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

New Zealand’s Inaugural Universal Design Conference will take place in Auckland on 24 May.  The conference is supported by Auckland Council, Lifemark, and the Ministry of Social Development.  Universal Design (UD) is a design concept that aims to create environments, products, learning programmes and systems that can be used by as many people as possible. “Universal Design makes things more accessible, safer, and convenient for everyone….[It] is a philosophy that can be applied to policy, design and other practices to make products, environments and systems function better for a wider range of people. It developed in response to the diversity of human populations, their abilities and their needs” (IDeA Center, University at Buffalo, State University of New York). In the tourism, travel, and hospitality  environment, using UD concepts leads to activities and attractions, restaurants, and cafes, and all forms of transport that are usable by all people, able bodied and those with a disability, seniors who are not as agile as they once were, travellers with heavy bags, parents with pushchairs and so on. 

There are several good reasons to think about Universal Design in New Zealand.  Firstly there is much talk in central and local government circles about inclusiveness and liveable communities but a lack of understanding of what this really means.  Secondly, the rebuilding of earthquake-damaged Christchurch is a great opportunity to build a city for all people.  Thirdly, New Zealand has a high rate of accident and injury.  A growing population means that medium and high density housing is the way of the future.  Finally, as with most countries, New Zealand’s population is ageing.  In addition, tourism is a major industry in New Zealand, and already about 43% of our international visitors are 45 years old or older.  Using universal design in developing our tourism industry is a must if we are to retain and grow this visitor sector.

The aims of the conference are to raise awareness of universal design and how it can benefit society and businesses, and to inspire individuals and organisations within the built environment industries to take the initiative and lead New Zealand towards creating places that are enjoyable and safe.  The conference is aimed at people involved in the built environment industries (design, development and construction), business, planning, infrastructure, economic development, human resources, environmental design, residential facilities, community service, policy, strategy and anyone interested in creating liveable and inclusive communities.

Discussion topics will include UD theory, demographics and the ageing community,  human rights, social and economic benefits, future proofing, local government policies, strategies and plans, housing, and commercial development, building codes.

It is heartening to see that, in a new article about “10 Tips to Improve Business” on the New Zealand Tourism Guide (NZTG) website, that Number 5  is ”If your business caters especially well for disabled visitors, make sure you sing out about it – promote it online, in print and to specialist websites and publications”.   However, it is disheartening to see that on an “Accessible Accommodation” page, the NZTG website  STILL (March 2013) has the statement:

“For travellers with visual impairment, it is important to check whether accommodations welcome your guide dog”.

Access Tourism NZ first pointed out in May 2010 that under NZ legislation, guide dogs 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.  Denying access to a person with a guide dog is a serious offence under NZ law, and – as recommended in 2010 -  it would be well if NZTG changed this statement to better reflect the legal obligations of accommodation providers.

It is also disheartening to still see a page headed People with Special Needs, which is an unfortunate use of language.  NZTG is part of the Yellow Pages Group.

A recent poll on the website of New Zealand’s main tourism industry body (TIA) concerned tourism businesses self-assessing for how well they “look after disabled travellers”.   Access Tourism NZ (ATNZ) wrote about how negatively worded this survey was and pointed out that no useful conclusions could be drawn from the results.  The comments of ATNZ,  and comments by New Plymouth Accessibility NZ blogger Nic Steenhout were carried in a story by New Zealand’s most important weekly tourism Ezine “Inside Tourism “, along with comments from TIA communications manager Ann-Marie Johnson.   Johnson said that TIA’s weekly website polls aim to highlight an issue of interest to members and provoke discussion on the topic inside their businesses. Like similar informal polls it makes no claims to being a scientifically accurate survey.  “In this case, we used the poll as a way of drawing attention to a useful study by the New Zealand Tourism Research Institute on the tourism needs of people with hearing loss. A link to this study was included in TIA’s December Insights Quarterly.  To further encourage members to read the study, we also decided to run a poll on the issue.  The format of the poll limits the detail we are able to include in the question and answers. It was certainly not our intention to offend, but rather to highlight the issue to TIA members and we believe it has helped in that aim.”

