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

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.”

The newly released New Zealand Regional Visitor Monitor (NZRVM) shows that the percentage of  domestic visitors who are 45 years of age or older visiting regions in New Zealand has increased over the last several years.  To the year ended March 2011, that percentage was 44%.  The percentage of international visitors 45 or older has remained fairly stable at around 29-32%.  But this percentage is bound to increase as Baby Boomers retire and begin to travel more.  The NZRVM also shows that for both domestic and international visitors, to “Challenge and Test Myself” is not a high motivator to visit, but New Zealand still promotes itself as an adrenalin destination.  Nothing wrong with that, but we should balance that out by looking at who our visitors  actually are and who they will be in the future.  There are very few grey hairs in New Zealand tourism advertising.   Hopefully the New Zealand tourism sector will take note of actual trends and begin to include older people in planning and advertising, as advocated by Access Tourism New Zealand many times before (most recently, here).

Meanwhile, in the USA, mainstream USA marketers are  working to target people over 45 – territory they previously left untended.  Why? There are more Americans aged 51 today than any other age, the average Baby Boomer is now 54, and the largest group of Boomers is aged 50-55.

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.

Taupō District Council has released a new brochure designed to make it easier for people who have a mobility issue to get around and enjoy what the district has to offer.   The Taupō District Access Brochure is a joint venture between Taupō District Council and the Taupō Mobility Access Reference Group (TMARG). TMARG is a community group who meet regularly to look at access issues in our community on behalf of people with a range of restricted mobility, sight and hearing impairments.  

The brochure will inform community members and visitors to the district of accessible facilities, such as banks, ATMs, accommodation, dining, parking, public toilets, respite care and medical facilities.  The brochure will be available from Taupō district i-Site’s and respite/retirements homes, and will also be on the Taupō District Council website. 

The six month project involved auditing every public facility in the CBD of Taupō, Turangi and Mangakino, and giving a rating of poor, moderate or good. Accessible Taupo Project worker Lucinda Stone, together with TMARG member Chance Anderson – who has skills gained from his Barrier Free Audit training – took on the task of checking and rating the facilities.  Access Tourism NZ applauds the fact that assessments of facilities have been done independently.  “Too often in Access brochures, opertors such as accommodation owners rate their own facilities as accessible, when quit frankly, they have no idea of what true access is” said Sandra Rhodda of ATNZ.    ”Kudos to this council for going the extra mile and doing the job properly”.

Production of Taupō District Access Brochure is kindly supported by Lakeland Disability Support Trust.

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.

The New Zealand Tourism Research Institute at the Auckland University of Technology is conducting research for the New Zealand National Foundation for the Deaf about the tourism, travel, and hospitality experiences and needs of people with hearing impairments. There are two surveys in this research, one for residents of New Zealand and one for residents of countries other than New Zealand who are deaf or have hearing loss and who are 20 years old or older.   The aim of the research is to find out what it is like to travel with hearing loss, and how the travel experiences of hearing impaired people can be improved.   There are a number of questions where participants can simply click on an answer from a range of options given. Other questions ask participants to type comments in their own words into a box provided.  The survey takes about 20 minutes to complete, and all answers are confidential and can in no way be linked to any person.  

To take the survey, go here:  http://www.tourismandhearingsurvey.co.nz/

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sandra Rhodda of Access Tourism New Zealand gave an invited presentation at the Third International Congress of Accessible Tourism for All in Valladolid Spain in November.  She spoke about people with disabilities, access tourism, and arts and culture in New Zealand.   The congress – held over three days – was attended by more than 300 people from Europe, the U.K., Asia, and the Americas, and comprised a number of presentations and concurrent workshops on progress and business initiatives in developing Access Tourism, professional training, employment, and research in Access Tourism, presentations on access, culture, and the environment, disabled students as access tourists, Access Tourism and technology, and Access Tourism rating, standardization, and labeling systems.  The Congress was backed by Fundacion ONCE, the largest disabilities NGO in Spain, and the European Network for Accessible Tourism.

 The main theme of the congress was cultural tourism and was therefore aimed at professionals in the cultural sector wishing to enhance their participation in the tourism sector.  It had as a main goal that of establishing Universal Accessibility and Design for All, with which to promote inclusion of people with disabilities.  One of the main goals of Fundación ONCE is to ensure the full inclusion of disabled people in all areas of society. Making access to cultural tourism easier for disabled people helps them get to know the culture of the place they are visiting. On the other hand, incorporating Design for All into the new cultural tourism offerings makes more people aware of the importance of Design for All and Universal Accessibility.

