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.

Baby Boomers in the USA are a quarter of the population, control 80% of personal financial assets and over 50% of discretionary spending, make 77% of prescription drug purchases, and 61% of over-the-counter medication sales. And Boomers are ageing.  By limiting themselves to wooing younger generations, businesses risk shunning a demographic that will continue to be a significant influence in business and political decisions in the U.S. and other developed countries with declining birth rates, writes Michael Janger for brandchannel.com.   Michael goes on to point out that marketers should also be aware of a market that millions of Boomers will become part of because of debilitating conditions associated with aging: people with disabilities.  The disability market currently cannot be ignored: more than 54 million Americans have a disability, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

For decades, consumers who are over 60 have generally been treated as a separate entity in consumer purchasing decisions, as infirmities associated with aging give rise to products and services that specifically accommodate them.   For decades, marketers were used to advertising to younger people  because they typically represented the largest age group.  This group is ageing and Baby Boomers present a challenge for brands that want to capture the aging market, but are not well equipped to understand what the market wants.  A pioneering report from AT Kearney called “What do Mature Consumers Want?” surveyed almost 3,000 people in 23 countries. It found that ”retailers will deal with older consumers who will have difficulty reading labels in their stores, and who need a place to sit down and relax while shopping. For businesses that focus on efficiency for busy younger consumers with little free time, this will be a major change in their retailing philosophy.”   In fact, Boomers are a huge opportunity to engage a new set of brand loyalists. By understanding and adapting to the shifting needs of mature consumers, including looking to lessons learned from marketing to disabled consumers, they can figure out ways to make their products and messages reach a much wider and deeper audience of influencers. As Boomers increasingly cope with the challenges that millions of people with disabilities have been dealing with every day, the consequences could be profound.

To see Michael’s full article, go to brandchannel.com

Barbados Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy told a recent Inclusive Tourism Symposium that the economic benefits of making Barbados fully accessible to all tourists should not be ignored. Noting that in Barbados’ fourth largest market , Canada, people with disabilities account for Can$25 billion in consumer spending, and noting that 2.7 million Britains with disabiites travel annually, Sealy pointed out that it was important to recognize the value of creating accessible spaces for all. He urged   that the efforts by the tourism industry in Barbados to improve accessibility continue and increase. The Ministry has fully supported the development of a Fully Accessible Barbados programme which has just launched a new website to highlight accessible areas on the island.

Scott Rains, of the highly regarded Rolling Rains Report also spoke at the forum, where he pointed out that creating accessibleenvironments not only benefited people with disabilities, but retirees of the “silver tsunami”, who have the time, money, and desire to travel.

Congratulations to Salzburg, winners of the European Commission 2012 Access City Award for excellent infrastructure for disabled citizens. The Award recognizes European cities with over 50,000 inhabitants which take exemplary initiatives to improve accessibility in the urban environment.  In the context of a steadily ageing population living in European cities and its correlation with disabilities, accessibility has important social and economic benefits.  This initiative is organized in partnership with the European Disability Forum and Age Platform Europe assists in selecting the winner.

The award is given to the city that:

• has demonstrably improved accessibility in fundamental aspects of city living:
  • the built environment and public spaces;
  • transport and related infrastructure;
  • information and communication, including Information and Communication Technologies (ICT);
  • public facilities and services.
• is committed to continued improvements in accessibility in a sustainable way;
• can act as a role model and encourage the adoption of best practices in all other European cities.

