Airlines on opposite sides of the globe are coming under fire again for their handling of people with disabilities. For starters, Jetstar’s refusal in April to carry wheelchair-using journalists between Auckland and  Wellington has made it into the Innes Worst of the Year Awards list. The list is created by Graeme Innes, Australia’s Disability Discrimination Commissioner . Innes hands out brickbats and bouquets once a year to those who do great work (or otherwise) for, by, and on behalf of the disability sector in that country. Innes calls the refusal of Jetstar – and also Virgin and Tiger airlines – to carry more than two people using wheelchairs on each aircraft “airline apartheid”.  Meanwhile,  Australian Sheila King has taken action against Jetstar in the federal Court over its “two-wheelchair-only” policy.

In the northern hemisphere, Easyjet unleashed a Twitter storm of indignation when it refused to board a woman with her service dog.  Joanna Jones was trying to board a flight at Gatwick for Belfast and had her dog Orla with her.  She had a week before had no issues with boarding with Orla for the flight from Belfast to Gatwick.  Staff at Easyjet admitted that they could see Orla was a guide dog, but said that Jones needed to provide the paperwork to “make her flight more  ‘comfortable’”.  Easyjet booked Jones on another flight after she received paperwork. Easyjet has been criticised in the past for its policies concerning customers with disabilities.

Scandic – which has 160 hotels in the Nordic region and Northern Europe - is intensifying its successful focus on improved accessibility for visitors with disabilities and others who want improved access. This year, over 100 new accessible rooms will be added to the portfolio and 2012 there will be even more to meet the large and growing demand. Scandic says that more and more companies and organisations seek rooms and conference facilities that are accessible to all.  At the same time the numbers of older, active private travellers who are  attracted by improved accessibility are increasing. Improving accessibility has proven to be a commercial success for Scandic.

Design for All is a key concept in Scandic’s accessibility work. The aim is for the accessible rooms to  be just as well designed as any other room, with practical solutions that go  almost unnoticed, except by those who really need them. Hooks, mirrors and keyholes at two heights are appreciated by children, short adults and those who use a wheelchair. Height-adjustable beds and extra spacious bathrooms are  popular with all guests. Scandic’s comprehensive 110-point accessibility  programme covers everything from team member training to adapted rooms and extensive, detailed accessibility information on every hotel’s website.

“When we take over a hotel, we implement our accessibility programme within three months and, after just one year, we tend to notice more bookings from private guests and from companies and organisations, thanks to our accessibility work. This gives us a clear competitive advantage and, as well as showing our commitment to social responsibility, we see major commercial benefits in being accessible to all,” says  Magnus Berglund, Disability Ambassador at Scandic.

New hotels require smart new solutions

A lowered reception desk for wheelchair users, a guest computer in the lobby at a comfortable height for a wheelchair and an ordinary chair, a hearing loop in conference facilities and reception, and vibrating alarm clocks that also hear the fire alarms are just some examples of smart solutions that ensure a high level of accessibility.   Scandic’s accessibility work remains a core focus in  its new and refurbished hotels, with numerous examples of best practice. To read about these, continue here:

Scandic Victoria Tower, the new spectacular 34-floor hotel in Kista, Stockholm, Scandic which shows that it is  perfectly possible to offer disabled rooms with fantastic views high up in the  building, with the help of fire-safe elevators that allow wheelchair users to  evacuate the building easily.

The flagship Scandic Grand Central opening soon in central Stockholm (Oct 2011) proves that it is also possible to  incorporate accessibility into a 130-year-old property.

This year Scandic Sydhavnen in Copenhagen will become Scandic’s most accessible hotel in Denmark, offering 11 new rooms for disabled and a reception, restaurant and conference area all on the entrance level, with easy access from the car park.

“We have worked hard on accessibility for eight years and learned a great deal about
these complex issues, but there is still of course to do,” says Magnus. “We have entered an exciting phase, where interest and bookings show our accessibility work is appreciated by many more people than just the guests with a disability.”

For more information about Scandic’s accessibility work visit

http://www.scandichotels.com/en/Always-at-Scandic/Special-needs

For more information, please contact:

Magnus Berglund, Disability Ambassador, Scandic, phone +46 709 73 50 77

Christine Kullgren, Head of Corporate Communications, Scandic, +46 709 73 56 34

A New Zealand tourism trade publication is looking for feedback on the recently revamped Tourism New Zealand website.  Specifically, they are asking:

Is the site effective and why?
Does it work for your company?
Does it achieve what it has been set out to do?
Is the main page too large?
How easy is it to navigate?
Is the home page confusing?
Does it work on smartphones etc?
Any further comments?

