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

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

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

Equal treatment and equal access for Europeans with disabilities in all spheres of life – that is the goal of the European Commission’s new European Disability Strategy 2010-2020, which was unveiled in Brussels on the 15 November.  The plan outlines how the EU and national governments can empower the one-in-six (80 million) people in the European Union with disabilities so they can enjoy their rights.  Specific measures over the next decade range from the mutual recognition of national disability cards, the promotion of standardisation to a more targeted use of public procurement and state aid rules.  The strategy includes a list of concrete actions and a timetable.   It focuses on eliminating barriers and includes “Participation” as one of the eight main areas for action.  Participation includes the right to full access to cultural, recreational, and sports activities, and the Commission will work to “improve the accessibility of sports, leisure, cultural and recreational organisations, activities, events, venues, goods and services including audiovisual ones”.

The Commission will regularly report on the plan’s achievements and progress complying with its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities which it has signed.  The Convention specifies participation in cultural life, recreation, and sport as a right, including the right to access tourism venues and services (Article 30). 

The commission “will also consider proposing a “European Accessibility Act“, which would set EU standards for products, services, and public buildings.”

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

Guest article by Anna Huebner, Masters student at the Aalborg University in Denmark and intern at the New Zealand Research Institute, Auckland University of Technology

In July 2011 the Olympic Committee will decide if Munich will be admitted to the selected circle of cities to host the winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2018.  After almost 80 years, Munich and its surroundings may again become the scene for the  games. Moreover, the city could become the first to host the Winter Paralympics in Germany after their official introduction in Örnsköldsvik/Sweden in 1976.   In former times, sport events for the physically disabled significantly lagged behind the fame of those carried out for the ‘non-disabled’. In 1988, the term ‘Paralympics’ became an official designation. The term  para-lympics was used to stress the movement of the Games taking place para-llel to the Olympic Games and to recognize their equal importance in the sports world. Undoubtedly, the Paralympics have gained momentum over the past two decades. From 250 participants from 17 nations in 1960, Vancouver welcomed over 500 sportsmen from more than 45 nations earlier this year, competing in five major disciplines (Alpine Skiing, Ice Sledge Hockey, Biathlon, Cross-country Skiing and Wheelchair Curling).

While there have been some problems with Munich’s bid, their application has experienced a major upswing last week with the announcement of the first ‘friend of the bid’, the Riessersee Hotel & Spa in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. ‘Friends of the bid’ is a recently-launched concept to engage local stakeholders in the Olympic application. According to Juergen Bruehl, managing director of Munich 2018, such partnerships demonstrate “that major regional tourism organizations acknowledge the enormous legacy potential of hosting the Games in 2018”. The Riessersee Hotel & Spa is to bring a significant enhancement to the bid, particularly with regard to the Paralympics. 50% of the hotels’ rooms are already wheelchair accessible and, if Munich wins the bid, major replacements will follow to become 100% barrier-free. Gert Zinn, manager of the Hotel Riessersee & Spa, highlights that the area aims to create “the most inclusive Winter Games ever”. Comments like this will be a driving force behind the bid and will also strongly promote ‘Barrier Free Winter Sports Tourism’ to Germany’s Alps region.  However, one of Munich’s bid competitors, Annecy, already has a reputation for barrier free winter sport. “We should point out that it was in the Haute-Savoie department, at the Grand Bornand resort, that the first Disabled Alpine Skiing World Championships were organized in 1974”, says Egdar Grospiron, the managing director of the Annecy bid.  “Since then, the region has undertaken many actions to improve competitive and leisure sports possibilities for people with disabilities.”

The attention given to the Paralympics by the bidding cities may also indicate that these Games have, indeed, significantly gained in popularity among audiences. This popularity will be accommodated with the greatest media coverage ever of the event with more than 100 hrs on the public broadcasting channels ARD and ZDF in Germany.  The city may have an advantage over its competitors not necessarily because Germany led the medal table at the Paralympics in Vancouver 2010 (in front of Russia and Canada), but because of Munich’s concept of guaranteeing the ‘inclusivity’ of the Paralympics and of combining winter sports culture, innovative technological ideas and sustainability.

