 |
|||
Managing the Transition of Inclusive Tourism from a Disability Rights Issue to an Economic Market Segment.Introduction The Result of Compliance Compliance always lags behind market or community expectations. Once a need has been recognized a lobbying process takes place with interest groups and politicians to add a section to the legislation. Compliance builds to a past set of compromise standards. The compliance approach does not encourage innovation. It could be argued that it does the opposite and provides a reason not to be innovative. Compliance provides a shield against litigation. By doing precisely and only what the legislation says to do there is protection, by being innovative there is a risk. The 7 principles of Universal design created a framework to create designs for all and innovation, all compliance does is lock in thought at a point of time. Providing Accessibility Information is not Compliance. The provision of information is driven by compliance and the perception that every disability is the same. Hence where accessibility information is provided it is done so in a compliance manner with simple statements as “This facility has disabled facilities” A detailed examination often reveals that that statement means that have car parking, accessible rooms, and toilet facilities, they may have braille and or audio announcements in lifts. Accessible rooms are defined as those rooms with roll in showers etc. Seldom do the operators know the height of the bed, the knee clearance under a writing desk or indeed if their balconies have a sill. Even where they have a fully compliant room there is little understanding of the practical needs of a traveller with a disability and the information needed to drive a stay or not stay decision.
The Emergence of Accessible Tourism “Inclusive Tourism” - “the application of the seven principles of Universal Design to the products, services, and policies of the tourism industry at all stages of their lifecycle from conception to retirement and introduction of a replacement” The Market Driven Turning Point Some 88% of people with disability take a holiday each year that accounted for some 8.2 million overnight trips. “American adults with disabilities or reduced mobility currently spend an average of $13. 6 billion a year on travel. Creating accessible cruise ships, accessible ship terminals, accessible ground transportation, and accessible tourist destinations is not charity. It is just good business.” The Turning Point and the Implications for Information Provision and Cultural Change.
Wall mounted shower seat provided: or, a free standing chair is available upon request
Basic Access Intermediate Access Universal Access
The Tourism Industry will need guidance in understanding these needs and developing a system of information provision that is readily understandable by a traveller with a disability. Further that standard needs to universal and consistent with the 7 principles of Universal Design: Equitable use: parks are accessible to all users, provide the same means for all users, identical where possible, equivalent when not The Institute of Human Centered Design Conclusion Related articles For more information on this article or how your business may take advantage of this market segment contact Bill Forrester bill@travability.travel or Deborah Davis abildavis@aol.com
|
|||
Recently we have previously written about the growing demand for accessible travel services, that demand being fueled by the retiring Baby Boomer generation. That growing demand affords the opportunity to engage the tourism and travel industry from a market driven perspective rather than as a compliance driven human rights issue. Over the last 20 years much infrastructure has been constructed worldwide as a result of a plethora of human rights legislation. Without exception, however, that legislation has been on percentages, requiring a certain number of accessible rooms per hundred, carparks on a ratio, toilets etc. This has lead to an all or nothing mind set partially driven by a fear of litigation and partially by a lack of understanding by the tourism industry of the varying requirements of travellers with a disability.
Once access is legislated it becomes a compliance issue which in the minds of developers puts it into a technical category along with fire protection, emergency exits, alarms etc. It is a job for the engineers and compliance auditors. Inclusion and accessibility are not in the planning or concept design, it is not front of mind and not regarded as a marketing advantage. Once the facility is finished that disconnect from the design stage continues and those facilities are not marketed and customer needs for which they were included do not flow into staff training and awareness. If there is training it tends to be procedural aimed at accommodating people with a disability, in much the same way as there are procedures for ensuring fire extinguisher certifications are current or power leads have had their annual inspection.
The big gap in the current framework is the provision of information. Every piece of research on accessible tourism comes to the same conclusion. While there are many facilities with good to great accessibility the information about those facilities is hard to find if it exists at all. Where it does exist it is often hidden under “other information” or under “compliance”. Accessible Information is not seen as offering any value as a marketing tool, which means the Tourism Industry does not see Inclusive Tourism as a genuine market. The perception is that it is very small sector that has to be “accommodated”. This is despite research over the last five years that puts the value of the Inclusive Tourism sector at 11% of the total tourism market.
That is still based on a fully accessible room as defined by legislation. All disabilities are not the same, however, and while a full roll in shower may be required by some people it is not required or wanted by others. Often people with poor circulation, wheelchair user or not, may prefer a bath or spa bath. Many hotel rooms that are not “compliant” are suitable especially if the traveller with a disability has someone with them. Even more flexibility is offered by seasoned travellers who have with them their own bathroom aids whether that is a toilet riser or shower/bath chair. In these cases the critical information is door width, manoeuvring room, and bed height. The right information would allow an individual traveller to make their own informed decision. Further if a tourism venue understood the actual needs of a disabled traveller the purchase of additional mobility aids would open up a greater product range to the sector rather than just the “disabled room” which is most cases is the standard and lowest yielding room.
For the first time Inclusive Tourism is being regarded as an economic market driven by the retirement of the baby boomer sector. Inclusive Tourism is already a major tourism sector with Australian research putting its value at 11% of the total industry market share. US research by McKinsey & Company predicts that by 2015, the baby boomer generation will command almost 60 percent of net U.S. wealth and 40 percent of spending. In many categories, like travel, boomers will represent over 50 percent of consumption. The impact on the Inclusive Travel sector is significant as over 40% of them will be retiring with some form of disability, raising the total value of the Inclusive Tourism sector to over 25% of the market by 2020.
Shira Stanfield recognised that information should be presented in a variety of ways and at a variety of accessibility levels in her work with Parks British Columbia. Everyone has a different level of ability and current trail information recognizes that in the presenting outdoor trails with different levels of exertion and skill levels. Similarity, ski resorts have been presenting the difficulty in an international standard for years so that skiers of all capabilities can determine the suitability of a run to their own skill level. Why are people with a disability any different?. Within the disabled traveller community we have a full cross section from paralympic athletes to simple sightseers. People may be travelling alone or in a group which will greatly affect the activities that they would consider doable. Currently we tend to say a path is accessible or not, instead of trying to grade it for people with a disability in the same way as we would grade any other trail. Shira adopted a three tier system of grading set out below:
Governments have failed to take the lead in developing these standards or any form of certification process and it is unlikely that they will. Their focus in still on accessibility and anti discrimination enforcement based on a social justice model. Inclusive tourism advocates have to take the lead and not only continue to development awareness amongst the tourism industry of the economic significance of Inclusive Tourism but also have to take the lead in developing a uniform set of standards for the provision of accessibility information and a system of recognition for industry players. Education institutions need to be encouraged to develop Inclusive Tourism modules in their Travel and Hospitality courses.