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

A new free European on-line training course which addresses ways of improving tourism businesses and serving customers who have specific access requirements was recently announced by the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT).  The course is an “appetizer” for business owners and employees, providing a general introduction to the subject of accessible tourism. It includes short texts, ‘best practice’ videos with  case studies of actual businesses, reference documents and links.

By taking the course, professionals in the tourism industry will learn about the advantages of engaging with this fast-growing market and how to attract and serve new customers.  Students of tourism management and hospitality can also benefit from following the course and studying the additional references.  One of the advantages of the e-learning course is that participants can work at their own pace, fitting in their training when they have time. The on-line system keeps a record of their work and their test results.

Developed by a team of ENAT Members under the European Union’s programme for Lifelong Learning, the course integrates training materials from various European countries. The course language is English. It is available at:  http://www.accesstraining.eu.  It is currently being tested and will be amended as necessary on the basis of feedback from participants, who are invited to answer the User Survey after creating a user account and taking one or more modules of the course.  On completing the first four “basic” modules of the course, participants can receive the Accessible Tourism Training First-level Certificate (ETCAATS) issued by
ENAT.

The European Commission (Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry, Directorate F: Tourism, CSR, Consumer Goods and International Regulatory Agreements) is seeking tenders for a market research and public opinion poll on the economic impact and travel patterns of accessible tourism in Europe.

Travelling for pleasure (or for business) in Europe is equally relevant for persons with physical disabilities, but the barriers they have to face are far greater.  Tourism accessibility across Europe is still to some extent unchartered territory, with widespread misconceptions and lack of knowledge about the market of tourists with special access needs.  Visitors’ requirements are largely unknown, investment costs are often misunderstood or exaggerated and accessibility is generally perceived by business as a “burden”.  Travelling and having full access to tourist activities, services and facilities is a right enshrined in Article 9 of the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, signed by the European Union and its 27 Member States.  Furthermore, making tourism facilities more accessible to people with disabilities, is also a golden opportunity for businesses.

Very few studies have been carried out on the economic impact or patterns of demand and travel of visitors with disabilities.  The most recent has been a research project that in 2011 looked at the tourism, travel, and hospitlaity patterns and needs of people with hearing loss conducted for the new Zealand National Foundation for the Deaf, by the NZ Tourism Research Institute at AUT University, and Access Toruism NZ.   The overall purpose of this EU contract is to collect comprehensive and EU-wide data on the economic impact — both actual and potential — of travellers with special access needs on the EU tourism sector, and to study the demand, travel behaviour, and patterns of travellers with special access needs in Europe.  The final date for tender submissions is 28/06/2012.

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), the Danish Ministry of Social Affairs and Integration (SM), and the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR) are holding a conference on the autonomy and inclusion of people with disabilities 7-8 June in Copenhagen.  This international conference will bring together disability experts from civil society including disabled people’s organisations, representatives from national human rights institutions, researchers, and policy makers at the EU, national and local level. The conference will allow participants to discuss the disability work of the FRA, DIHR and the Danish Ministry. The FRA’s latest disability reports, which will be presented during the event, will give an overview of the EU situation. There will also be concrete examples from Denmark and other Member States to illustrate the state of affairs nationally. Participants will be able to discuss practical suggestions and network with others working on disability rights.

Access For All reports that for a second year, the Vodafone Foundation in collaboration with AGE and the European Disability Forum (EDF) will launch the Smart Accessibility Awards. This contest aims to increase understanding of the needs and expectations of ageing and disabled users of smartphones by inviting developers to create innovative applications that are designed for all. Like in 2011 four applications that fill in the criteria of effectiveness, availability and affordability, user-friendliness, usability, accesssibility and design for all, will win a prize of 50.000 Euros each. The competition will be officially launched in Brussels on 30th May.