The study on the tourism needs of people with hearing loss was lead by ATNZ director Sandra Rhodda for the National Foundation for the Deaf (NFD) through the Tourism Research Institute.  ATNZ is heartened by the fact that a short summary of the study was included in the TIA Insights Quarterly and a link to the full report was given.  Hopefully TIA members have not been put off reading the full report by the negative wording of the poll.  The NFD report is in fact the only report to date on the tourism needs of people with disabilities in New Zealand – in this case, people with hearing loss.  We have no information at all in New Zealand on how many people with disabilities currently travel in or to our country, how many would like to do so, what prevents them from travelling here, and what would encourage them to visit.  We have no understanding of the potential of this market for New Zealand as the research has not been done.  For a summary of the state of accessible tourism in New Zealand, see this overview and Chapter 8, Volume Two, “Accessible Tourism in New Zealand”.   For a summary of the kinds of supply and demand research needed in accessible tourism in New Zealand, see this research agenda.

A couple of days ago we at Access Tourism NZ  noticed a survey on the Tourism Industry Association of New Zealand home page aimed at NZ tourism operators (screenshot below).

The survey was headed “How well does your tourism operation look after disabled travellers?”  There were 4 choices from which operators could choose one.  They were:

1. We make a real effort
2. We try but it’s challenging
3. Not enough of them to bother
4. Dont know

There was some conversation about the negativity and poor language of the survey on Twitter, and Nic Steenhout of Accessibility NZ wrote a blog about the survey.  Nic rightly criticised the use of the term “them” in selection 3 and said “THEM? I assume the survey author meant “people with disabilities” when they wrote “them”. What a sure way to build a barrier between tourism operators and customers with disabilities. I am disappointed that such language is still used by major organisations in 2012.”  He went on to point out that this survey asked operators to assess themselves, when TIANZ should ask visitors with disabilities to assess tourism services to get an accurate picture of how well they are looked after.  Indeed, my research has shown that NZ tourism operators often say their businesses are accessible to people with disabilites when they are not (see this research).

Now TIANZ has replaced the survey with another.  We are not sure if this is due to the criticism of the survey or because TIANZ is satisfied by the number of responses they received and hope to analyse the input from those (the number was 13 resposes last time we looked).   Whatever the reason for pulling the survey, we at Access Tourism NZ believe that no person with a disability was consulted for the constructing of this survey, and no useful information can be gained from it.

Nice to see that Tourism New Zealand (TNZ) has mentioned the growing importance of the Baby Boomer tourist, – albeit concentrating on healthy, active ones.    TNZ CEO Kevin Bowler told delegates at a recent TIA summit that if tourism operators are to pick one segment to concentrate on it should be active Boomers.  He said that Boomers aged 48-68 are healthier, more active and more wealthy than in the past, have the time to travel, prioritise travel among their expenditure choices, and are (along with Gen X) high spenders.    Boomers  are aware they have to tackle their bucket list now and get the most out of their time by travelling and doing the things they want.     Bowler told delegates that the seniors market is really two markets – the younger, active, healthier one of those under 68, and older less healthy and less active seniors.  He said that TNZ is thinking about how to promote to the active Boomer segment.

Bowler’s acknowledgement of the importance of Boomers is very welcome as it is  only very recently that this market has received passing acknowledgement by upper levels in the tourism industry in New Zealand. To Access Tourism NZ’s knowledge, the first brief mention of the fact that “travellers in the older age groups will become even more significant in the future” occurred in the Ministry of Tourism* report, Tourism sector profile: International visitors (2009). In 2010, the Ministry recognized not only that Boomers are already New Zealand’s largest domestic market segment, but also recognized the role that disability may play in travel by this group. The Domestic Tourism Market Segmentation report notes that for New Zealand’s largest market  segment (Boomers) the “major barriers to travel are health or disability….” (MED 2010 p. 30).   Unfortunatley, by saying this, the report reinforces the idea that it is a person’s disability that is a barrier, rather than environments such as inaccessible transport and accommodation that are disabling, and which therefore reduce tourism and travel opportunities for people who are not as agile as they once were or who have disabilities.

