subject: New Travel & Tourism Buzzwords: Inclusive, Accessible [print this page] Study after study shows that baby boomers aspire to travel in retirement. As they hit retirement age, this "grey wave" could raise a new issue for the travel & tourism industry: accessibility.
Tourism business management teams around the world are finding innovative ways to make their products more accessible, but Swedish hotel chain Scandic has been recognized as a leader in the travel & tourism accessibility movement.
The tourism business management team of this hotel, which has facilities in the Nordic countries as well as elsewhere in Europe, has a disability ambassador, Magnus Berglund, who walks with a cane and uses a service dog. When his company acquires a hotel, they provide staff with accessibility training, teaching them to:
look for opportunities to offer guests with crutches or a cane a seat
make eye contact with guests who use interpreters
One wonders whether the design features that make the Scandic hotel chain remarkable in the travel & tourism industry will one day be commonplace on the curriculum in most tourism courses, common knowledge for any tourism business management team.
Accessible features introduced by the Scandic tourism business management team include:
elevators that can be used by people in wheelchairs in case of fire
keyholes at wheelchair height
breakfast buffet tables that are accessible from a wheelchair
service dog welcome policy
a holder for canes in the reception
lowered reception desks to accommodates guests in wheelchairs
hearing loops for the hearing impaired at the reception and in meeting rooms (this feature, which is indeed becoming more common in the travel & tourism industry, broadcasts sound through waves and coils rather than simply depending on aids to amplify sound)
mirrors placed lower
wheelchair accessible hooks to hang things on
vibrating alarm clocks that also double as a fire alarm for the hearing impaired
information available in Braille
space around the bed for easier wheelchair navigation
The Nordic countries are not the only place taking action to make the travel & tourism industry more accessible.
tourism business management teams in Africa are now hosting safaris specifically for people with disabilities
the Barbados has accredited accessibility standards for travel & tourism facilities (including categories for wheelchair access, mobility challenge and the seeing impaired)
travel & tourism professionals on the island of Alcatraz brought in non-polluting electric tug tractors from airports to help visitors with low mobility access the site in a dignified, energy-efficient manner
the cruise ship market is catering to people with special needs (retrofitting, visual smoke detectors, accessibility brochures)
many travel & tourism destinations publish disability guides (in large font) for visitors, highlighting accessible bathrooms, nearby parking, etc.
The ageing population is forcing the travel & tourism industry to rethink accessibility. And tourism business management teams from around the world seem to be rising to the challenge.
by: Percy Evans
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