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.