Persons with Disabilities and the Travel and tourism Business

People with disabilities are visiting more places around the world more often than ever before. Travelling in a wheelchair through the rain forest of Costa Rica on an accessible track, using a walker in the Andes mountains, taking guide dogs on a Caribbean cruise or taking a tour of Boston on a bus equipped with an infra red loop system to help hard of hearing persons understand the guides descriptions, renting an accessible vehicle in Sydney or taking an accessible taxi in London are more and more common every day happenings. "Travellers with disabilities are looking for the same type of products other travellers are looking for. Proactively encouraging persons with disabilities to enjoy tourist and transportation features provides tourist destinations with a unique opportunity to promote new business and greater access at the same time. It is a win-win situation. "Going out, touring and traveling like everybody else is an essential pleasure of life regardless of age or disability," emphatically states André Leclerc, Director General of Kéroul.. Kéroul is a Canadian organization based in Québec. Its mission has been to join the tourist industry in making tourism accessible to persons with restricted physical ability. In North America, Australia and Europe, persons with a disability represent about 15% of the population. This market is growing rapidly. More and more Canadians are travelling. A greater number of these travellers are senior citizens. As the population ages, the incidence of disability increases. Think back twenty years; it was rare to see a wheelchair at an airport for use by travellers. Now airlines routinely provide fleets of wheelchairs to aid passengers travel to and from aircraft within terminals. Access Canada: Accommodating Seniors and Persons with Disabilities published by the Alberta Hotel Association observes that "60% of that "60% of the disability market is over the age of 55," and " this market also has a higher disposable income than the other segments of the population." . Many seniors will have their mobility decrease with age and while not always essential, mobility aids and special attention are certainly appreciated. There are almost 4 million persons over the age of 65 in Canada. That number will double in the next generation and make up almost a quarter of Canada's total population Demands for accessible services are increasing as more and more visitors with disabilities seek user-friendly tourism opportunities. Earlene Causey, former President of the American Society of Travel Agencies, is quoted in the report, The Travel Agency Beyond the Millennium as saying, "Our efforts recognize that travellers with disabilities are not a niche market like religious tours or adventure travel. The traveller with a disability simply wants to enjoy the same access as anyone else." Ensuring that potential customers know of services designed to make tourists with disabilities feel welcome will encourage people who otherwise would not visit , to book a trip. When tour operators and resort managers ensure the availability of needed services at the right time in the vacation via proper information and booking arrangements, they have created satisfied customers who will come back again. Also, these satisfied customers will become enthusiastic sales persons promoting your destination to others. Developing repeat business from satisfied visitors with disabilities is a practical way of generating future tourism dollars. Availability of accessibility features and services is a key factor determining travel patterns and spending practices. Travel arrangements for several dozen persons travelling as a group were made with one tour operator with a better record of accessible services than their competitors because one member of the group was a person with a disability. The economic impact of travellers with disabilities goes far beyond the individual and includes the choice made by travelling companions, be they family members, colleagues or fellow tour group members or tour operators seeking to serve all. People with disabilities strive for a satisfying travel experience just like all customers. Arranging for the delivery of that product will earn return business. Looking beyond the disability to the travel needs focuses attention on the service. Knowing what services or benefits will appeal to travellers with disabilities can be the added incentive to clinch the deal. More and more companies offer facilities and services which will appeal to customers with disabilities. Knowing which hotels have wheelchair-accessible rooms, what airlines provide assistance from the check-in counter to the aircraft, which tour operator has accessible buses and vans that can carry passengers who use wheelchairs, which museums have information for visitors who are blind, which guided tours can provide information to deaf and hard of hearing participants, or which cruse lines accept service animals are valuable marketing tools. Providing appropriate travel-related services to this segment of the market is a professional responsibility. Some tips when interacting with visitors who have a disability are: - Speak directly to the person. - Ask IF and HOW you can best help. - Take the time to understand. - Avoid touching the person or person's wheelchair unnecessarily. Do not distract service animals - Provide information about accessible facilities, tours, etc. - Do not pretend that you have understood when you have not. - Do not hesitate to ask the person to repeat themselves. - Whenever possible ask questions that can be answered by a simple "Yes" or "No." - Be patient. Many customers have disabilities which are not visible. Thinking about access when serving all visitors will enhance customer satisfaction. Take stock of your clientele. Service delivery to clients with unique needs is an important aspect of your customers' expectations. Recently, executives of a large corporation were embarrassed when their corporate conference organizers did not know how to make the arrangements for an important client who traveled with a service animal! Not having expertise in this aspect of the tourism industry can cost your business and negatively affect the bottom line. Above all, relax, be happy and enjoy meeting a new friend. People with disabilities want to have a good time too. You can make the difference. Exchanging experiences and understanding each other are the two positive sides of the tourist experience for the host and the visitor with a disability. Awareness and understanding are the keys to building successful tourist relationships between people with and without disabilities .