Three finalist “runners-up” were Kraków (Poland), Marburg (Germany), and Santander (Spain). The European Jury also decided to attribute special mentions in each of the four key areas of accessibility. These went to:

• Terrassa (Spain) for the built environment and public spaces Ljubljana (Slovenia) for transport and related infrastructures
• Olomouc (Czech Republic) for information and communication, including new technologies
• Grenoble (France) for public facilities and services

TOURISM operators worldwide have begun catering for an increasing group of travellers, those with disabilities and the ageing, and many Australians have taken the lead (Rolling Rains Report).  Tourism facilities for people with disabilities have improved greatly over the past decade or so, but with an ageing population it’s becoming more important than ever.  Bruce Cameron, from Easy Access Australia, says people with disabilities can feel enormous anxiety before going on a holiday somewhere new.   ”It can be hard to get information and when you do, you don’t always know if it’s correct,” he says.   Cameron and tourism researcher Simon  Darcy, Associate Professor at Sydney’s UTS Business School have put together a list of ten top global destinations for people with disabilities.  They include destinations in Australia (Port Stephens, NSW, Cairns, Queensland, Uluru, NT, Phillip Island, Victoria, Sydney, NSW), the UK (London), the Pacific (Hawaii), and Asia (Bali, Indonesia, Hong Kong).  Also included in the list are accessible cruises.

According to Enterprise and Industry of the European Commission, not only is making tourism more accessible a social responsibility, but there is also a compelling business case to boost the competitiveness of tourism in Europe.   Why? The population in Europe is aging: by 2050 the number of people aged over 65 will triple that of 2003 and the over-80 will be 5 times more numerous that they are at the moment.  This represents a huge market potential which today remains vastly under-served. Worldwide the number of people with impairments accounts for 600-900 million, representing a significant potential market for Europe.   Many examples show that by implementing basic adjustments to a facility, providing accurate information, and understanding the needs of disabled people, an increased number of visitors has resulted.  Also, improving the accessibility of tourism services increases the  quality and enjoyment for all tourists.  The European Commission is committed to mainstream accessibility in tourism by:

• raising awareness, sensitizing stakeholders and economic operators in the tourism sector
• gathering knowledge about demand from travellers with special access needs
• identifying options to improve the offer of accessible tourism services

The Commission has a publication on improving information on accessible tourism for people with disabilities.  It also has a programme called Calypso which aims to facilitate tourism access for groups for which going on holiday represents a difficult or even impossible undertaking.

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 2011 M-Enabling Summit and Showcase for Mobile Applications and Services for Seniors and Persons with Disabilities will bring together leaders in the global emerging mobile accessibility eco-system to foster discussion and decision-making among mobile technology, aging and disability experts, and policy professionals in the United States and abroad. The Summit’s Inaugural Briefing Session, hosted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will cover the latest legislative and regulatory steps taken by the United States and other countries on mobile accessibility. The event is presented by the Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies (G3ict) and E.J. Krause & Associates (in cooperation with the  International Telecommunication Union and the FCC.  Participants will include representatives from AT&T, Verizon, W3C, Daisy Consortium, the AAPD, AFB, and UNCRPD, amongst others.

Key tracks will highlight new innovations addressing the specific needs of users living with different types of disability, as well as major emerging market opportunities, such as accessible and assistive applications and solutions for travel and tourism.

“More than 5.4 billion mobile phones are in service today while, according to the latest WHO-World Bank Report on Disability, 1 billion persons live with disabilities – 54 million in the United States alone – including a large proportion of seniors,” said conference co-organizer Axel Leblois, Executive Director of G3ict. “The M-Enabling Summit will be the first opportunity for all stakeholders involved to participate in a groundbreaking sharing of experience among mobile industry, private sector leaders, senior and disability organizations, IT professionals, operators, apps developers, government, and accessibility experts.”

The Summit will be held in Washington D.C. from December 5-6, 2011 at the Gaylord
National Resort and Convention Center at National Harbor.

The travel industry should be targeting the over-55 market because fewer students can afford to travel on gap years, says Post Office Travel Insurance, UK. The company says that UK students starting their degrees in 2012 are expected to face an average debt of 56,000 pounds on graduation, compared with around 27,000 pounds if they began their studies this September.  With increased university fees, only 19% of students are considering a gap year or extended break this year.

