official language of New Zealand along with English and Maori in 2006 under the New Zealand Sign Language Act.

Haka Tours, which runs adventure tours in New Zealand thinks it is OK to illegally park their buses in car parks reserved for people with disabilities.  At least, that is what can be assumed from a tweet today, in which Ellen Pickett, marketing coordinator for that company calls a woman who protested about a Haka Tours bus in a disabled car park “crazy” (see above).  Most New Zealanders feel strongly that people should not use disabled car parks without a permit, and we can assume that Haka Tours customers would also not condone such actions.  One wonders what the people on this tour actually think of Miss Pickett calling in her tweet the woman who protested “crazy”, or did they applaud when the bus used the disabled car park?  Is Miss Pickett’s comment reflective of the morals of those who travel with Haka Tours?  If Miss Picket can not see that using a disabled car park when one is not disabled is morally reprehensible and certainly callous and unfeeling, then perhaps she would be dissuaded from condoning this act by the fact that it is illegal to do so.   For a car parked illegally in this way, the fine is $150.   Maybe Haka Tours will be chagrined if this information makes it to Caught Ya, the international “hall of shame” website which exposes people parking illegally in disability and mobility parking spaces.  Or maybe Miss Pickett’s attitude towards disabled people – as reflected in her disparaging a woman who stood up for them – is not actaully a Haka Tours philosophy, but is hers alone.  Whatever is the case, the comment in this tweet is not a good look for Haka Tours.

On the official Rugby World Cup 2011 website (RWC2011), it states on a page headed “Accessible Information” that the cup “will be an event for everyone to enjoy and as such we want to make it as easy as possible for fans to find the information they need on this website.”  However, there is no facility on the RWC2011 site to search for information about access, and there are other problems with access information on the site and with access to the games.  Now to make matters worse, taxis and private vehicles will be banned from Wellington’s Westpac Stadium during the games because they are considered a security threat. Wellington Combined Taxis GM Kevin Braid says the company is concerned for elderly and disabled people trying to get to the stadium.  New Zealand Taxi Federation secretary George Tyler has said the decision is ridiculous and bad news for the elderly.  ”On a cold and wet day when you’re 83 like me, it’s a bloody long way to walk [to the stadium].  I don’t think it is a best image for New Zealand or for Wellington.”   Information about this ban has already appeared on international websites.  Taxis and private vehicles are already also banned during some other events, such as the AC/DC Black Ice Tour later this month.  Wellington buses are not accessible for mobility scooters and not all bus stops are wheelchair accessible.  There is as yet no information on the NZ Tourism Guide website on how mobility scooter users, or wheelchair users near inaccessible bus stops are to get to the games.   In fact, the NZTG site states that “most urban transport buses are not equipped to cater for the disabled.”  Hopefully, this will change before RWC2011 so that people with disabilities can partake of the games as is guaranteed in NZ’s disability legislation and in international instruments that we have signed, such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Person with Disabilities (CRPD).  CRPD specifies that States Parties shall “ensure that persons with disabilities have access to sporting, recreational and tourism venues”, amongst other things (Article 30).  Clearly, this is not happening yet.

The New Zealand Historic Places has just released a draft for consultation for “Providing for Accessibility in Heritage Places”.   This guide focuses on providing links to other guidance sources, updating legislative provisions and providing a guidance framework for the assessment of proposed access related work involving heritage buildings.  The guide concentrates almost solely on physical access to heritage places for those who cannot walk or who rely on walking aids and wheelchairs. It briefly mentions people with learning difficulties, and gives references to a couple of relevant publications about heritage sites and the learning disabled, mentions also that many heritage buildings were not built for diverse needs including those with vision impairment, but nowhere mentions access and the hearing impaired.   This is in spite of the fact that about 41% of disabled New Zealanders have sensory impairments.  Comments and feedback can be provided to the NZHPT until 28 February 2011 about this publication (Email: information@historic.org.nz).

Recently, Access Tourism in NZ has been mentioned several times in Parliament.   On the 8^th December, the Minister for Disabilities Issues – who  opened the first Access Tourism NZ Conference in October – launched the “Report on the Human Rights of Disabled People in Aotearoa New Zealand”.  In her introductory speech she said the following:

“The Office for Disability Issues is currently asking for feedback on what changes can be made that would enable disabled people to live independently, be able to move around their communities and be able to provide better work opportunities for disabled people.   As a very topical example, the Ministerial Committee on Disability Issues recently heard from Martin Sneddon CEO of Rugby New Zealand 2011 about the dedicated booking system for disabled people and how seats for disabled people at all grounds are all priced on the lowest category seats regardless of the location of the seats. They are reviewing all grounds to check wheelchair accessible seating and services to support this seating. And they are also ensuring that shuttle buses and disabled parking will be available at all venues.