Date: Wednesday, 30 May
Venue: Hotel Sofitel Brussels Europe, Place Jourdan 1 – 1040 Brussels, Belgium
Time: 14.00hrs-16.00hrs
If you would like to join the launch please mail Cindy De Koninck

The Indian Ministry of Tourism has included in its policy plans to make tourism destinations barrier –free.  Both the 2009-2010 Ministry annual report and the 2010-2011 report cover accessible tourism. The Ministry is keen to develop accessible tourism because – as they state – people with different abilities and older persons are now becoming a growing group of consumers of travel, sports and, other leisure-oriented products and services, and wish to tap the potential of this group.   Guidelines have been issued for making  tourist-facilities that are created with
central financial assistance, barrier-free.  Officers deputed for inspections of tourism projects, funded by the Ministry include their observations regarding the accessibility of these projects for disabled persons in their report.

Making the hotels accessible for people with different abilities has been included in the guidelines for approval and classification of 4 and 5 star category hotels.  As part of  Corporate Social Responsibility Activity, the Indian Tourism Development Corporation  will enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with M/s Svayam (an initiative of SJ Charitable Trust which is working for the differently abled persons) for launching “Ashok Access” to provide guidance on making Hotels, Museums, Tourist sites user friendly for differently abled persons.

The Ministry has also instituted a new category of Award of Excellence for Most Barrier-Free Monument/Tourist Attraction in the country to encourage other agencies responsible for maintaining monuments/tourist attractions to create barrier-free environment for the promotion of accessible tourism.

The Ministry commissioned a study on the Problems and Prospects of Accessible Tourism in India, which is available on the website.  Amongst the findings is that the size of the access market is 18.11% of India’s population, or 186 million people.  This includes family members of people with disabilities.

Madrid has been working hard to make itself more accessible to visitors with disabilities.  Jesus Hernandez Galen writes that the hotel sector has made huge efforts to make improvements to their facilities (Accessible Tourism in Spain: Arona and Madrid. Chapter 21 in Best Practices in Accessible Tourism, 2012).  In the mid-1990′s the city’s General Plan to refurbish historic buildings emphasized accessibility, and access was also a priority in transport. The city includes development of accessible tourism in its Four-Year plan and in annual action plans. In response to increasing demand for information on accessible tourism by visitors and travel agents (especially form abroad), Madrid’s Tourism Board set up Madrid Accessible.  The political commitment to accessibility is shared by all department heads at the organizational level and is thus high-level.  There has been steady funding for new accessible tourism projects.  the Madrid Accessible project provides accessible tourism information, ensures accessible tourism infrastructure, designs accessible products and services, trains staff, and raises awareness in the tourism sector.

Open Doors Org (ODO) in the USA is a non-profit organization founded in 2000 for the purpose of creating a society in which people with disabilities have the same consumer opportunities as everyone else.   ODO has trained Amtrak employees, carried out disabilities market research, and created Easy Access Guides and training videos.   It trains people in the hotel industry, and in the Motor coach Industry.  It is also a leader in airport employee training in the US.    Executive Director Eric Lipp has previously worked been with American, United, and US Air.   This May, several ODO employees and consultants will spend a week training Heathrow Airport employees on handling customers with disabilities and their mobility devices.   In October, it will hold the Fourth Universal Access in Airports Conference.   Twitter: @OpenDoorsOrg

The European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT) reports that at a recent meeting,  the Spanish “Business Innovation Groups in Tourism” (AEITs) convened by the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism, focused on accessibility, mobility, and sustainability for transforming the Spanish tourism sector.  Organised by the Spanish Tourism Technology and Innovation platform (SEGITTUR) and the Tourism Cluster in Madrid, the conference focused on the presentation of the results of projects that had received grants to support the tourism sector AEITs for 2011.  These included the Accessible Tourism Destination Project and DIGICARDEX technology for tracking of children with  disabilities at theme parks, camps etc.

The Accessible Travel Info Point (Infopunt Toegankelijk Reizen) is a service of the Flemish Tourist Board Toerisme Vlaanderen.  It grew out of cooperation with various organisations and services by and for people with disabilities.  The mission of Info Point is to provide information about travelling for people withdisabilities.  To this end, The Tourism Board have just released their 2012 version of “All In: Accessible holiday accommodations in Flanders and Brussels” which covers all the holiday centres, hotels, youth accommodations and campgrounds that have received the accessibility label A (basic accessibility) or A+ (comfortable accessibility) following objective assessments.  Levels of access are described on a Label page.   Now 248 pages long, the brochure includes full page of descriptions of each accommodation about accessibility  in words and pictures.