In contrast, 25% of over 55s Brits plan to take a break of three months or longer, spending more than £4,000 each.  And – importantly for New Zealand – the most popular destinations for “grey gappers” are Australia, New Zealand and the US.
Recent research has shown that people in their 50s who have always wanted to escape are saying: “Let’s just do it”. They are trekking in Borneo, going on a cruise around the world, climbing the Himalayas, or exploring Alaska. There is definitely a desire to do something exciting.  ‘It is often the first thing that a lot of people do when they have retired. They go on a very long holiday’  (Ros Altmann, Saga).

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:

Continue Reading

The Rolling Rains Report writes that the first international certification programme for accessible tourism destinations has been developed and carried out in Lousã, Portugal by the Belgian Accessibility Office, Toegangelijkheidsbureau (TGB).

The Accessible Tourism Destination Certification Programme or ATDCP is based on an extensive audit of the Destination Management Organisation’s accessible  tourism policies, infrastructure, transport, services and visitor information, and includes accessibility assessments of the outdoor environment, overnight accommodation, attractions, and activities and offers for visitors including persons with disabilities, older persons and families with small children.

Designed and developed by accessibility and tourism experts, TGB Belgium, the ATDCP is a completely new destination management tool which provides an accurate measure of the excellence of an accessible tourism destination, based on strictly defined criteria.

The Accessible Destination Certification Programme involves assessment meetings with destination managers coupled with on-site audits and document analysis, thus building a picture of the capacity and level of achievement of the accessible destination.  Each element of the assessment is scored against a set of indicators, thus enabling managers to track the destination’s performance over time and allowing for benchmarking across any number of destinations.

The Programme also provides a tailor-made Action Plan for destination managers, with priorities for improvements to be made in the different facets of the accessible destination.  The Action Plan aims to ensure that the destination will continue to develop and improve its offers to all visitors, giving them fulfilling, accessible experiences, whatever their interests and regardless of their age or abilities.  The TGB Accessible Tourism Destination Certificate is valid for two years, after which time it must be renewed through a re-assessment process.

For background on this advance, see the European Network for Accessible Tourism website.

This year’s November Pro-ICAT conference  Tourism For All in Malaysia will discuss just that, amongst other things.  With an emphasis on what developing accessible tourism can do to promote national and regional economic development, the conference aims to:

• highlight the existence of Accessible Tourism through hosting events that will draw attention to this niche in the tourism sector
• provide information on Accessible Tourism to the public locally and internationally
• make known to the public the obstacles and challenges in Accessible Tourism and ways to overcome them
•  encourage a tourism system in Malaysia that welcomes people with disabilities having good liaison between disabled organizations and tourism organizations so that attractions can be facilitated more systematically.
• encourage the Ministry of Tourism in Malaysia to do more research in promoting Accessible Tourism.
• advocate for the removal of architectural and transportation barriers that prevent people with disabilities from sharing fully in all aspects of our society including going for tours.

In the USA in the past decade, many grandparents have seen substantial and real increases in their household income while their offspring have fallen behind (Metlife).  The percentage of inflation-adjusted household income that accrued to households ages 55 or older has risen from 28% to 34%, which meant a real income increase for those households of $659 billion. During that same decade, the total real income of households ages 25 to 44 (most of whom were the adult children of those ages 55 or older) declined from 43% to 36%, which meant a real aggregate income loss of $312 billion.  Despite wide economic variation, the economic impact of a record number of relatively affluent grandparents is both substantial and growing rapidly. Consumer spending by households ages 55 or older, the vast majority of which are grandparents, has been rising at rates well above inflation and faster by far than any other age category.  Some results?   Older customers now dominate the Tablet and eReader market, so that 51% of owners are 45 years old or older (Neilsen), and grandparents are responsible for 25% of all toy sales in the USA.  What does this mean for marketers?  A Silver Group Asia reports on almost 15,000 responses to a poll on Asian Boomer consumer thoughts, feelings and actions. Highlights include that 59% say age-friendliness is critical to their choice of product or service (they are more likely to buy age-friendly brands), and that this is true across product types (sports gear, clothing, skin care, bank/insurance, or airlines).  More (82%) are very likely or likely to place importance on age-friendly advertising, social network reviews (72%), age-friendly retail environments (63% ) age-friendly websites (42%), and age-friendly product service and design.