The website: http://www.newzealand.com/

Please send your response to “editor(at)insidetourism.com” and tell them if you are a potential visitor in or to New Zealand, or are you in the NZ or international tourism industry?  Please advise if your comments are ON or OFF the record.

THE EDGE in Auckland New Zealand is now offering a new initiative called SIGNAL. This programme offers Sign Language Interpreted performances for the deaf or hearing impaired and Audio Described performances for blind or vision impaired patrons. The Edge run the Aotea Centre, Auckland Town Hall, The Civic and Aotea Square. During shows for the visually impaired, a sign language interpreter stands at the side of the stage so people can watch the performance and the signing at the same time. Audio described performances involves people wearing headsets – similar to those used in conferences for translation – and a trained audio describer sits at the back of the theatre describing the non-verbal aspects of the performance, including introductory notes before the performance describing the set, costumes and characters.  Patrons can find out about upcoming sign language and interpreted performances on the SIGNAL website. Read more here.

Auckland Transport is introducing a number of initiatives to help make public transport more accessible to a wider range of people. The initiatives are part of a long-term focus on improving accessibility to transport for people who currently find it difficult to access public transport for a range of reasons, for example limited mobility, various and different impacted abilities due to age, vision impairment.  The aim is to provide safe, accessible transport services for as much of the Auckland population as possible. It includes the whole travel experience from when someone seeks to access information about their travel options until they arrive at their destination. The first improvements are focused on better customer information on public transport services and facilities. Some are already available and others will be progressively introduced over the next months.

For more information about the improvements, continue reading……….

MAXX website accessible travel page

All information on maxx.co.nz about accessible travel is now on the same page,
which can be easily found by clicking on the wheelchair symbol on the top right
hand side of the home page or for screen reader users by tabbing to the
accessible travel option. It allows users the choice of reading the text with a screen reader or seeing someone sign the information. It includes information on how buses, ferries and trains can be accessed by people with access challenges. For example kneeling and wheelchair accessible buses, as well as the maximum size mobility scooters and wheelchairs the rail network can carry. There are also contact details for public transport operators so customers can ring them directly, for example, to check if the bus they wish to take has a kneeling bus planned for their service. The accessible travel page also has information on the Total Mobility Scheme. This provides eligible, registered people subsidised door-to-door transport services wherever scheme transport providers (generally taxis) operate

MAXX Accessible VIP traveller

Becoming an Accessible VIP traveller means MAXX can make it easier to get around and help with a person’s specific needs. Registering means the person is essentially treated like a VIP whenever they contact MAXX and their query goes to the top of the queue, in acknowledgement of their challenges creating a more pressing need for problem resolution.  There are minimum registration
requirements, with the focus being on the VIP letting us know how they may want
MAXX to help. This could include simply being updated on accessibility
improvements or a note that the customer has a visual impairment and may need
assistance identifying or clarifying something.

Maxx.co.nz Accessible Journey Planner

The journey planner is now fully accessible for those using screen readers, simply by going to the low graphics link from the MAXX home page. It allows people to find out what their travel options are by entering where they want to leave from, their destination and their desired arrival or departure time.

Better bus stop information

Major improvements to information at bus stops are being rolled out in stages. The aim is to make signs easier to read and understand and provide alternative options to obtain information on bus routes, for example by use of a large print timetable or at the more widely used stops, use of a bus stop audio button which reads the information.  Other improvements include:

 Braille signs at bus stops

 Bus stops with large numbers identifying them

 Maps three times bigger than old versions

 Ability to receive a text with real time bus arrival information on a stop

Transport Accessibility Advisory Group

This group, which has representatives from a number of interest groups, provides guidance and advice to Auckland Transport management and key stakeholders. Its vision is to see the provision of accessible, affordable, integrated, safe, responsive and sustainable public land transport services for people with impairment challenges in the Auckland region.  It will allow Auckland Transport and its public transport operators to gain insight to how they can better provide for the access needs of people with impairment challenges.

Help us help you

You can help Auckland Transport make transport accessible to more people by letting your friends and other networks know about the recent improvements. Encouraging people to sign up as an Accessible VIP traveller will also mean we can keep them up to date on other improvements we make.  If you have any
feedback, suggestions or need assistance please contact the MAXX contact
centre.