Access Tourism NZ is unsure why TNZ is to concentrate on “active” and “healthy” Boomers.  What we need is to respect all Boomers for the economic force they are rather than disregarding the increasing number who will be less active and/or have disabilities as they age, but who will still want to travel. We need to talk about – and be ready to welcome – ALL Baby Boomers and seniors, “active”, “healthy”, or otherwise. Not to do so is to ignore a large – and growing – market.  After all, as Boomers age and begin to experience increased disability, their travel and tourism needs will dovetail into those of the already-present huge disabilities sector, which New Zealand essentially ignores.  Currently, about 1 billion people worldwide have a disability – this is equivalent to the population of China!  Add to this figure the family or others who travel with the person with a disability and the market is even larger for accessible tourism.  We ignore this market to our peril.

*The Ministry of Tourism is now part of Economic Development in the The Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment.

Accessible and inclusive tourism has been little researched or developed in New Zealand (NZ).  One study published in 2007  showed that tourism operators do not understand this market, think it insignificant, and think their businesses accessible when they are mostly not.  Erroneous access information is often given to potential visitors with disabilities, buildings housing tourism information sites are often inaccessible, and tourism websites – including a government-run website – are often difficult or impossible to access.  In addition accessible tourism is not part of NZ’s tourism strategy.  This is in spite of the fact that comparatively rich Baby Boomers and seniors were- recently recognized by the Ministry of Tourism (MoT – now part of the Ministry of Economic Development) as NZ’s largest domestic market, and recognized by them as a market with members who may not travel because of health and disability concerns (Segmentation Report).

On the local level, while two or three councils have begun to include considerations of access in tourism information (albeit mostly through business self-assessment of access), most councils have no plans to develop accessible tourism (council survey).  Only about half of Regional Tourism Organizations (RTOs) know of the few accessible tourism businesses in their area, and few promote these businesses as accessible.  Only two of the  approximately 30 RTOs (and one of the approximately 80 councils) sent a representative to the first NZ accessible tourism conference in October 2010, showing that there is still little interest in this sector.

While no-one from the MoT –  or from its promotional agency Tourism NZ – attended that inaugural  conference, the central government – spurred on by holding the Rugby World Cup in 2011 – funded an NGO called Be Accessible to (amongst other things) create and administer access assessments of businesses.  In a major step forward, about 20 accommodation businesses, 70 activities and attraction), and 50 eateries and retail outlets have been assessed and listed on their website.  These are predominantly Auckland businesses, but the Auckland council tourism website does not carry or link to this information.   Be.Accessible has also posted access tips, a toolkit, and checklists.

The most recent NZ research – funded by the NZ National Foundation for the Deaf (NFD) and undertaken by the NZ Tourism Research Institute (NZTRI) and by AccessTourismNZ – examined the tourism, travel, and hospitality experiences and needs of local and international people with hearing loss.  The research shows that they travel for the same reasons as others, mostly travel with others, and would like to travel more but are prevented from doing so by cost and concern that their hearing needs will not be met.  Their most important access travel needs are good customer service, staff who have a “can-do” attitude, and reliable information about access for people with hearing loss, which they often find wrong or misleading.  The majority (90%) of NZ respondents and over half (55%) of international respondents feel that the level of service in the NZ tourism industry for visitors with hearing loss needs to be improved.

Apart from the work mentioned above, no other research on accessible tourism in New Zealand has been carried out.  In fact, there is more interest overseas in what NZ accessible tourism is like than there is in this country.  For example, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) sponsored AccessTourismNZ to talk about the NZ situation at an internationa conference in Japan in 2010, and ENAT and Fundacion ONCE did so for an international conference in Spain in 2011.  In NZ, there is little will to understand, discuss, attract, and accommodate this large and growing market.

An older, more extensive report on the state of accessible tourism in New Zealand is available here.

The New Zealand National Foundation for the Deaf (NFD) is an NGO which promotes the interests of nearly half a million deaf and hearing-impaired New Zealanders. It has seven member groups.  Recently, it supported research into the tourism experiences, wants and needs of people with hearing loss.  It has now produced “Yellow Cards”, which provide clear, concise information to businesses on how to communicate with people with hearing loss.  The cards – in their plastic holder –  can be displayed  on public reception counters.   Currently, with funding from the ASB Community Trust, they are being distributed free in the Northland/Auckland region.  The cards help both the person on reception and the hearing impaired person to communicate effectively.  For the hearing impaired person, they are a reminder to tell reception that they have trouble hearing.  They remind the person on reception to:

• Face the person who has a hearing loss
• Speak slowly
• Not shout
• If necessary, write down the points they are trying to make.