A just-released report commissioned by the UK Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills, and the Office for Disability Issues presents arguments for why business should improve access for people with disabilities.   The “2012 Legacy for Disable People: Inclusive and Accessible Business” is the result of work by Atkins Management Consultants who reviewed existing messages and communications to SMEs about people with disabilities, developed more compelling messages, and looked at the case for focusing on the disabled as customers.  In summary, the report found that:

• Disabled consumers in the UK are a significant (10.6 billion people) but poorly addressed market worth £80 billion p.a.
• 83% of disabled people have to take business to more accessible providers
• Disabled customers may account for up to 20% of the customer base at an average business
• The risk of losing business to a more accessible competitor is high as consumer experiences of disabled people affect the choices of family and friends
• Business benefits associated with better accessibility include a rapidly expanding customer base, increases in revenues and profits, loyal customers, improved reputation, and a distinct competitive advantage

 The report notes the strong link between age and the prevalence of disability and that, as the population ages, there will be more disability in future.The main barriers to SMEs improving access include low levels of awareness about the business opportunities of improving access, misconceptions around the cost of improving access and what access means, misconceptions and discomfort about disability and awareness, fear of getting it wrong, dominance of legal compliance issue.

 UK Ministers have urged business to see improving access as a way of becoming more profitable in preparation for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London in 2010. One million disabled visitors are expected in London for the games bringing with them millions of pounds in business.

2010 Legacies Now Measuring Up

The Vancouver Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games held earlier this year have left lasting legacies for the disabled. Will New Zealand take the same opportunities presented by holding Rugby World Cup in 2011?  It is probable that we have left things a little late to make any large differences, although some progress is being made.  Access Tourism NZ has already described how planning to improve access around the London Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012 began in 2004 and is ongoing.  In the case of British Columbia, the organizing committee for the Vancouver Games  (VANOC) knew from the beginning that its responsibility was not only to organize and stage successful Games that upheld the values of the Olympic and Paralympic movements, but also to improve the communities in which those Games would take place.  VANOC’s sustainability targets also included social sustainability.  In 2000, the Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation partnered with the Province of British Columbia to establish the 2010 Legacies Now program. Since that time, 2010 Legacies Now has worked with more than 4,000 organizations province-wide, investing in programs that will be self-sustaining legacies in the areas of sport, healthy living, literacy, arts, volunteerism and accessibility.

 The planned legacies of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games are numerous and multi-faceted. Of interest to Access Tourism are the following:

• precedent-setting planning and accountability through ongoing stakeholder engagement with consortiums representing persons with a disability
• enhanced accessibility in Whistler and Vancouver for people with disabilities; Whistler is now one of the most accessible resort communities in the world
• barrier-free guidelines for accessible events and accommodation
• A program called Accessible Tourism, a collaboration between 2010 Legacies Now, the Province, Tourism BC and other partners to help 3,600 tourism businesses and 27 recreations measure their accessibility and learn how to improve it so they can draw and serve people with disabilities, young and old (Scrapbook, p.15)
• The Measuring Up program, supported by 2010 Legacies Now along with the Province of BC, which helped more than 100 communities assess and improve accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities, including the elderly. Examples of the types of projects supported through Measuring Up include enhanced sidewalks and more accessible parks and transit options.
• Built environment:
  •  Richmond’s Speed Skating  Oval designed to meet and exceed national accessibility standards
  • Whistler Olympic plaza was slated to continue to serve as an outdoor gathering place for residents and visitors, equipped with an open grass lawn, amphitheatre seating, a 13,000 sq ft playground that is accessible to people with and without disabilities, outdoor performance spaces and public art commemorating the Games
  • The Olympic and Paralympic Village Whistler, located a short ride away from venues for Olympic and Paralympic athletes and officials, has a blend of accessible apartments, townhomes and hostel accommodation alongside a High Performance Centre
  • The new Vancouver Olympic Centre, which includes swimming pool change rooms  equipped with movable screen walls so all users, including those in wheelchairs, can use them more easily
  • City of Vancouver project “City Hall Community Garden”, with 40 new plots, eight of them accessible to seniors and people with disabilities
  • Three state-of-the-art playgrounds in Vancouver, Whistler and Richmond, which enable all children, able and disabled, to play together

Beach wheelchairs for the disabled are becoming more common.  To give just two examples from opposite sides of the world, the Tel-Aviv-Jaffa Municipality (Israel)  just purchased six of the chairs for four of its beaches.  The chairs are designed to enable people with mobility disability to move around on beach sand and enter the water.  There are plans to increase the number of such chairs available.  In  Brunswick Heads (Queensland, Australia), the Disabled Surfers Association with assistance from The Northern Rivers Community Foundation and Byron Shire Council have purchased four “four-wheel-drive” beach wheelchair.  Owen Danvers, who gave one of the chairs a test run at Torakina Beach, said it was a huge bonus for Brunswick Heads’ disabled residents and visitors.  “For a lot of people, just to be able to get their feet wet is an experience, especially for those who’ve never been on the beach before.”   Ted Kabbout, of the Disabled Surfers Association, said the chairs could also be used by the elderly.  “With the ageing population, there are a lot of people who haven’t been down to the beach for a long time who can now think about getting there again.”  Mr Kabbout said the purchase of the chair was the first step in a push to make Brunswick Heads beaches more accessible. In the long term, he would like to see accessibility ramps built at various locations on the river and beaches.  “Brunswick Heads is such a good location for these things to be in place. It’s the perfect fit. It doesn’t cost a huge amount, we just need the will,” Mr Kabbout said.