I am really passionate about Access Tourism and so I was really interested in your recommendation that an industry standard should be developed to signal a non-disabling environment and universal design features of accessible accommodation and tourism features.”

Access Tourism NZ applauds the Minister’s interest in Access Tourism.  As to the Rugby World Cup however, we hope that with less than a year to go to kickoff, the official RWC2011 website will soon have individual information about access at venues.  RWC2011 will be the largest international sporting event in the world next year and is expected to draw 85,000 extra visitors to NZ, some of whom are bound to have disabilities.  At the moment on the RWC2011 website, the same information appears on each venue page (including an icon of the wheelchair symbol with a slash through it) and is of little use to a person with a disability hoping to plan a trip to the RWC2011, especially as tickets are on sale.  The disabled always need plenty of time to plan trips, accommodation, and activities because these are always more difficult due to access issues.

On the “Accessible Information” page is the statement:    “If you are unable to complete your application online or require wheelchair accessible seating, please email specialneeds@rwc2011ticketing.com to request an application form. Alternatively, please call 0800 RUGBY11 (0800 784 2911) or +64 9 367 2011 from overseas or mobile and our Customer Service Representatives will assist you with your application.” Access Tourism NZ  hopes that the information needs of people with disabilities will be met as quickly as possible on the RWC2011 website so that the disabled do not need to fill in “special needs” forms which they must post or scan and email (unlike the non-disabled), and that they do not have to call from England or France for assistance, as this does not look good for New Zealand.   

In the “Report on the Human Rights of Disabled People in Aotearoa New Zealand” itself,  tourism is mentioned in the following context:

Conclusions and recommendations, p. 15 and p. 64: Leaving home for short or extended periods of time remains an issue for disabled people with discrimination unlikely to be reported in this area. The final recommendation is that an industry standard (similar to the tourism industry’s Qualmark) signalling a non-disabling environment and universal design features be developed.

 Subjects like travel, transport, accommodation, restaurants, clubs, bars etc are mentioned several times in the report, and “social participation” is cited as the most significant single issue for PwDs (p. 41).

In a first for New Zealand, The New Zealand Tourism Research Institute at Auckland University of Technology has created a Research Programme Area in Access Tourism headed by Sandra Rhodda. 

 NZTRI’s Access Tourism programme aims to research and develop Access Tourism in NZ.  Access Tourism is tourism, travel, and hospitality for people with permanent or temporary disabilities, seniors, parents with strollers, and any person with a need for improved access.  This is an interdisciplinary research area that addresses the challenges and opportunities presented by Access Tourism.

The Access Tourist already represents a sizeable proportion of our tourism markets.  Between 17 and 20% of the population in our main markets already report a disability, and this percentage is bound to grow because the large Baby Boomer cohort is ageing and disability increases with age.  Those aged 45 or older already comprise almost half of our domestic and international visitors (and over 70% of our cruise ship visitors).

Areas of interest include:

• Research and policy development
• Understanding the Access Tourism market
• Awareness promotion and education of government and industry to the potential of Access Tourism
• Access Tourism product development and marketing in NZ
• Promotion of cooperation in a developing Access Tourism sector, including in the public and private sector
• Access Tourist satisfaction and motivation
• Economic and social benefits of Access Tourism
• Access Tourism as an important factor in tourism sustainability
• Relationship of Access tourism to Health, Wellness, and Medical Tourism
• Opportunities for Access Tourism legacy development around major events such as RWC2011

Bill Forrester, of Travability, has posted a response on Tour Watch to the article yesterday on this website about Access Tourism being mentioned in the NZ House of Commons.  Here is Bill’s  post:

“Sandra Rhodda recently posted an extract from a speech in the New Zealand parliament  which acknowledged the infrastructure built in Australia for the 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Unless the underlying culture of both the Tourism Industry and the Tourism authorities changes during the lead up to these events to embody an inclusive philosophy then at the end of the event we will still be left with just a collection of accessible infrastructure.  While New Zealand acknowledges that Australia has a plethora of accessible built infrastructure where we are failing is in the promotion and understanding of its use and the growing significance of the market. It is one thing to build the infrastructure for events like the Olympic Games or Rugby World Cup but a totally different thing to incorporate Access Travel into the mainstream. That is where Australia has failed and where New Zealand faces potentially the same problem. Once the Rugby World Cup is over the the focus will be lost unless the operators of the Accessible Infrastructure realise its market potential and adopt a truly inclusive attitude to all travellers regardless of their ability. Australia still relies on third party NGO’s to maintain databases for the access tourist because it hasn’t taught the industry itself how to incorporate accessible information into their mainstream advertising and information sites.  The debate has to shift away from access to true inclusion and as I keep saying Tourism Authorities need to lead that push not abrogate their responsibility to the disability sector. The Rugby World Cup affords an opportunity to start taking about inclusive experiences not about just creating an accessible environment.”

We could not agree with Bill more: there is also in NZ a lot of accessible infrastructure (see Bill talking about it here and here), but unless the industry adopts an inclusive attitude and promotes this infrastructure, it may as well not exist.  An examination of websites for access information for 42 of our most important museums and galleries, for example, shows that 69% have no access information, and most of the others have inadequate  information .  As to Rugby World Cup 2011, a number of cultural events have been planned to coincide with this sports festival.  An examination of the 45 websites for these events shows that 86% have no information about access.  Does this mean that 69% of our museums and galleries, and 86% of cultural events coinciding with RWC2011 have no access for the disabled?  Surely not!

During a speech in the House of Representatives this week (Third Reading of the Rugby World Cup 2011 Empowering Bill, 16/11/2010) Rahui Katene, MP for Te Tai Tonga, who had discussed Access Tourism in the house before, again spoke on this subject. She said: 

We have spoken about the need for the Rugby World Cup to be accessible and leave New Zealand with a legacy of accessible infrastructure for the growing access tourism market.  And I want to refer to our partners across the ditch, who have led the way in respect of access tourism.  Australia was left with a legacy of an accessible environment after it hosted the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000. Australia now has the ability to cater for the growing access tourism market, estimated to be worth $A4.8 billion a year. The access tourism market in New Zealand is estimated to be worth $NZ1 billion a year.

 Access tourism is tourism, travel, and hospitality which takes account of the access needs of all people with permanent or temporary disabilities, older people, and anyone else who needs improved access (such as parents with prams). Access tourism presents a major economic opportunity and is growing in popularity in many parts of the world because of increasing numbers of post World War II baby boomers wishing to travel who are ageing and therefore experiencing a degree of disability.  An accessible event needs to be accessible at every point of the journey. It starts with being able to confidently book on-line in the knowledge that the details on accessibility are reliable and consistent. Poor information acts as a barrier and discourages people with access needs to travel. Every aspect of transport and accommodation, as well as the event itself, need to be accessible.  So, finally, the opportunity exists with the Rugby World Cup to create an accessible environment for all to enjoy a great game of rugby.

Yesterday, Access Tourism NZ received an email request for information from Paul W for help finding holiday places and accommodation for a wheelchair user planning a trip to New Zealand.  Paul wants to visit the North Island with his wife and two sons.  Therefore, Paul is actually planning a trip for four people, and if he is not satisfied that the trip will be a success for himself as a wheelie, NZ may loose out on four visitors.  Below is our response to him.

Dear Paul,

Thank you for your email asking for help in planning a trip to New Zealand for a wheelchair user.  I am sorry to inform you that there is no comprehensive and reliable information in one place that you need to plan such a trip.   I know that for a person with a disability, planning a big trip is even more fraught than for someone who does not have a disability.  The reason I do not have the information you need is that here in NZ, anyone can say they are wheelchair accessible and there is no quality rating system that ensures that their claims are true.  For example, tourism operators such as accommodation providers often think they are accessible when they are not.  It is not that they are being deceitful; it is just that they have no idea of what true access is, and so I often get emails from people who have turned up at an accommodation provider or eatery they have been told is accessible only to find that it is not.  I also receive email enquiries such as yours from around the world steadily, and have to provide the same answers.  The solution to this problem is that NZ must begin to take Access Tourism seriously if we are to adequately cater for what I believe will be a growing demand.