(Press release)

Medical tourism is expected to explode as Baby Boomers around the world retire and travel to different countries to receive treatment (AARP).  In the US$2.5 Trillion tourism industry, some US$ 106-billion is considered “Wellness Tourism” and US$ 50-billion as “Medical Tourism”.   According to a recent ABC news release, an estimated 550,000 Americans travelled abroad last year (2010) to take care of their medical needs (Travel Industry Today). That number is projected to grow rapidly in the coming years.  Countries other than New Zealand are gearing up for this growth.  The German National Tourist Board has recently published three brochures featuring details about wellness holidays that tout the quality of healthcare in Germany, as well as the luxurious accommodations that foreign patients can expect (Treatment Abroad).  Mindful that in 2006 alone, some US$350M has been spent on medical and wellness tourism by over 250,000 nonresident patients in the Philippines (Manila Bulletin), the government there is preparing to introduce a new visa, which will allow foreign nationals to stay in the country for up to six months while receiving medical treatment (International Insurance News).   India, Thailand and Singapore are currently the major players in the medical tourism industry and have been building their medical tourism industries over a number of years, developing a reputation for quality and affordable private healthcare.  Taiwan, South Korea, and Malaysia have been stepping up efforts to appeal to more medical tourists.  Taiwan has been heavily marketing its tourism industry, particularly to the Chinese, seeking to capitalize on its high standard of private healthcare and closeness to the growing affluent population on the mainland. South Korea is aiming its medical tourism sector towards Japanese patients seeking better value medical and surgical treatments. Malaysia is promoting its private medical sector, emphasizing the country’s Islamic roots to target clients of Middle Eastern origin.  In turn, Dubai has constructed the Dubai Healthcare City in order to accommodate the rising demand for state-of-the-art healthcare facilities by baby boomers and seniors.

In a bid to promote New Zealand as a medical destination, a NZ company is offering Americans healthcare options that are a third of what they pay in the US.  Medtral set up in California and has commenced promoting cheap elective surgery through the Ascot Hospital in Auckland (eTravelBlackboard).   However, the New Zealand government has not shown any resolve to develop this market.  In fact, the most recent Ministry of Tourism figures for medical visits to NZ show that such visits have remained at around 0.01% of our total visitor count for the last seven years, and medical tourism “has not been something that has been considered’, according to Associate Minister of Tourism Jonathan Coleman (Inside Tourism 742, June 19, 2009).  New Zealand needs to seriously consider developing this sector, along with Access Tourism, if it not to miss out on a lucrative market.

The People’s Action Group on Inclusion and Rights (PAGIR) is a rights movement working to create a society that is inclusive and sees economic contribution as the first step to social inclusion. Towards this end, PAGIR recently set up Himalaya on Wheels (HoW!), an enterprise to promote tourism for all.  PAGIR has partnered with Travel Another India (TAI) to set up this enterprise and develop tour packages in Ladakh for guests who use wheel chairs.

The people who are driving this initiative are:

Gouthami, Shivani, and Vidhya – they form the core group of JwB. 

Gouthami is the CEO of TAI and has the experience of promoting Responsible Tourism Ventures in India (gou@travelanotherindia.com)

Shivani from AccessAbility is an expert in access audits and has the  experience of working on access policies in the tourism industry. (shivani@accessability.co.in).  

Vidhya, a professional in the disability sector, has worked with disability groups and local governments on inclusion and advocacy issues. (hi.vids@gmail.com)

In a recent study on world disability (The Global Economics of Disability), IPS Insights points out the following important facts:

• There are 1.1 billion people with disabilities (PwDs) worldwide -  a market the same size as China
• As Baby Boomers physical abilities change with ageing, the needs of this – the  wealthiest generation in human history – will dovetail with the demands of Pwds;  those aged 65 or older have a disability prevalence of 51.8%
• There is very little research in the marketplace on how disabled consumers react relative to their disability
• Worldwide, PwDs control about US$750B/annum in disposable income (in the USA, $220B, in Canada $30B, in Europe $500B)
• Stakeholder (family, friends of PwDs) number 2B and control US$8.1T
• Business has yet to discover disability as an emerging market

We all like things that make travel easier.  After all, the word “travel” comes from the word “travail” or difficulty (OED).  So anything to ease the journey is welcomed by those who are not disabled, and by the disabled, for whom all travel is adventure travel (Scott Rains).  A case in point is wheeled luggage.  It’s 40 years since the first wheeled luggage hit the market.  According to Travel Mole, Briggs & Riley Travelware “deserve the honour of easing the pain of bad backs, helping marital relationships and allowing people to travel more smoothly, making many of us question, ‘What did we do before the creation of wheeled luggage?’”.   The first wheeled bag was the brainchild of Briggs & Riley’s parent company U.S. Luggage and then-president Bernard Sadow. When returning from Aruba with his wife and their two heavy suitcases, he noticed a skid nearby, and made an inspired connection, turning to his wife and saying, “That’s what luggage needs: wheels.”  The prototype that rolled out of the Massachusetts luggage factory in October 1970 had four wheels and a rope tow to pull it along.  Now wheeled luggage is standard and is a perfect example of how a simple change in usability is good for everyone, abled and disabled.