Photo Courtesy National Sports Centre for the Disabled

Christchurch New Zealand is to host the 18^th International Symposium of Adapted Physical Activity (ISAPA2011) in July 2011.  The International Federation of Adapted Physical Activity (IFAPA) holds these symposia every two years.  IFAPA is a cross-disciplinary professional organisation of individuals, institutions, and agencies concerned with promotion and dissemination of knowledge and information about adapted physical activity. The International Symposium of Adapted Physical Activity is a vehicle to raise local awareness and provide an outstanding setting for local professionals to interact with world leaders and international colleagues in adapted physical activity. ISAPA 2011 will give New Zealand the opportunity to make an international contribution to adapted physical activity. Participants at ISAPA include practitioners, researchers, scholars, pedagogues, scientists, teachers and students in a broad spectrum of fields. Fields include regular and adapted physical education, community and therapeutic recreation, dance and creative arts, sport training and competition, leisure education, psychomotor therapy, kinesiology, medicine, nutrition, rehabilitation, special education, occupational and physical therapy, and many other areas.

Video reports from all 64 matches of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ will be broadcast in International Sign on FIFA.com.  For the first time, the Official Website of FIFA and the FIFA World Cup is enabling deaf and people with hearing impairments across the globe to follow all 64 matches of world football’s showpiece event even more comprehensively. International Sign, also known as IS, is an international auxiliary language used at international meetings such as the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) Congress and events such as the Deaflympics. The WFD represents approximately 70 million deaf people worldwide, and assists in making sign language available to deaf people, especially regarding matters of education and information. “Football is a universal sport and it must be accessible to everyone. We are therefore delighted to be offering this service for people with hearing impairments and the deaf,” said FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter. All International Sign match report videos will be available at FIFA’s official website, FIFA.com soon after each game.

South African Disability Alliance (SADA) members burnt tyres at the South African Football Association House earleir in the year to protest lack of accessibility to 2010 World Cup stadia by people with disabilities.  The Nigerian Voice reports that they also demonstrated outside the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg to protest lack of amenities provided for them at host city stadia during the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament in June. About 100 members of SADA also handed over a  memorandum of demands to FIFA local organising committee (LOC) CEO Danny Jordaan.  The Mail and Guardian reports that Jordaan, on accepting the memorandum, said only three stadia were not accessible to the disabled, and that while people in wheelchairs had to buy tickets, the people pushing the wheelchairs did not.  ”We care about you,” said Jordaan, explaining that there was a memorandum of understanding signed between SADA and the LOC. SADA has demanded that the LOC ensure a safe and equitable environment for all spectators with disabilities, including at fan park facilities.  It also wanted to see an accessible transport plan approved and implemented by all host cities.  The protests where held in March.  Since then, efforts to improve access have become news (see 3 May 2010)

Contributed by Veroniek Maat, Intern, NZ Tourism Research Institute, Auckland University of Technology, and Masters Student, Wageningen University, The Netherlands

Cape Town is making sure that hotels, stadia, transport, and transport hubs in the city are fully accessible to people with disabilities (PwDs), not only for the FIFA World Cup, but for decades to come.  Cape Town Tourism chief executive Mariette du Toit-Helmbold says that “ World Cup has provided us with the perfect opportunity to ensure that our city is accessible to disabled visitors. Extensive efforts have been made to ensure disabled visitors can access not only World Cup stadiums, but also public transport, hotels and other facilities. I believe disabled visitors will see for themselves that Cape Town has left no stone unturned in its quest to make the city accessible to them and Cape Town Tourism wishes them a thoroughly enjoyable stay in the Mother City. “

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In a press release today, Tourism Vancouver says it aims to have all businesses assessed and rated for access for people with disabilities soon.  The press release states:

 Thanks to a ground swell of interest and funding that followed Vancouver’s successful bid to host the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the BC travel industry began making many positive adjustments to ensure Vancouver’s accommodations, restaurants and attractions are accessible to people with disabilities.

“The Games are a catalyst for change of the very best kind” says Bruce Dewar, CEO of 2010 legacies now , a not-for-profit society that partners with organizations, businesses and governments to develop sustainable legacies in sport and recreation, healthy living, arts, literacy, volunteerism and accessibility. “We are using the Games as a driver to get people thinking about how to make this one of the most accessible places in the world.”