There are a few sources of information about Access Tourism in NZ, but some of these must be used with caution.  They are:

1. Accomobility, which lists accessible accommodation.  While this is a step forward, I should caution you that all accommodations are self-assessed by the owner/operator, and my research – and anecdotal information from many people – show that operators think their premises are accessible when they are not (this is mentioned on the site).  Therefore, I would advise always checking with operators about your specific needs before booking any of these accommodations.
2. Each of the major centres and some of the smaller centres have general information about access for PwDs – if you hope to visit these, I suggest you look at the council websites or contact the councils involved, or the disabilities NGOs (such as WEKA, CCS Disability Action, Disabled Persons Assembly, which has a number of links, etc).
3. Some centres have specific information about access for visitors.  For example, Wellington has a group of accommodations and a group of sights and activities subheaded “accessible”, but I assume these are self-assessed as there is no information to the contrary.  Wellington City Council also has an access map.    Auckland is, to my knowledge, the only city in the North Island that has begun to actually professionally access visitor features for access on any scale. For example, 15 accommodations are assessed here, and assessment of some dining, entertainment, transport etc occur elsewhere on the website.  Auckland also has an access map (a bit dated and I believe being updated), and there are definitely moves in that city around the whole issue of visitor access.  Kudos to them.  Whangarei, north of Auckland, has access information on the CCS site, and an access map.  I am unsure if the accommodations etc were professionally assessed for access.  The CCS site also has information about access to recreation in Auckland, and Auckland parks.  
4. The New Zealand Tourism Guide – one of NZ’s largest and most important guides – has a page of “Accessible Accommodation”.  However, a random check of a few the accommodations listed shows that their websites have no information about access, or very little.  Again, as the NZ Tourism Guide itself warns you, it is wise to check if booking.  They also tell you that “.. it is important to check whether accommodations welcome your guide dog……..”  This is in spite of the fact that to refuse a guide dog would be in breach of the Human Rights Act!
5. Other websites also list accommodations etc that are accessible, but the same caution applies.

I hope some of this is helpful,

Best regards

Sandra

Tariana Turia – New Zealand’s Minister for Disabilities Issues – told a meeting in Whanganui that the Ministerial Committee on Disability Issues last week held a “useful discussion about the concept of Access Tourism – that is tourism which enables all people to access accommodation, travel, information, events, without any structural impediments to doing so (New Zealand government website).  She went on to say “The Rugby World Cup provides us with an opportune time to look at how we can make our country a leader in accessible tourism.”  Praising Whanganui for their recent disability strategy, she noted that the strategy had at  least three goals that “are about ensuring accommodation options, recreational and cultural activities, and information about disabled peoples is accessible and widely used throughout the region”.  She also noted that the Horizons Regional Council website has some good information on transport options for disabled people. “It might be an interesting process to go through, to have an audit on the online facility, the signage, the venues, pathways, toilets, transport options and so on. Ask yourself the question: what can Whanganui offer that will make a trip a pleasure rather than a burden?”  Minister Turia also mentioned Access Tourism in a speech to the Disability Support Services Consumer Consortium, and went on to say that she has “asked the group from the Accessible Rugby World Cup to come back to the Ministerial Committee later this month, to really see how we can lift our game to ensure accessibility is a target in everyone’s planning” (New Zealand Government website).  Access Tourism New Zealand hopes that outcomes of the Ministerial Committee on Disability Issues discussions – particularly those related to Access Tourism – will be made known publicly. The committee was formed in 20 months ago in February 2009, and so far, outcomes of discussions around Access Tourism have not been reported in any depth.

The following is from a speech to the NZ parliament by Rahui Katene, MP for Te Tai Tonga about the Rugby World Cup 2011 Empowering Bill

“… the Bill doesn’t mention the whole concept of Access Tourism.  The message from Rugby World Cup advocates is that the provisions in the bill are simply about providing hospitality for the tens of thousands of visitors who arrive. ……….  But hospitality could also extend towards ensuring we are truly prepared for the influx of overseas visitors, through such specific and tangible provisions as:

- Ensuring the Rugby World Cup Website is accessible – by that I mean being able to quickly navigate the Tourism New Zealand site to find out information about accommodation/ airports/ transport and parking which will ensure disabled visitors, the elderly and others seeking to even gain access to the venues will be supported

- We could be creating a common brand – Be Accessible – Aotearoa would welcome all peoples to the world of the 2011 Rugby World Cup

- And we could do all this tomorrow – by auditing the main tourist accommodation venues to ensure we have a set of standards around what you have to have in order to cater for all.

This is a massive area of work that isn’t being adequately addressed and we would like to see that improved.”