Enquiries about the cards can be made on the NFD website.

In 2011, the New Zealand National Foundation for the Deaf (NFD) commissioned the New Zealand Tourism Research Institute (NZTRI) to conduct research into the tourism, travel, and hospitality experiences and needs of people with hearing impairments.   Hearing impairment ranges from slight hearing loss to total loss. The research was led by Dr. Sandra Rhodda, Research Programme Leader in Access Tourism. The research included two surveys, one for residents of New Zealand (“NZ”) and one for residents of countries other than NZ (called Internationals, or “Int”) who are deaf or have hearing loss.   The aim of the research was to find out what it is like to travel with hearing loss, how the travel experiences of hearing impaired people can be improved, to establish what people with hearing loss want in terms of tourism products and services, and to offer a better understanding of Access Tourism as a legitimate tourism market.  It also evaluated the case for the development of a ‘Hearing Tick’ for tourism businesses that cater for people with hearing loss.

In summary, the survey found that

• The top four reasons why NZ and Int respondents travel in general are: for enjoyment (84%/91%), to connect with friends, family or partner (84%/59%), to have new experiences (65%/72%), and for relaxation (53%/57%).  In other words, for the same reasons as people without hearing loss travel.
• NZ respondents on average took 7.18 overnight domestic trips during 2010; this is more than the number of domestic overnight trips (4.2) taken by NZers in general. NZ respondents took either one (30%), two (11%), or three or more (10%) international trips during 2010. Forty-nine percent did not travel internationally.
• The primary reasons NZ respondents took their most recent domestic trip were to be with friends and family (31%), to holiday (25%), for business (11%), or to attend conferences (10%).
• The majority (82%) of NZ respondents travelled with at least one other person on their most recent domestic trip – mainly a spouse or partner (73%). Eighteen percent travelled alone.
• On their most recent domestic trip, NZ respondents stayed an average of 4.6 nights away from home, and spent on average $107 per person per day on transport, accommodation, activities and attractions, and food and beverage.
• Thirty-three percent of Int respondents took between three and five domestic overnight trips in their own country. The mean number of domestic overnight trips taken by Int respondents was 6.8.
• Forty percent of Int respondents did not take any international trips during 2010. Of those who did travel internationally, the majority (83%) took between one and three trips.
• Forty-three percent of Int respondents have previously visited NZ, 47% have never visited NZ but plan to do so one day; 10% have never visited and have no plans to do so.
• For those Int respondents who have been to NZ, the main reasons for their last visit were ‘holiday’ (42%), to be with friends and/or family (15%), and to attend a conference or similar event (13%).   The majority (83%) of Int respondents who visited NZ travelled with at least one other person on their  last visit – mainly their spouse or partner. Seventeen percent of Int respondents travelled by themselves to NZ.  On their last visit to NZ, Int respondents stayed an average of 13.2 days.
• Just under half (46%) of NZ respondents are somewhat dissatisfied with the number of domestic overnight trips they currently take. Factors that prevent these respondents from travelling more domestically are cost (74%), a concern that their hearing needs will not be met (37%), and difficulty finding information about access for visitors with hearing loss (24%).  Fifty-nine percent of NZ respondents ‘agree’ or ‘somewhat agree’ that they would take more domestic overnight trips if the level of service for people with hearing loss across the tourism industry in NZ was improved.
• Just under half (43%) of Int respondents are somewhat dissatisfied with the number of international trips they currently take. Factors preventing Int visitors from taking more international trips are cost (73%), time constraints (54%), concerns that their hearing needs will not be met (33%), and difficulty finding information about access for visitors with hearing loss (25%).
• Both NZ and Int respondents agree (mean 4.4-4.6 out of 5) that the most important access needs when travelling away from home include customer service staff who have a ‘can-do’ attitude and the provision of reliable information. This includes information about safety in clear print, emergency alarms in public areas that are visual as well as audible, public audio announcements also provided in text on TV screens, and customer service staff who are knowledgeable about serving guests with hearing loss.
• When asked what other things would make their travel more enjoyable and accessible, both NZ and Int respondents highlighted the importance of understanding, patient staff trained to know how to accommodate people with hearing loss, how to meet their needs, and what to do in an emergency.
• Over two-thirds (70%) of NZ and half (52%) of Int respondents indicated that it is difficult to find information about NZ tourism products that are accessible to people with hearing loss.
• Forty-two percent of NZ and 29% of Int respondents agreed with the statement that ‘information about services for the hearing impaired is often wrong or misleading’.
• The reasons most often stated by both NZ and Int respondents for not seeking information about NZ tourism products were: a lack of knowledge on how to seek information and a perception that it is too hard to find. Some also think the information does not exist, and that businesses do not cater for people with hearing loss.
• The majority of NZ (90%) and over half (55%) of Int respondents feel that the level of service in the NZ tourism industry for people with hearing loss needs to be improved.
• Nearly two thirds (60%) of NZ and three quarters of Int respondents indicate they would ‘often’ return to a tourism business that has good services for people with hearing loss; 64% and 76% would tell friends and family about such a business.
• The majority of both NZ (88%) and Int (89%) respondents think it is a good idea to have a hearing-rating symbol that NZ businesses could use to show they are accessible to people with hearing loss.
• The main reasons given by both domestic and Int respondents for saying the use of a ‘hearing tick’ is a good idea are: to show that people with hearing loss are accepted and provided for, to reduce anxiety and frustration, to make the business easily recognisable, to promote awareness by businesses of people with hearing loss, and to improve first time and repeat patronage by people with hearing loss.
• The majority of NZ (83%) and Int (91%) respondents indicate that they would visit a website that had reliable information on tourism businesses in NZ that cater for people with hearing loss.

