Improving accessibility brings value

By Marina Di Duca - Inclusive Tourism Manager, VisitScotland

Sunday (3 December) marked the United Nations’ International Day Of Persons With Disabilities.

The day aims to promote an understanding of disability issues – an aim that aligns with VisitScotland’s own responsible tourism strategy.

For improving accessibility, referred to as inclusive tourism, is a key part of our strategy.

Responsible tourism is about managing the economic, social, and environmental impacts of tourism. It aims to maximise the positive impacts and minimise the negative ones to create a destination that benefits all who live and visit here.

From transport to accommodation, from attractions to eating out, we want to ensure that all visitors can have a great experience without barriers.

And inclusive tourism is an incredibly valuable market both in terms of volume and value.

It covers a wide range of people, from those with hearing loss, mental or visual impairments, and wheelchair users, to senior travellers and families with young children.

Disabled people tend to travel in larger groups and stay longer, while the average senior traveller spends 35% more on leisure and hospitality than other age group.

The latest statistics from the Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS) show that in the 12 months from July 2022 to June 2023, UK visitors with an impairment took 2.9 million overnight trips to Scotland, spending £730 million.

Feedback from tourism businesses, who cater for the inclusive tourism market, report higher occupancy rates with higher levels of repeat business.

Making rooms more accessible can be cost-effective and doesn’t need to come at the cost of style.

Look at Hotel Brooklyn in Manchester, owned by Bespoke Hotels, which brought New York flair to the city when it opened just prior to the pandemic.

The hotel is a masterclass in design for the needs of all, not only in its accessible bedrooms but in its communal spaces.

Small details, such as the ceiling hoist track in the wheelchair accessible rooms disguised as lighting or carefully selected floor and wall tiles in the ensuite bathrooms which minimise glare and provide slip-resistant surfaces, ensure that the accessible rooms provide the support, while not skimping on the luxurious design.

This approach has been attributed to its financial success in the accessible market.

Even making the most minor changes, such as creating an accessibility guide, can have a huge impact on a business and its potential customers.

This is why we recently launched our updated and expanded inclusive tourism industry guide on our industry website, VisitScotland.org, and delivered a project, in partnership with AccessAble, to create “Detailed Access Guides” for 100 accommodation providers, and attractions.

AccessAble’s qualified surveyors assessed the businesses across Aberdeen & Aberdeenshire, Edinburgh & Lothians, Fife, Dundee and Angus, and the South of Scotland, before creating the guides. These are now housed on the AccessAble website and mobile app, which is accessed by five million users across the UK, and on the businesses listing our consumer website, visitscotland.com.

Focusing on customer service is another cost-effective change which can have a positive impact. A survey of users, carried out by accessibility review website, Euan’s Guide, found that 77% agreed staff training increases a venue’s accessibility.

So why not mark International Day Of Persons With Disabilities by considering what you can do differently.

Find out how, with our Inclusive Tourism industry guide.