A timely presentation was that given by Juan Aljama from the Accessibility Commission of Spain, who spoke about the work of the Group of World Heritage Cities of Spain (Accessible Heritage and Tourism section).  The Group was created to preserve and promote thirteen historic cities in Spain, and the access section is involved with assessing and improving access for locals and visitors with disabilities.  One of the thirteen cities – Avila – this week won the first-ever European Commission award for improving access for the disabled (The Access City Award 2011)

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

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

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

Areas of interest include:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The New Zealand Government and Air New Zealand are to pump another $1.2 million into promoting New Zealand as a tourist destination in the wealthy Japanese market, which has seen numbers decline sharply since a peak 10 years ago writes Vernon Small in Tokyo. At the same time the big Japanese tourism operator JTB is planning to lift the number of charter flights it operates to New Zealand from 14 to 60.  Numbers of Japanese visitors to New Zealand have dropped from more than 180,000 a decade ago to 88,000 currently. Hopefully, New Zealand will target the older age group in this, the world’s oldest country.  The population over 65 in Japan is currently 22% or about 27 million, those aged 61 to 63 number 18 million (Invest Japan), and ageing in Japan is happening at a greater rate than elsewhere (Reuters).  The mean and median age in years is about 44.5 (IPSS). According to an article in the Nikkei in August, Japanese aged 60-70 are emerging as an important source of economic vitality, as they are proving to be active spenders keen on making the most of their post-retirement years (Silver Group Asia). Data clearly shows that older consumers are more eager to spend than those younger than them. In 2009, consumption by people age 60 or older grew 1.2% from the previous year despite the economic slump. But spending by people under 30 plunged 7.3% amid anxiety about the future.

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

Auckland City

New Zealand’s first Access Tourism Conference, held by the NZ Tourism Research Institute October 4, 2010 at Auckland University of Technology, had excellent post-conference press and blog pickup, and Access Tourism was mentioned elsewhere.  Pickup included: National Business Review, Business Scoop, Voxy, Silobreaker, the Otago Daily Times, the Rolling Rains Report, the Bill Forrester Linked In discussion group, Travability on LinkedIn and on the Travability website, the Apparalyzed Forums, the Low Visionary website, the Accessible Tourism Research website, Travel Memo, on the NZ Maori Party website, the European Network for Access Tourism website, the eTravel Blackboard website, Accessibility News International, Inside Tourism eZine 14/10/2010 (article by Anne McLaren) (IT807), the Campus Daily website, the American Association of Retires Persons website, and in the Tourism Business magazine (October November 2010, “Could you be ignoring 11% of the market’.  Pp 16-17.  Author: Annie Gray, editor).  In addition, Access Tourism was mentioned in a speech to parliament by Rahui Katene MP  for Te Tai Tonga, and the Minister for Disability Issues includes Access Tourism in two speeches; article here.  These speeches were then picked up by various media and NGO websites.

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.

Inside Tourism reports that JetStar’s latest TV commercial highlights actors who are older than usual which saw CEO Bruce Buchanan being congratulated. “There are images of an older age group in the ad which is wonderful to see and we request you to have a word with TNZ (Tourism New Zealand, which markets NZ to the world) about it,” he was told by Carolyn Deuchar of the New Zealand Tourism Research Institute (NZTRI). “I’ll take that up,” he replied.   NZTRI has a Research Programme Area devoted to Access Tourism (tourism, travel, and hospitality for people with disabilities, seniors, and Baby Boomers who will experience increasing disability with age).  Guy King of Select Tours said he endorsed the idea of marketing to Baby Boomers. He said “TNZ has failed miserably because you get a lot of advertising showing bungy jumping and skydiving and they have largely ignored the baby boomer market.   Yet that is where a lot of the money is and that is something that needs to be addressed. I would strongly  recommend it.”  Tourism Auckland outgoing CEO Graeme Osborne added: “I can assure you that TNZ has modified its thinking to reflect that. The new broom at TNZ is taking into account those market characteristics.”  Access Tourism NZ is pleased to see that TNZ has modified its thinking and looks forward to seeing the results of this modification.

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).