The full report can be found on the NZTRI site and on the NFD site.

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.”

An event held during New Zealand Sign Language Week (May 2-8) has highlighted the fact that more deaf people would more often attend sign language interpretation of art in galleries if it was on offer. So says NZ Sign Language interpreter Brydee Jenkins Strang.  The Dunedin Public Art Gallery (DPAG) held a tour of the Beloved collection last Sunday, with Strang translating guide Eryn van Dijk’s discussion. This tour was the only interpreted gallery tour in New Zealand for Sign Language (NZSL) Week, and was the second time it was run. The Beloved collection shows popular works in the DPAG collection such as pieces by New Zealanders  Colin McCahon and Reuben Paterson, and by Claude Monet.  Deaf Aotearoa New Zealand (DANZ) community relations officer Jenna Holland attended the tour, and said deaf attendees enjoyed the event and would like more translated events. “Deaf community members like visualising and describing things,” said Holland.  She would like to see an exhibition of work by deaf artists with a related workshop to introduce people to sign language and the deaf arts community.  DANZ focuses on promoting awareness of, access to, and advancement of NZSL and provides information and resources on D/deaf New Zealanders, and D/deaf culture.  DANZ held a workshop on sign language for
gallery staff during Sign Language Week. NZSL is NZ’a third official language –
the other two are English and Maori.

DPAG visitor host Rosemary Jackson-Hunter said the gallery would like to hold more events like the interpreted tour. “We are considering doing something for people with impaired sight,” said Jackson-Hunter .

A search of the DPAG website reveals that there is no information about access to the gallery for people with any type of disability, and no way to search for such information on the website.  While a few other galleries (and museums) in New Zealand do have such information, an extensive search for disabled access at other galleries and museums throughout New Zealand shows that their websites lack access information about their premises.

Last week, Karen M wrote to Access Tourism New Zealand seeking information about a hoped-for trip to New Zealand.  Karen lives in New South Wales, Australia, and experienced a stroke in May 2009, from which she is recovering.   She wants to visit our shores – particularly the south island, but maybe Rotorua in the north island too – with her husband, and – like several dozens of other people every year – sought advice about a possible trip from Access Tourism New Zealand.  Just over six months ago, we published a response to a similar request from one of the many people  seeking accessible tourism information.  Access Tourism New Zealand has again decided to post a public response as the situation in NZ remains almost the same as that of six months ago.