This is more than simply a feel-good proposition. One in eight people worldwide live with a disability. In North America alone, travellers with disabilities spend more than $13 billion each year on travel. Together they are one of the fastest growing market opportunities in the world.

In the years leading up to the 2010 Winter Games, Vancouver’s tourism businesses began positioning themselves to tap in to that market with the help of 2010 Legacies Now and its partners. Through the accessible tourism strategy , accommodations, restaurants and attractions in BC are assessed on their capacity to serve people with disabilities. Businesses that fulfill certain criteria in the accessibility assessment earn the right to display icons that address their wheelchair accessibility, visual accessibility, and hearing accessibility. The information is also compiled with the goal of providing clear and consistent information to disabled travelers.

Visitors searching for accommodation on Tourism Vancouver’s website can now specify to search specifically for accessible accomodation listings. In addition, a growing number of attractions, such as Vancouver Aquarium and the Museum of Vancouver, feature their accessibility icons and information on their Tourism Vancouver listing. The intent is to have all businesses assessed and rated soon.

“The part of this project that excites me the most is how tourism has embraced it,” says 2010 Legacies Now’s Bruce Dewar. “The Games are the tipping point and things will carry on from here.” According to Tourism Vancouver’s Walt Judas, “Thinking about how we can meet the needs of locals and travellers with disabilities – that’s now embedded in the way we do business.”

Reprinted from the Tourism Vancouver website

“The Paralympic Games are an international level sporting event that was created to parallel the Olympic Games and let people with physical disability showcase their athletic abilities. By not working out a deal to televise the Paralympics, NBC and the USOC are quite simply discriminating against those athletes. “  Agree?  Go here to sign a petition to get the Paralympics televised.

For some people with physical disabilities, a day at the beach can be unacheivable. Valerie Schuler of The Aucklander reports on the frustration felt by one young wheelie because of inaccessible beaches, and describes how inaccessible many Auckland beaches are.  Problems include lack of disabilities parking, barriers such as high kerbs, changing rooms inaccessible to wheelchairs, and stairs but no ramps to the beach.  “In some countries, ramps go all the way to the water.”

The UK Department for Culture, Media, and Sports has launched “Accessible Tourism: Making it work for your Business” on behalf of the Accessible Tourism Stakeholder Forum for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

It sets out the business case for Accessible Tourism and the economic potential in providing better services and encouraging more tourism from people with disabilities (PwDs). It was launched by Margaret Hodge, Minister for Culture, Creative Industries, and Tourism who in the Foreward points out that

“No sensible person in business makes life more difficult for their customers. The most successful businesses make life easier.  By making your own hotel, guesthouse or tourist site more accessible, you are instantly making your business more attractive to at least 11 million potential disabled visitors from here in England, and millions more from abroad.” 

In fact the the number of PwDs worldwide is currently about 600-900 million, which represents a significant market

According to the report, there is a huge economic potential in providing better services and encouraging more tourism from PwDs. New figures from the UK Tourism Survey highlight the importance of this sector: 12 % of all overnight domestic trips in England between January and June 2009 were made by visitors with access needs, or those accompanying someone who had access needs. This amounts to 5.7 million trips, contributing almost £1bn to the economy in just six months.

PwDs tend to take longer holiday breaks than the average – four days as opposed to the average length of stay of three nights – and therefore tend to spend more money per trip (£216 as opposed to £197 overall). Once PwDs have found accommodation that suits their needs, they can be loyal customers returning year on year.  They tend not to travel alone and are often accompanied by carers, family or friends. Over 50 per cent travel with a partner, 20 per cent with a child and between 21-25 per cent with a companion2. This will increase occupancy and bring in extra revenue.

Operators are reminded that with an increasing number of customers likely to be of an older age (and therefore increasingly disabled), they may need to make some improvements to their facilities. “The over 50s buy 40 per cent more holidays than the under 30s, averaging five or six breaks per year.”  

The potential is great. “Nearly half (48.6 per cent) of those with a limiting disability and just over a third (34.6 per cent) of those with a non-limiting disability did not take a holiday that lasted at least a week in 2007/08, and that when asked 15 per cent and 23 per cent respectively said that they would consider going on holiday in the UK if the conditions were right. If all of those who said they were prepared to take a holiday were encouraged to do so then this would also boost volume and value of tourism for UK businesses.” (DCMS)

Leading up to, and beyond, the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, 2010 Legacies Now has worked with the Province of BC, Tourism BC, and numerous other partners to help make BC a premier travel destination for people with disabilities.  2010 Legacies Now has created sustainable social and economic legacies around British Columbia in the lead up to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games.  They strategically invested in programs, organizations and communities, and through their networks, leveraged existing relationships and facilitated new partnerships to create self-sustaining community legacies.  This includes in the arena of Access Tourism.