The brochure is available in three forms: as a browsable document with zoom function, in PDF format (22 Mb), or as a paper version (request a free printed copy at  Accessible Travel Info Point).  Info Point aims to publish a new edition every year.

The tourism sector in Flanders can contact Info Point for background information about accessibility, subsidies available, and guidelines for alterations to improve accessibility. The Flemish Tourist Board’s accessibility policy is presented here.

The development of accessible tourism in Arona on Tenerif in the Canary Islands dates back to the late 1960s when groups of Swedish visitors with reduced mobility chose it as their ideal destination, and it is now one of the world’s most popular accessible holiday destinations. Jesus Hernandez Galen writes that a major factor in the development of accessible tourism in Arona has been the firm political commitment of the town council from the start (Accessible tourism in Spain: Arona and Madrid. Chapter 21 in Best Practices in Accessible Tourism, 2012).  The council regularly updates its Accessibility Plan.  In addition, the Municipal Board of Tourism has two full-time accessible tourism technicians who administer subsidies, coordinate and follow up the Accessibility Plan, and advize about access.  Other professionals are taken on specific access projects.  The Board also regularly consults with visitors with disabilities with the view to highlighting and improving access issues, benchmarks good access practices, and offers access training.

VisitEngland, national tourist board has launched a new version of the Access Statement Online Tool, aimed at helping businesses cater for visitors with access needs. Access Statements allow for a written, descriptive approach to providing a wide range of information on accessibility. All areas of a business are described from car parking & arrival to toilets.   Visit England says that Access Statements are:

1. A minimum requirement for VisitEngland accommodation and visitor attraction quality scheme members
2. A way to meet obligations under the Equality Act 2010
3. A marketing opportunity which informs visitors in one concise document
4. Necessary as almost one in five of England’s population has a disability and this number will rise as England’s population ages

The new version is specifically tailored for restaurants and cafés, and has been created in partnership with the British Hospitality Association (BHA) and the Restaurant Association.  The online tool provides detailed guidance on the information that may be required by people with access needs when visiting a restaurant or cafe.   Businesses are encouraged to write a general introduction describing the location (city centre, countryside, coast), and to summarise any specific services and facilities suitable for people with access needs. In addition, information may also cover the following areas:

• Pre-Arrival – transport services, a description of the streets in the area surrounding the restaurant (e.g. paved/cobbled/level/uneven), information provided in alternative formats such as large print and audio.
• Car Parking and Arrival – car parking, drop off points, alternative entry points, number of steps, handrails and ramps.
• Restaurant & Bar Area – access to the area and layout, lighting, seating and tables, floor surfaces, alternative formats of menus available.
• Outdoor Areas – accessibility of outdoor furniture, service offered to customers in outdoor area, layout (e.g. pavement, terrace, play area).

Additional areas that are covered include: customer toilets, private dining/function space accommodation and future plans for improvement.  Ross Calladine, VisitEngland’s Skills, Welcome & Accessibility Manager said:  “People with access needs require specific information about a venue in advance in order to be able to make an informed decision about whether an establishment can cater sufficiently for their needs. Restaurants, like any other tourist venue, should provide as much information to visitors as possible – this will help to enhance the visitor experience and also highlight areas where the business could improve.”  Camilla Woods, Policy Director, BHA, said “Access Statements are a really effective way for businesses to ensure customers with any specific access needs have the information they need and we are pleased to be able to recommend this new online tool to our members.”

Once a business has created their Access Statement they can then make this information readily available to visitors. Restaurants can promote their statement on their website if they have one, or post it where they have a listing on a company site or a generic ‘restaurant finder’ site. It should also be kept on hand for staff to use when describing over the phone what facilities they have.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Members of the European Network of Accessible Tourism (ENAT) are leading a workshop on accessible tourism in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and participating in the Saudi Travel Market conference in Riyadh today.  The conference highlights the investment opportunities and the available potential in the Saudi Travel and Tourism Investments Market, and covers the tourism development strategies related to the business sector. Saudi Arabia generates a combined annual tourism market of 10.4 billion Euro, and is one of the top 22 inbound travel markets in the world. Inbound tourism has risen by 11% over the last two years. Saudi Arabia’s tourism industry is greatly under served and requires billions of Saudi Riyals in investment to develop to its full potential and is poised for extensive expansion and growth.