Dear Karen,

It would be so great to see you and your husband (who is willing to wheel you anywhere accessible) in New Zealand, and I really wish I could offer you advice about where to get information about accessible places that you could visit or stay at, but that information is essentially non-existent.  At least reliable information is virtually non-existent.  The most reliable is the newly set up website “Be. Accessible”, which has assessed some accommodations, eateries, attractions and so on for access but so far only in the Auckland City area, so not of much use to you I am afraid.   Another source of reliable information is the newly-released Taupo District Council brochure which has accommodations and attractions etc that have been assessed by a person with Barrier-Free training.  I say reliable because these are accommodations and so on that have actually been independently assessed for access for people with a disability, and their accessibility is described.  If you do visit Rotorua, you could then head south to Taupo with this brochure.  There are a couple of other websites which list accessible accommodations, attractions etc, but may I advise caution? The businesses  listed have been rated as accessible by the owner or operator, but my research has shown that operators do not often know what true access for people with disabilities is and so often claim their premises are accessible when they are not.

 As I don’t know the full extent of your access needs, I can’t advise you to “wing it” in New Zealand as you suggest.  I really have not myself checked out the accessibility of tourism products along the routes you describe and would hate to give you misleading advice.  And there is nowhere you can go to for such advice that I know of I am afraid.  I do not have the knowledge about accessible accommodations and walks that you so desperately need.   I see you have tried to download the brochures about “Easy Access Walks” put out by our Department of Conservation and could not do so.  I am not sure why.   I would in any case suggest caution using these guides as some of the walks that I have checked myself in the past were really not that accessible for a person in a chair, or with mobility disability, even though they are stated as wheelchair accessible.  I have to confess though that I have not checked them all.   In case you do want to depend on these, the north island walks can be found here, and the south island here.

There are a handful of operators in New Zealand who offer accessible tours (I will email you a list), but I have not checked these out personally and so can not speak with authority about them.  As we have no quality rating system for Access Tourism products, it is hard to tell.  One thing you could do is write to them and lay out your needs so you can be quite clear that those needs will be met.  Another thing you could do is to have a look at the Access Tourism NZ website for descriptions of trips others have taken in New Zealand (for example, Jim Llewellyn, Bruce Mumford, etc).  And then, if you do travel around New Zealand, it would be helpful to others if you were to let Access Tourism New Zealand know of your experiences so that we can pass on that information to others.

 I wish that information about Access Tourism in New Zealand was more easily available and relaible, but until more funding is forthcoming for research, quality rating, and description in this area, I am afraid all I can do is offer you my apologies for not being more helpful.  The Be. Accessible Foundation is to receive NZ$4 million from the government over the next four years to advance their access programme so I am hopeful that that will lead to more reliable information about Access Tourism products throughout New Zealand in the future.

Regards, Sandra.

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.

In a positive step forward, the New Zealand Government has recognized the skills, knowledge and economic power of older people and how these will benefit New Zealand’s economic competitiveness in the next 40 years.  Minister for Senior Citizens John Carter – in releasing a report called The Business of Ageing, Realising the economic potential of older people in New Zealand: 2011-2051   – said that in less than 20 years, one million people in New Zealand will be over the age of 65, compared to about 560,000 today. And in 40 years, one in four people will be aged over 65, compared to one in eight today.  “People over 65 are predicted to be our only growth market in terms of demography. They will become one of the most significant consumer markets in New Zealand. They will have their own needs and preferences that are quite different from earlier generations of older people, and also quite different from younger people.  Baby boomers will be healthier, better educated and have more spending power than any other generation reaching 65 in New Zealand’s history.  They want to stay active and keep working. Flexible work options could drive job growth and help us respond to projected skill and labour shortages.  Government cannot work in isolation to develop priorities for older people, so buy-in from the business sector, employers and people of all ages is essential to capture the possibilities this report outlines” said Carter.

That the mature market is hailed as a good example of an opportunity for New Zealand, both domestically and internationally is a major step forward.   The report mentions tourism amongst other things.  Certainly, in tourism, there has been little recognition of the growing importance of this market.  The first mention of the fact that “travellers in the older age groups will become even more significant in the future” occurred in the Ministry of Tourism’(now part of the Ministry of Econmic Development) report, Interenational Visitors Tourism Sector Profile, in June 2009.  Then last year (2010), Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism John Key said that moteliers should not be surprised if their market becomes increasingly retired people. “They will travel around New Zealand as they will have more time on their hands and will want see the West Coast or whatever and you will get more of them as at the moment New Zealand has 535,000 over 65 and in 40 years it will have a million.” said Key.    Also in 2010, the government released a report which recognized the importance of the older market.  The report – Domestic Tourism Market Segmentation - went on to state that major barriers to this group travelling are “health and disability (their own or that of a travelling companion) as well as lack of travelling companions”.    