2010 Legacies Now has supported programs and community projects which will continue to live for many years, creating an even greater impact than could have ever been imagined through social change and social innovation.

As a result of this legacy development work, 2010 Legacies Now and a number of their programs have been awarded Vancouver 2010 Sustainably Stars.  The Sustainability Star program recognizes Games-related sustainability innovations, focusing on social, economic or environmental benefit, including in Access Tourism. 

2010 Legacies Now is recognized internationally as a leader and innovator in community legacy development and social change and they are very proud of the work they  have been able to accomplish together with their partners. The legacies from the work will continue in communities throughout BC well beyond 2010.

Leading up to, and beyond, the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, 2010 Legacies Now is working with the Province of BC, Tourism BC, and numerous other partners to help make BC a premier travel destination for people with disabilities.

Accessible Tourism Strategy

With one in eight people worldwide living with a disability, travellers with disabilities make up one of the fastest growing tourism market opportunities. In North America alone, people with disabilities spend more than $13 billion each year on travel.

Using the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games as a catalyst, the Accessible Tourism Strategy aims to establish BC as a global leader in accessible tourism, and to help create lasting legacies in BC communities.

Why does accessible tourism matter?

People with disabilities represent a growing population of travellers. There are:

• 638,000 British Columbians with disabilities 
• 4.4 million people in Canada with disabilities
• 54 million people in the USA with disabilities
• 60 million people in Europe with disabilities
• 650 million people worldwide with disabilities

These numbers increase significantly when expanded to include seniors with accessibility needs; the friends, family and caretakers who travel with people with disabilities; and people with temporary accessibility needs such as injury, pregnancy and families using strollers.

Accessible tourism is tourism for all - and it benefits everyone:

• Consumers get more choice
• Businesses and communities access a significant and often underserved market
• BC demonstrates its commitment to equity and fairness
• People with disabilities become more engaged in community life
• Businesses have access to a larger number of employable people
   

Social Sustainability

As a result of the legacy development work with Accessible Tourism, we have been awarded Vancouver 2010 Sustainably Star.  The Sustainability Star program recognizes Games-related sustainability innovations, focusing on social, economic or environmental benefit.

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Intensely active older men and women who have the means and see the twilight years as just another stage of exploration are pushing further and harder, tossing aside presumed limitations. And the global travel and leisure industry, long focused on youth, is racing to keep up (Kirk Johnson, New York Times).

Companies specialising in older travellers are seeing both an increase in volume and an increase in age. Some older folk pursue challenges close to home, mastering a headstand or the perfect side crane balance on a yoga mat. Others go far afield, such as to the Rockies, Everest, or the South Pole, walking, biking, climbing, wing-walking – you name it.

“This is an emerging market phenomenon based on tens of millions of longer-lived men and women with more youth vitality than ever imagined,” said Ken Dychtwald, a psychologist and author who has written widely about ageing and economics.   And the so-called experiential marketplace — sensation, education, adventure and culture, estimated at $56 billion and growing, according to a new study from George Washington University — is where much of that new old-money is headed.

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In Brazil, Aventura Especial is a non-governmental organization which has worked with the Brazilian Ministry of Tourism for the inclusion of people with disabilities in the world of adventure travel and ecotourism.  Adventura Especial offers consultancy to tour operators with an interest in inclusive travel. Almost 25 million people in Brazil – about 14.5% of the population – have some kind of permanent disability. Add people with temporary disabilities, and you have a market whose tremendous potential Aventura Especial strives to demonstrate. “There is a customer out there who needs to be reached,” says Founder and President Dadá Moreira.

Priyanka Shelat reports in The Inclusive Planet that the Indian Tourism Ministry has mandated that all star-rated hotels are to be disabled-friendly by October 2010, when the Commonwealth Games begin in India.

The Ministry recognizes that people with disabilities and older persons are now becoming a growing group of consumers of travel, sports and other leisure oriented products and services. It wants to tap the potential of this group for promotion of tourism destinations in the country. The Ministry has therefore, taken the initiative to make the tourist facilities being created with central financial assistance barrier free.  It has tried to address major concerns to make the classification norms of hotels friendlier for disabled persons by adopting international best practices.  Existing and new hotels of all categories across India will now have to comply with the requirements for disabled persons in respect of accessibility, reports Disability India.