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

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.”

At a time when New Zealand is focused on recreating the built environment of ita second-largest city (Christchurch), a new enterprise has launched with two significant and potentially contributory new initiatives: New Zealand’s first nationwide accessibility programme, Be. Accessible, and the first nationwide disability leadership programme of its kind, Be. Leadership.

At its launch event at the Auckland War Memorial Museum, Be. Institute formally presented the two programmes and outlined the vision for what the institute, through its initiatives and partnerships, can do to foster accessibility and enable a 100% accessible society for all New Zealanders.

The mission is social change: to improve the accessibility of the physical environment, enable better access to information, promote the inclusion and leadership of disabled people in employment and the community, and change social attitudes and behaviours.

In many respects, the timing of the launch is optimal. One Be. Institute project, the Be. Test Match, will be rolled out through the Be. Accreditation programme (part of Be. Accessible) to the 12 New Zealand cities hosting Rugby World Cup 2011.

In the first phase, the Be. Assessors will visit key locations in each of the 12 cities and assess stadia, fan zones, i-SITES and other relevant locations such as hotels.

However, the organization’s aims for its programmes reach beyond this sporting event. By the end of May 2011, Be. Accessible will have trained 40 Be. Assessors, who will be equipped with the tools and know-how to perform holistic assessments of the aforementioned sites, and thousands of others over time.

They will be able to cover the whole accessibility journey, asking questions like: how accessible is the organisation’s website,  what is the level of customer service, how accessible is the building entrance, interior and products, and are the business / organisation’s marketing materials accessible to all people?  Any business can book an accessibility assessment from a Be. Assessor and learn how they can change their practices or structure to make their organization more accessible.

The Be. Institute was founded through a partnership between the Auckland Council, the Auckland University of Technology (AUT) and the Auckland District Health Board.  Be. Institute is led by chief executive Minnie Baragwanath, who before founding Be. Institute worked for 10 years in the disability sector, advising to the former Auckland City Council.

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.

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.

Planning is well underway for the 18^th International Symposium of Adapted Physical Activity (ISAPA 2011) in Christchurch, New Zealand, and registration is now open.   The conference is being held at the Hotel Grand Chancellor, July 4-8 2011. The International Symposium on Adapted Physical Activity (ISAPA) is held every second year to provide physical activity professionals with an opportunity to share their knowledge and experience.   Adapted physical activity (APA) is a professional branch of kinesiology / physical education / sport & human movement sciences, which is directed toward persons who require adaptation for participation in the context of physical activity.  ISAPA programmes include research presentations, building sessions for the discussion of new ideas, practical workshops for new activities and an international film contest. In addition to the ISAPA, regional conferences are held regularly by the Asian, European, and North American regional organizations.  International Symposia are held alternate years.  ISAPA adds new details regularly to their website about New Zealand, visa requirements, accommodation, and biographies and photos of keynote speakers.   

If you have any queries about ISAPA 2011 please contact them by emailing isapa2011@tcc.co.nz or visit the website at www.isapa2011.com.

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

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.

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).

About 50 people attended a seminar on Access Tourism given in mid-May by Sandra Rhodda of the New Zealand Tourism Research Institute (NZTRI)and Director of Access Tourism New Zealand.  The seminar was held at Auckland University of Technology.  (AUT).    Audience members included tourism operators, business people, academics, and individuals from local councils, Qualmark, a government member, and people from a variety of NGOs.   Rhodda gave a summary of why New Zealand needs to develop an Access Tourism sector, mainly from the perspective of the economic imperative to do so.  She also gave examples of developments in Access Tourism in the rest of the world, pointed out how New Zealand is lagging in this area, and discussed the kinds of research that New Zealand needs to do to get such an industry sector going.  To see the presentation, go here. 

The seminar was a prelude to the up and coming one day conference on Access Tourism - also to be run by NZTRI/AUT at the central Auckland campus – on October 4th.  The conference will look at various aspects of Access Tourism, including some of the following: the current situation NZ and worldwide, website access and information best practice, government strategy, policy, and obligations, best practice in transport , accommodation, and attractions access, legal aspects, and quality rating for Access Tourism products in New Zealand.  It will also include brainstorming sessions on strategies for advancing the development of Access Tourism in New Zealand and developing collaboration as a tool to advance that development. These topics are based on those most popularly picked from a list of possible topics in an online survey. Registration and programme details will be available shortly on this website and on the NZTRI website.

October 4 2010 has been set as the date for the first ever conference in New Zealand on Access Tourism.  The conference will look at various aspects of Access Tourism, including some of the following: the current situation in NZ and worldwide, website access and information best practice, government strategy, policy, and obligations, best practice in transport , accommodation, and attractions access,  training for access in the tourism and hospitality sector, legal aspects, and quality rating for Access Tourism products in New Zealand.   It will also include brainstorming sessions on strategies for advancing the development of Access Tourism in New Zealand and developing collaboration as a tool to advance that development.  These topics are based on those most popularly picked from a list of possible topics in an online survey.   The conference is being run by the New Zealand Tourism Research Institute at Auckland University of Technology, and will be a no frills sustainable event.  For more information, contact sandrarhodda at hotmail.com.

