Destination advice/audit
Having an accessible hotel or accommodation or individual attraction is really good news, but what is the rest of the visitor experience likely to be?
Many destinations have been considering how to improve the experience for all visitors, including those with disabilities, and some have sought our advice on how to improve the visitor journey from the ‘planning a visit’ stage through to fulfilment and looking back on the experience.
In our experience some of the common factors that are likely to affect their choice include the following:
• A lack of reliable and detailed information to enable individuals to come to an informed decision about the suitability of facilities on route to or at a destination. No pictures to help identify accessible facilities. In the experience of staff at TfA this factor can be the most frustrating for disabled people, as they can spend hours surfing the net or visiting a travel agent and have very little or even nothing useful to show for it.
- A lack of reliable and detailed information about accessible transport to / within a destination. Accurate and up-to-date information provided by the transport companies is more vital than ever.
- The perceived cost of travel or staying away from home. Past experience may dictate to individuals with disabilities that ‘accessible = expensive’. In the past this has often been reflected in the price of somewhere to stay that has ‘accessible’ facilities, which has tended to be in more expensive accommodation.
- Potential barriers that may be encountered on route to the chosen destination. This might include service areas on motorway and arterial road connections, to access onto station platforms and train services to the destination. For example stations that have broken and unreliable lifts and others that offer no point to cross the tracks other than a footbridge or an underpass with stairs only. What are the latest policies of the operators serving your destination to help overcome these barriers?
- Some disabled people may have experienced a lack of support to enable them to make any journey beyond their locality, or they may be unaware of support services that could be available in the community.
- The destination may appear to be unwelcoming, or the experience of others (related in negative publicity or word-of-mouth) could discourage individuals to risk travelling to the destination.
We can help you identify where improvements could be made that will ensure that visitors are fully informed about what to expect from you before they set out, on route to the destination, during their experience, and at departure.
With over 14 years of working with the tourism industry to create better facilities for less-abled guests, Tourism for All's trading subsidiary, Tourism for All Services Limited offers unrivalled experience and understanding of both the industry and customers’ needs.
Contact Brian Seaman on 0845 124 9974/ email brian@tourismforall.org.uk
(Last Updated: 12-02-2008)