This latest report states that ”A tourism industry that responds to the changing demands of baby boomers over 65 could have spin-off effects for other industries and stimulate regional economic growth”. As Access Toursm New Zealand has pointed out on numerous occassions, if New Zealand is to seriously market to and cater for older travellers (or indeed, older markets in general), it has to take into consideration that disability increases with age, and must improve its access tourism offer.  Instead of seeing a person’s disability as a barrier (as the Segmentation Report does), it must look at  environment factors such as inaccessible tourism websites, transport, accommodation and other innaccessible products as disabling.

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.

Bill Forrester, of Travability Australia, who gave a presentation at the first New Zealand conference on Access Tourism (AT) in October 2010 about how tourism businesses may comply with access legalities, but not promote this fact, also spoke recently on this topic at the Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality (SATH) conference in Florida.  Forrester thinks that we are at a critical turning point in the future of AT.  Over the past 20 years the advocacy concentration has been on breaking down the physical barriers that prevented People with Disabilities (PwDs) from accessing holiday destinations.  Now the problem lies in the fact that the travel industry has failed to move beyond a compliance model.  Facilities are built but are poorly understood if they are understood at all, and even where facilities are excellent the accessible tourism sector is not regarded as a valuable market segment, or not understood as a market segment at all. “The result is that those facilities are never disclosed, never advertised and never published in a way that the travellers who need those facilities ever get a chance to know where they are.”  Now, it is recognized that progress will result if the mainstream industry understands the economic benefit AT can bring the tourism sector.  Forrester cites The Shotover Jet in Queenstown New Zealand as an example of a business that accommodates PwDs by offering accessible services but which does not publish this fact.   “….they are providing a service because they believe “it is the right thing to do” not because they see a valuable market. It is accommodation of a traveller with a disability not true inclusion.” 

Forrester points out the current and growing economic importance of the PwD market, and the folly of continuing to treat it as disabilities rights issue.   “Too often the provision of accessible information, like the provision of the facilities themselves, are regarded as an afterthought or part of a special marketing project to provide information out of a perceived community service. The results are often “special” brochures or special web portals that are forgotten about or become out of date once the project that created them has finished. While the intention may good the results will always fail as that information is not mainstream, further unless the person for whom it is intended actually knows about it, then it can be as hard to find as the actual facilities themselves” (Travability).  He cites another New Zealand example where this type of thinking fails. “The Department of Conservation in New Zealand recently produced two guides to wheelchair accessible and easy walks, one for the North Island and one for the South Island. Both of those brochures were never properly displayed and hence most people didn’t realise they existed. The far better solution would have been to incorporate the information into the mainstream trail information in their main National Parks brochure.”  Elsewhere, Forrester sees things improving. “The tide is changing and a great example of a truly inclusive culture is Parks Alberta with their “Push to Open” initiative, but unlike a lot of other disability projects this one is embedded into the vision statement of the organisation.”

Accessible Options was set up in 1993 by Alexia Pickering to provide a range of services to commercial, government, tourism, community and private bodies. Alexia and Accessible Options provide consulting and advisory services for optimising new premises for accessibility, access audits on existing premises, and information valuable to travellers with disabilities travelling to or in New Zealand. Alexia is currently focusing on providing a mainstream solution for accommodation providers to enable them to display on their website, a standard set of information on the accessibility of their premises for guests with disabilities. The “Accommodation Accessibility Appraisal” is already in use by several accommodation providers in New Zealand, however it is a long way from being standard information provided for disabled travellers. Read more about Alexia and Accessible Options

Alexia has developed an Accessibility Questionnaire that is becoming more accepted by the accommodation industry in New Zealand. The information derived from the questionnaire provides a quick reference for visitors on the website about their specific accessibility requirements. Time spent searching and phoning the establishment to understand their facilities can be shortened by them having this information on their website. Alexia is currently campaigning to have her Accessibility Questionnaire adopted as a standard information service by the accommodation industry in New Zealand. Read more about Alexia’s Questionnaire and how to support it’s progress into the mainstream.

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!

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

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.