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

During the Leaders Summit ’10 seminar in Auckland on the 4^th of June, sponsors, partners and experts came together to discuss the impact of the Rugby World Cup 2011 on New Zealand’s tourism, media, sports and creative industries. Martin Snedden, Chief Executive of the RWC 2011 pointed out that not only the bigger cities will be hosting the games but smaller towns like Whangarei, Hamilton, Napier, Rotorua, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Nelson, Dunedin and  Invercargill. By planning the games across the whole country, tourists will also reach less known areas, bringing profit to all regions.  Snedden pointed out that New Zealand will play a hosting role, not only a sports event. The RWC offers opportunities for regions to ‘show off’ by organizing festivals and looking after the people visiting. He also said that New Zealand will not have enough beds to accommodate all RWC tourists. To increase the number of beds, 3 cruise ships will be used (2 in Wellington, 1 in Christchurch). Additionally, New Zealanders will be asked to rent out private homes and to volunteer as hosts to make sure all the visitors will have a place to stay. The volunteer recruitment program was launched on the 9^th of June on the RWC 2011 website. It would be a good idea if the recruitment team emphasized that volunteers could rent out their homes to  senior tourists and visitors with a disability. People who are less mobile or have a visual, hearing or intellectual impairment need a comfortable place to stay during the RWC and would probably prefer not be sleeping in a backpackers dorm or cruise ship. Many seniors and people with disabilities will not be able to fit in with lack of comfort, as youngsters and more able adults will be able to. As Snedden noted, ‘hosting will be the thing that makes the big difference’ and the RWC offers a platform to show what New Zealand can do.

Hold on to your hat, we are off to a conference!!

Want input into an Access Tourism Conference being planned for Auckland, NZ in October?  Go here to have your say.  Even if you don’t plan to attend, you can still give us valuable input.  So far, we have had 62 responses.  This form will only run a few more days so do it now!  Thanks, ATNZ.

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

Regional festivals, art and culture exhibitions, food tasting events, and markets are planned in anticipation of the Rugby World Cup 2011 to be held in New Zealand.  During the six week event, locals and visitors will be keen to explore more of New Zealand, enabling the regions to showcase their industries, people, arts and culture.  As the regions get ready to host overseas tourists and Kiwis, events have been listed on the Festival Programme 2011, an official RWC2011 site. Welcoming visitors means welcoming all ranges of potential visitors, including children, youngsters, adults, seniors, men, women, foreigners, locals – and people with disabilities. 

The events presently listed on the Festival Program give very little or no information about access, whether access for visitors with a visual, hearing or mobility impairment. Parts of this  website are still under construction but few of the events listed at the time of writing have taken into account  visits from the disabled. Outdoor events such as festivals and markets state nothing about disabled parking lots, paved paths, ramps, Braille trails, or audio tours. Regrettably, out of the 49 events listed, only one of the theater performance group shows engagement with less mobile visitors by describing on their website ease of access to their shows.  

The museums and galleries of New Zealand will also open their doors for RWC tourists. The Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa in Wellington has included visitors with a disability in their strategy. Disabled parking, adapted guided tours, education programs, wheelchairs, a scooter, audio guides, captions on videos and hearing loops are provided in this venue and people with disabilities will feel welcomed. Govett Brewster Art Gallery is also pro-active in welcoming disabled guests.  It was actively involved with New Plymouths District Council’s Disability Strategy, offered its first Sign Language-interpreted exhibition tour during the Sign Language Awareness Week in 2009, and altered the size of text on wall labels. Besides providing access for the visually impaired, mobility- impaired visitors are encouraged to visit, knowing the galleries’ space lends itself for wheelchair access and wheelchairs are for hire (website). Extensive search for disabled access at other significant museums and galleries throughout New Zealand shows that their websites lack access information about their premises. If New Zealand event producers, museum, and galleries want to offer an “unforgettable RWC experience”to all visitors, they will need to catch up with the access strategies of Te Papa Tongarewa and Govett Brewster Art Gallery.  They should invest in accessible experiences and information provision for people with disabilities because lack of attention for the fastest-growing, largest-spending segment of Baby Boomers (who will have more disability with age), seniors and people with a disability will result in loss of revenues and decline of New Zealand’s destination image.

Access Tourism NZ is pleased that efforts in Auckland around access for people with disabilities (PwDs) and Rugby World Cup 2011 are continuing.  We first noted on this website last month that Auckland is leading the way when it comes to this topic.  Now the latest Auckland’s Rugby World Cup 2011 Newsletter (May 2010) lists a discussion of disabilities and RWC as one of six newsworthy items.  The newsletter is aimed at tourism businesses and in the article – titled “Don’t miss out on a big part of your audience” – operators are given compelling reasons for catering for PwDs. 

Minnie Baragwanath, Auckland City Council’s disability programme advisor, says in the article “The Disability Resource Centre has been doing a lot of work looking at the facilities at the key venues and we’ve received a really positive response. People are keen to know what they can do to help.”  One of the first initiatives Minnie’s team is tackling is having mobility scooters available to visitors to the city.  Then she plans to study access implemented at other world-class events.  “Nick Morris from Melbourne is helping us put together an action plan of what we want to achieve. Nick’s worked on accessibility planning at the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics, so he’ll be a great source of ideas.”

The next step is to communicate to businesses about what they can do to ensure people with a disability can access their business.  “It might be something as simple as whether a disabled person can actually get into your shop.”  To aid in this, an Event Ready kit for businesses – which will be available early next year – will include information on how to improve access.

 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.

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.

In 2011, New Zealand will host the Rugby World Cup (RWC2011).  In anticipation of this event, Tourism Auckland has run a series of “Visitor Ready Workshops”.  The workshops were a regional RWC2011 initiative funded by the councils of the region.  In a first for New Zealand, the sessions include one on access for people with disabilities.  Given by Auckland City Council Disability Advisor Minnie Baragwanath, the session can be viewed here on webcasts.  The workshop aimed to help Auckland tourism providers better understand the business opportunity and challenge of the often invisible disabilities market.  Minnie also manages the RWC2011 access work-stream.