In response to new YouGov research for Responsible Travel on why disabled people are less likely to travel, freelance journalist Harry Smith examines trends in the accessible travel market and its prospects for future growth, drawing on insight from industry experts.
“They took me to this office, and they asked me to transfer onto the sofa, and then they just left, and I couldn’t even get up to the desk to talk to the person. It was really awkward”.
This is videographer and paraplegic Craig Jessen, describing with characteristic understatement his experience waiting hours for his wheelchair to be unloaded from his flight.
This is exactly the scenario disabled people fear when they think of travel. No wonder that 23% of disabled people surveyed listed a lack of confidence as a barrier to them travelling, according to YouGov.
When you search for stories related to accessible travel, the reason for this confidence gap is clear. Whether it’s Dame Tammy Grey Thompson dragging herself off the train, or BBC correspondent Sean Dilley and his guide dog being refused entry to a supermarket. If routine daily tasks like commuting and shopping are an ordeal, international travel is surely impossible. He is just one of a growing community of disabled travellers who claim this is a false assumption.
Craig added: “Honestly, just do it. So many people get stuck in this kind of fear paralysis… asking, ‘What if this? What if that?’… and end up doing nothing. You’ll be surprised how not-as-difficult the world really is.”
Craig is under no illusions. No amount of positive thinking will turn stairs into a ramp. He focuses on showing practical solutions to the problems travellers will face, such as shuffling downstairs on his bum because the hotel doesn’t have an accessible room, or removing one wheel from his chair because the corridor isn’t wide enough.
Travel accessibility consultant Ryan Smith explains why this content is so powerful for the disabled community:
“Watching someone take a trip that’s on your bucket list, reading about the barriers faced by someone with a similar disability. These things boost your travel confidence. Confidence comes through knowing what to expect and familiarity. These contributors are encouraging people with disabilities to travel, and those travellers influence the industry through their visibility and in their numbers.”
Finding their own audience: media democratisation empowers disabled travellers
The visibility is certainly growing. The influence of these disabled trendsetters is growing beyond a community niche.
Figures like TV presenter Sophie Morgan are bringing disabled travel to the mainstream.
Established social media figures like Tanzila Khan in Pakistan or Sassy Wyatt in the UK are collectively reaching a wide enough audience worldwide. The industry has been forced to acknowledge that the accessible travel market exists.
Traditionally, the travel sector has been the gatekeeper controlling access to the market, and media figures, writers, and marketers are at its mercy. What is happening in the disability space is flipping that on its head.
Accessibility tourism expert and author of Access All Areas, Paul Ralph reflects on the industry’s attitude and why showcasing lived experience is so important
“The absence of good access and inclusion in the tourism industry can often be more of a lack of knowledge than an absence of desire or willingness.
“The businesses in the sector remain firmly rooted in seeing disabled people as an element of the marketplace to be tolerated, because the legislation says they must be considered.”
From compliance to opportunity: the business case for accessible tourism
Paul argues that media figures are helping to translate accessible travel from a necessity to a lucrative market. Recent market research certainly supports this, with valuations ranging from $58 billion to $80 billion, depending on the source.
Tanzila Khan suggests from her first-hand experience as a hotel auditor that “sometimes companies who are already on the path to becoming accessible, they would seek travellers with a disability. So, the fact that we exist is great because a company has woken up from a deep sleep – ‘I need someone that travels’, ‘oh yes, this girl travels. She has a disability. She knows what’s wrong, what’s working’.”
She continued: “But I just don’t think looking at persons with disabilities, the world changes. I think the world is extremely capitalistic. They will only make changes to their properties and services if they see economic gain, and they don’t consider people with disabilities as their target market.”
Even if businesses start to see dollar signs rather than lawsuits when they think of disabled travellers, there is still the matter of that lack of knowledge.
Harnessing the power of innovation and investment to boost business
Reversing three decades of underinvestment in accessibility will not happen overnight, but the pressure to do so is mounting. The upsurge in disabled travel visibility is influencing the travel space itself. Both the UN World Tourism Organisation and the European Union have released accreditation criteria for the standardisation of accessible tourism.
The UN has said to “set out how both destinations and businesses can harness the power of innovation and investment to boost accessibility in every way.”
While emerging destinations like the Inca Trail in Peru have recognised the value of intelligent design and have been building in accessibility from the outset, in the expectation that it will grant them a larger slice of the accessibility pie in the long run.
How disabled creators are transforming accessible tourism
In short, disabled people are forcing the travel industry to catch up rather than the industry making space for them when it is ready.
Craig represents the cutting edge of this mindset. He transitioned from creating disability specific content to exclusively making mainstream travel videos.
His disability is now an incidental factor to his adventures, not a defining one, a concept that the travel industry assumed was impossible until he proved them wrong through a combination of force of personality and ingenuity.
Every video review and new stamp in his passport, from the Galapagos to New Zealand, is a lesson in what’s possible, and now an entire profession is taking notes.
Have you encountered a frustrating or awkward moment like Craig’s while travelling, or a journey made easier by genuine understanding and accessible design? Share your experiences with us in the comments box, on social media or contact us to share your personal story.
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