Accessible Tourism for All will be the theme of an evening workshop session at the conference in Riyadh on 3rd April and at a one-day Workshop in Jeddah.   The workshops are being held under the auspices of the Saudi Commission for Tourism  and Antiquities and the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce, respectively, and with the  participation of the Arab Tourism Organisation and the Prince Salman Centre for  Disability Research, amongst others.  Workshop speakers will present and discuss their experiences, research results and strategic plans from countries, destinations and attractions in Europe and the Middle East, showing how accessibility for people with disabilities and other specific requirements is being integrated in all parts of the tourism value chain.  They will discuss experiences and strategies with the Arab tourism sector, public authorities, chambers of commerce, researchers and NGOs.

Kéroul Quebec, Canada, has conducted a Study on the behaviours and attitudes of people with a physical disability, with respect to tourism, culture and transportation in Québec. The study examined their habits with regard to patronizing cultural activities or sites such as restaurants, lodging (hotels, etc.), theatres, cinemas, concert halls, museums, historical sites, libraries, art galleries, book fairs, archive repositories, and bookstores. It also examined their participation in celebrations and festivals, and their assessment of the available types of paratransit services.  Findings include that:

• During their most recent trip within Quebec, respondents spent Cn$174.6 million
• Annually, this market is worth more than $1 billion to Quebec
• It is a growing market because of the ageing population
• 800,000 people in Quebec have a disability
• They travel for business, visit family and friends, and enjoy the tourist and cultural attractions Québec has to offer
• 64% were aged 55 and over
• 28% had family incomes of over $40,000
• In the 24 months prior to the survey, 59% took at least one trip, with the average being nearly six trips
• The average length of stay in Québec was four days, which is a longer stay than for the overall population
• Many people with disabilities travel with their families (64%) or with friends (12%)

This study, and a separate study conducted in 2010 for Kéroul of this tourism sector in neighbouring regions (i.e. Ontario, New Brunswick and New England), show that that people with disabilities represent a significant economic potential for Québec.

Kéroul is a non-profit organization founded in 1979 and key consultant for Tourisme Québec regarding accessibility.  It works in partnership with the private and public sectors to increase the accessibility of tourism and cultural infrastructures for people with limited physical ability. The creator of The Accessible Road, Kéroul received the prestigious Ulysses Award in 2011 from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

Source: Kéroul

UK.  The South West Tourism Excellence Awards 2011/12 have praised Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Roman Baths for the improved accessibility it offers all visitors.  The Romans Baths received a “Highly Commended” in the Access for All award section in recognition of recent development work carried out by the Council to improve access in a wide range of ways and make the experience more inclusive for people with a wide range of different needs.  Councillor Cherry Beath (Lib-Dem,  Combe Down), Cabinet Member for Sustainable Development, said: “Physical
accessibility at the Roman Baths has improved enormously with the installation of two new lifts and a complete change in the way visitors can move around the site. Understanding of the ancient monument has also become easier for our visitors with new displays and improved interpretation throughout, and there is a wide range of visual prompts that everyone can recognise.

“We have new interpretation for blind and visually impaired visitors with many tactile exhibits. There is a dedicated British Sign Language audio guide, an inclusive personal audio guide in eight languages, and tours for English and French speaking children. The judges even took into account the inclusive way that we cater for people with particular dietary needs in the Pump Room restaurant.”

Pieter Ghijsels of the Accessibility Policy Group at the Tourism Administration Flanders-Brussels writes that the accessibility of tourism services in Flanders is a key part of the Flemish policy on tourism.  In “Accessible tourism in Flanders: policy support and incentive” (Chapter 3, Best Practices in Accessible Tourism, 2012), he notes that people with disabilities are an important target group for the tourism industry in Flanders.  Tourism Flanders put in place a tourism accessibility action plan in 2001 to improve accessibility, offer training, and gather reliable information about access in Flanders tourism.  The Accessible Travel Action Plan developed a number of subsidies for renovation and new constructions in the Flanders tourism industry.  Subsidies include those to the private sector (e.g., to hotels, campsites, tourism information offices) and to local authorities (for example, to improve beach access, public toilets etc).   In this way, Tourism Flanders invests between 3-3.5 million Euros per year.  The Accessible Travel Info Point (Infopunt Toegankelijk Reizen) provides reliable access information in four languages  for travellers in or to Belgium.  This is backed up by an extensive print travel library in Brussels. The Info Point also offers tourism operators tips on how to make their businesses more accessible.