A study by the University of Montana’s Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research estimated that one in 10 visitors to Montana arrived on a motorcycle. That’s about 1 million people (Billings Gazette).    And increasing numbers are older riders on big cruising or touring bikes. Survey data from the Motorcycle Industry Council, a private industry group, shows that the median age of bikers increased from 27.1 in 1985 to 41 in 2003. At the same time, the percentage of owners in the 40-to-49 age group increased from 13.2 to 27.9 percent, and the percentage of owners 50 or older went from 8.1 to 25.1.  That means more than half of owners are 40 or older, supplanting the once-dominant 15-to-29 age group. The transition to older motorcycle owners started to make its statistical presence known as early as 1990, and has been edging up since.

Meanwhile, the American Motorcyclist Association’s latest data shows the average age of motorcyclists is even older, at 48.

The European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT) will give a presentation at the 2011 World Travel Market Conference in London 7-10 November.  The presentation will include a round-up of the key issues in making tourism offers accessible and  inclusive for all visitors. Highlighting will be the latest market data and research findings which show how businesses and destinations are winning market share by offering accessible infrastructure and services.  Also discussed will be how England is making ready for all visitors to enjoy the London Olympic and paralympic Games 2012.  Tourist Boards, DMOs, attractions, hotels, airlines and booking agents can all play a part in catering for the growing market of seniors, families with young children and people with disabilities, and information will be provided on how it’s done and where to begin.   ENAT is a non-profit association of organisations and individuals from the private, public and NGO sectors. Their mission is to make European tourism destinations, products and services accessible to all visitors and to help promote Accessible Tourism around the world.

Tourism Victoria (Australia) now has a page on Accessible Tourism about developing tourism destinations, products, and services so that they are accessible to all people, regardless of their physical limitations, disability, or age.  This includes parents travelling with prams and large groups including people with disabilities.  The aim of the state government organization is to develop local and global market potential by working with the tourism industry to deliver growth.    The site presents the business case for making Victoria’s tourism industry more accessible, and points out that in Australia:

•  The population is ageing and there is a growing market for travellers with accessibility needs.
• Almost one in five people has a disability of which nearly 90% take a holiday each year.
• People with a disability account for some 8.2 million overnight trips and spend $8 billion or 11% of Australia’s overall tourism expenditure

Tourism Victoria’s Accessible Tourism Plan 2010-2013 aims to encourage the Victorian tourism industry to see the social and economic benefits of offering tourism products and services for people with access requirements and outlines strategies and actions to do this.  Many Victorian tourist attractions are now developing disability action plans.

The National Geographic Travel Magazine next issue will feature an article on Access Travel.  The magazine interviewed American accessible tourism guru and author of the Rolling Rains Report Scott Rains for the piece. Rains has noticed something interesting lately. Other folks his age—the 76 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964 and referred to as the baby boom generation—have begun to understand the need for accessible tourism.  Boomers are joining forces with disability and senior groups to add muscle to the cause of increased accessibility in travel. “They don’t intend to let hip replacements and insulin shots stop them from traveling,” says Rains. “Nor will they be pandered to, stigmatized, or written off.”  Rains and his generation are part of a growing movement. Retiring 60-somethings have more time to travel, which has increased demand for accessible accommodations. The nonprofit Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality (SATH), made up mostly of travel agencies catering to those with mobility issues, saw members’ hotel bookings more than double last year, a remarkable feat in a recession.

For more, continue reading…………………….

Continue Reading

The over fifties are more mobile and more active than ever before. Between 2005 and 2010 vacation travel by Europeans aged 55 and over expanded by 17 per cent. This age group as a whole accounted for 27% of all trips abroad, or 78 million holiday trips. As far as holiday preferences are concerned, the over fifties are increasingly distancing themselves from the clichés associated with traditional travel by senior citizens.  While beach holidays outstrip any other type of vacation in Europe, and are even gaining in popularity, individual countries have their own preferences. At the same time, city tours, cruises and excursions have experienced a significant boost among the over fifty-fives.