Access Tourism NZ Conference Photo courtesy Pascal Languillon

The 80 delegates at the recently held inaugural Access Tourism New Zealand conference held at Auckland University of Technology were ask to fill in a short survey to help the New Zealand Tourism Research Institute better plan for subsequent such conferences. The results of the survey are now available.  Delegates came from the private sector (36), NGOs (18), local government (14), the public sector (6), and academic institutions (6). Just over half (41) of the delegates filled in the form in part or in full. Of these, most were either “very much satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the conference content (91%), speakers and presentations (85%), accessibility (91%), and the overall experience (90%). All except one of the remainder were “satisfied”. Eighty eight percent would like to see the Access Tourism conference become an annual event (10% were undecided). More stated that the main reason for attending the conference was for the content (46%) than anything else, although personal and professional development (22%) and networking opportunities (20%) were also important. Delegates learnt about the conference mainly through e-mailed newsletters or referrals (both 40%).

When asked for comments, delegates stated that the most beneficial aspects of the conference were awareness raising, information gathering, and networking, while suggestions for improving the conference included avoiding duplication, expanding the topics covered, having the presentation material available prior to the conference, more time for group discussions and interactions, splitting into streams, and running the conference over two days. Delegates wanted to see more government and industry representation (for example, it was noted by many that no-one from Qualmark, Tourism New Zealand, major industry organizations such as the Tourism Industry Organization, or the Ministry of Tourism – now the Tourism Strategy Group – were there). Themes or topics suggested for future conferences included providing solutions and ways forward, case studies of access improvement at businesses, inclusiveness in the wider community and what that means, best practice in access in the various tourism sub-sectors and on websites, government initiatives and frameworks for coordination, disability awareness training, consumer research, and disabilities segmentation.

For the full list of comments, download the attachment here.  Videos are now available here.

NZTRI staff at the conference

Podcasts of the presentations made at the inaugural Access Tourism New Zealand conference held in Auckland yesterday are now availabe on the NZ Tourism Research Institute website.  Presentations include those made by Sandra Rhodda, Director of Access Toruism NZ (talking about Access Tourism and New Zealand), Minnie Baragwanath(Access Tourism in Auckland), Diana Palmer (World Access Tourism), Bill Forrester (Inbound Tourism and Access Tourism), Mary Schnackenberg (The tourist with vision disabilites), Chris Peters (Tourism and the deaf or hard of hearing), Alexia Pickering (A wheelchair users experiences), Kathy Olsen (Accessible websites and information), Chris Ross (Transport and the disabled), and Auckland Disability Law (Legal aspects of Access Tourism).

The European Disability Forum is an independent European non-government organisation which has played a key role in ensuring that all relevant EU policies and initiatives  take disabled people into account.  It reports that the European Commission has just adopted a communication on tourism which proposes to better include people with disabilities.   The latest communication from the Commission points out that tourism plays an important role in Europe’s economy. It comprises 1.8 million enterprises, many of these being small and medium-sized businesses. It also points out that transport and tourism is a basic right for all citizens, including people with disabilities. The right to travel and to access tourist activities is enshrined in Article 9 of the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD).    The UN CRPD has been signed and ratified by New Zealand, so that these rights exist in this country.  However, we have not done a very good job in implementing this (see for example, this post, and this).   

CRPD has been signed and is in the process of ratification by the European communities and its Member States.  Read more……………

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The New Zealand population is ageing, along with that of the rest of the world.  This fact is significant for the tourism, travel, and hospitality industry because disability increases with age.  And it is older people who already comprise our biggest domestic and international visitor groups.  Statistics New Zealand reports that at 30 June 2010, half the male population of New Zealand was over 35.5 years of age, and half of females were over 37.6 years of age. Over the last 10 years, the median age has increased by 2.0 years for males and 2.5 years for females.  The population aged 40-64 (all Baby Boomers and some leading edge GenX) increased in number by 1.5%, while those 65 or older increased by 3% between June 2009 and June 2010. Over the decade ended 30 June 2010, the population aged 15–39 years reduced from 36% to 34% of the population, while over the same period, those aged 40-64 increased by 1.5% to 32%, and those aged 65-79 grew at an average annual rate of 1.9%. In the 10 years ended June 2010, there was also an increase in the proportion of the population aged 80 years and over (80+), from 2.8% to 3.5%.

New Zealand needs to begin to seriously consider improving access in all walks of life – including in tourism, travel, and hospitality – if we are to manage the opportunities presented by the ageing of the population and the resulting changes in ability in our population and the populations of countries that are our major tourism markets.  We can only build a truely sustainable tourism sector by including access considerations.  Unlike our main rivals, we are as yet taking very few steps in this direction.