The Flemish Minister of Tourism annually gives the Gulliver Awards for innovative access initiatives in tourism.  Accessible Flanders (Toegankelijk Vlaanderen) is an accessibility databank listing local government offices, sports facilities, swimming pools, cultural centres and museums, hotels, campsites, hostels and so on that have been professionally assessed for all types of access needs.  Tourism operations can have the assessment done free of charge.  In 2008, recognizing that the indiscriminate use of the universal symbol of access (the white wheelchair on a blue background) by business owners meant that the symbol had little meaning, Tourism Flanders introduced a new, 3-level label for accessible tourism.

Martyn Sibley

Martyn Sibley is a busy man.  He writes a popular blog and is co-editor of Disability Horizons magazine, which received a great write up in the Guardian.  He runs a Webinar series and is working on other exciting projects (such as TV presenting and volunteering abroad).  Now he has released what he calls “most impactful project yet – Inspiring Employment.”  This is a free and innovative e-course which provides disabled people, their friends, family and professionals with positive and practical information on employment and disability. This 7 week course guides the viewer through video interviews with 13 global contributors, video introductions filmed on location around London, and a range of resources in the form of external websites. All aim to inspire, inform and change people´s perceptions of disability in the world of employment.   Misfit-Inc sponsored the project and Martyn credits them with allowing it to be made freely available for everyone. To register, login and see how great this project is, please click: ecourses.martynsibley.com/ie/.  Feedback on the course is welcomed.

Martyn Sibley on Twitter  Disability Horizons on Facebook

The Global Disability Rights Library (GDRL) – on which Access Tourism New Zealand has a link – now provides more content than ever. There are now nine information portals which provide materials on topics relevant to the needs of Disabilities Organizations, government officials, professionals, grassroots advocates, and others working to improve the lives of people with disabilities. An on-line version of the library is available. An off-line version is also stored inside eGranary Digital Libraries for delivery to developing countries where Internet access is limited. The GDRL team is now no longer accepting applications to receive an off-line eGranary for 2012. However, organizations interested in receiving notification of future opportunities can submit their full contact information here. The GDRL project is a joint initiative of the U.S. international Council on Disabilities and the University of Iowa WiderNet Project supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The 13^th International Conference on Computers Helping People with Special Needs (ICCHP) will be held July 11-13 at the University of Linz, Linz, Austria.  One of the thematic sessions is “Accessible Tourism’, which will be chaired by Franz Puhretmair and Kerstin Matausch (Competance Network), and Dimitrios Buhalis (Bournemouth University). The session will provide a forum to discuss major issues, identify barriers, technologies, strategies and approaches to promote accessible tourism.  Papers will consider aspects of

•  eTourism and disability
• Accessible Tourism websites and accessible Tourism Information Systems (TIS)
• Accessibility information in modern TIS Accessible Travel and Leisure holidays
• Accessibility information / guidelines / audits for tourism products
• Usability and user-interface studies
• Economic evaluations of Accessible Tourism
• Technologies and applications supporting Accessible Tourism
• eAccessibility,
• Universal Design and usability
• eInclusion
• Case studies of eTourism applications for the disabled markets, as well as
• the usage of technology for facilitating disabled tourists before and during their visit

Guest blog by Sarah Levis.  Sarah created Disability Links and is founder of “Running  Steps” a Girl with The Cane Enterprise. She is on Twitter @GirlWithTheCane

If you’ve ever tried to submit a disability-related website to web directories, you were likely surprised at how few of them have a specific category for sites having to do with disabilities. Disability Links (http://www.disability-links.net/) is a web directory specifically for websites that are about disabilities or disability-related issues.  A large variety of sites from people with and without disabilities have the potential to fit within that framework. The directory is human-edited. With both excellent rates for paid links and two ways to submit free links, Disability Links provides good value, backlinks and exposure for disability-related sites.