According to an analysis commissioned by Messe Berlin and carried out by the World Travel Monitor^®, the most important source markets for the over fifties are the United Kingdom with 16.1 million and Germany with 15.3 million vacation trips. While foreign travel by members of the so-called silver age group from Britain has risen by 28% since 2005, the German market has stagnated. In third and fourth place respectively are France with 7.2 million and the Netherlands with 6.9 million trips. These four countries alone account for almost 60% of all travellers in the over-55 age group.

Dr. Martin Buck, director of the Competence Centre Travel and Logistics at Messe Berlin: “Socio-demographic change in Europe presents a major challenge as well as offering enormous opportunities. As the number of older vacationers rises, so this target group acquires growing importance for the travel industry as a whole. That is why it is so important for the world’s travel industry to be informed about the requirements, demands and wishes of the over fifties with regard to their travel plans.”

With a 28% share of the market, holidays at beach resorts are by far the most popular choice among Europe’s over fifties, and are the most vigorously expanding sector too, the number of such trips having increased by four million since 2005 (a 22% rise). The city tour sector has also expanded significantly (a 16% share of the market). In this area the volume of over fifty-fives grew by 3 million (a 32% rise), followed by cruises, with an increase of 2.4 million trips by people in this age group, and excursions, with a rise of 2.1 million. There was also slight growth across Europe in sports and health-oriented holidays.

Other countries reveal different holiday preferences. According to the World Travel Monitor^® there has been a strong decline in the interest shown by Germany’s so-called silver age group in holidays on the beach (3.8 million trips less, minus 18%). All the same, they remain the most popular type of vacation. The winners are smaller market segments such as health-based vacations (0.7 million trips, plus 61%), cruises (0.9 million trips, plus 64%), sports holidays (1 million trips, plus 53%) and city tours (2 million trips, plus 30%).  In the United Kingdom the beach is still the most popular form of vacation, by a short head. Among the French, however, excursions are roughly of the same importance as vacations at beach resorts. Although in the Netherlands the over fifties who travel abroad still tend to prefer holidays in the countryside, the biggest expansion has been recorded in city tours and holidays on the beach.

To find out more about the World Travel Monitor^® and the largest international travel industry event, continue reading……. Continue Reading

More and more people with disabilities or people who are seniors (Access Tourists)  are travelling in Japan.  There is plenty of information available for Japanese-speaking Access Tourists, but until recently, very little for speakers of other languages.  In January, a non-profit organization called the Japan Accessible Tourism Center  (JATC) set up a website which provides such information in several languages, including English to provide information about the many barrier-free tourism products available and about universal design tourism centers. The website provides information about transport, accommodation, shopping, eating, and attractions, amongst other things, and is constantly being added to.  JATC also assists with making arrangements for care attendants, booking accommodations, offering tips for travelling, providing assistance in case of emergency problems, and other services, which are all free of charge. They also can plan and coordinate group tours or study tours.

The European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT) reports that the European Union Access City Awards applications for 2011 are open.  The Access City Award sets out to showcase and reward cities with over 50,000 inhabitants which take exemplary initiatives to improve accessibility in the urban environment.  In the context of a steadily ageing population living in European cities and its correlation with disabilities, accessibility has important social and economic benefits.  Cities which are proactive supporters of accessibility for persons with disabilities should apply by 20 September 2011. The winner will be announced at the Award Ceremony in Brussels on 1-2 December 2011. The award is given to the city that has demonstrably improved accessibility

• in fundamental aspects of city  living
• the built environment and public  spaces
• transport and related infrastructure
• information and communication,  including Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
• public facilities and services; and
• is committed to continued  improvements in accessibility in a sustainable way
• can act as a role model and encourage  the adoption of best practices in all other European cities.

Contact
European Secretariat of the Access City Award
Email: secretariat (at) accesscityaward.eu
Tel / fax +48 22 826 84 05