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Why Accessibility is a Must for Hospitality Industry

accessibility in tourism and hospitality industry

In today’s world, finding a hotel for guests with disabilities is increasingly accomplished from a smartphone or laptop. A visit to the hotel’s website is the first step. Travelers with disabilities frequently ask whether the hotel is accessible. Their first stop is the hotel’s website to see if it has the infrastructure they need for a convenient and enjoyable stay.

For the hospitality sector, providing accessible services to disabled guests could be a highly profitable proposition. A recent study indicates that over half of disabled travelers prefer to stay in hotels or motels. That means over 16 million people are ready to pay $100 each night on a trip. However, research indicated that 46% of travelers with disabilities had difficulty accessing the hotel’s website.

ADA(Americans with Disabilities Act) web accessibility litigations

As you prepare for the travel season, it is business-critical to ensure that you comply with Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Non-compliance could lead to a hefty ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) lawsuit and bring disrepute to the business. The Americans with Disabilities Act’s (ADA) Title III claims come in many forms and sizes. Still, they all derive from the same principle: places of public accommodation, such as hotels, motels, and other lodging places, cannot discriminate against disabled people. 

Quick Accessibility suggestions

Ensure accessible web and mobile application.

Before we all plan our travels, we need to do some homework on where we’ll be staying, including reviews and essential amenities. As a general rule, if finding accessibility-related information takes more than a few clicks, we may infer it is not a priority. Accessibility should be embedded within the application like any other feature to deliver a flawless customer experience.

Easy booking system

The lack of an accessible booking system is a significant barrier for many individuals with disabilities. Include an opportunity to reserve accessible accommodation directly, highlighting the characteristics and who the room will fit, if possible. This will ensure that the guests do not have to contact the hotel each time, saving their and the employees’ precious time.

Map out accessible rooms

Is it true that they are on the ground floor? Is there a lift to the room or not? Since some disabled guests may require more equipment, such as a bigger power chair, attempt to locate accessible rooms in the most convenient places. The ground floor is best, but visitors usually want a view, and providing a variety of alternatives shows compassion.

Design the bedrooms

The bedroom should be entirely open to the outside world. Include grab rails in the bathroom, large-button phones, and even the option of vibrating pillows to alert persons with hearing impairments to any alarms. Consider the height of beds, since some people will need to transfer from their power chair to bed, and the same goes for the fittings. Maintain an appropriate height for everything in the room to ensure that everyone has access to the services.

Touch screens are becoming more common as technology advances. On the other hand, touch displays might be difficult for certain people, so be sure to include features like big buttons and clear instructions.

Accessibility training for employees

When aiding individuals with impairments, your employees must be confident. It’s vital to remember that not every room will be ideal, and guests may have special pillow preferences and requests. As a result, your employee should be able to determine which rooms are the easiest to access.

We specialize in website, and app accessibility audits for the hotel and tourism industries. With years of experience, we can assist your business in building a customized, user-friendly compliance plan. Talk to our accessibility experts to explore how we can help you.

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Promoting accessible tourism for all

What is accessible tourism?

Accessible tourism enables all people to participate in and enjoy tourism experiences. More people have access needs, whether or not related to a physical condition. For example, older and less mobile people have access needs, which can become a huge obstacle when traveling or touring. Thus, accessible tourism is the ongoing endeavour to ensure tourist destinations, products and services are accessible to all people, regardless of their physical limitations, disabilities or age. This inludes publicly and privately owned tourist locations, facilities and services.

Accessible tourism involves a collaborative process among all stakeholders, Governments, international agencies, tour-operators and end-users, including persons with disabilities and their organizations (DPOs). A successful tourism product requires effective partnerships and cooperation across many sectors at the national, regional and international levels. From idea to implementation, a single destination visit normally involves many factors, including accessing information, long-distance travel of various sorts, local transportation, accommodation, shopping, and dining. The impact of accessible tourism thus goes beyond the tourist beneficiaries to the wider society, engraining accessibility into the social and economic values of society. International action and normative frameworks

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2006. CRPD Article 9 on Accessibility calls for State Parties to take appropriate measures to ensure that persons with disabilities have equal access to the physical environment, information, transportation and other facilities and services open or provided to the public. It also calls for the elimination of obstacles and barriers to accessibility, including all transportation and facilities. Furthermore, Article 30 on Participation in cultural life, recreation, leisure and sport also calls for State Parties to ensure that persons with disabilities enjoy the benefits of tourism.

At the 2013, historic UN High-level Meeting on Disability and Development, which included several Heads of State, the link of disability and development was discussed and the meeting called for enhanced action to mainstream disability in the global development agenda. In the outcome document of the meeting, accessibility was identified as a key area for action.

Furthermore, in his message for the 2013 World Habitat Day , UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the international community to make towns and cities accessible to all.

In the recent 2030 Agenda for Global Action containing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 2015), Goal 11 focuses on principles to “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”. This goal captures tourism and recreation through its call for the provisions of universal design for accessible and sustainable transport systems, inclusive urbanization, and access to green and public spaces. In its 2011 Declaration, The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) predicted tourism will increase and experience sustained development, reaching 1.8 billion international tourists by 2030. Accessible cities and tourism provisions therefore ensure the full social and economic inclusion of all persons with direct benefits of promoting more sustainable travel habits among users.

What are the barriers to travel and tourism for persons with disabilities?

For persons with disabilities, travelling can be a challenge, as finding the information on accessible services, checking luggage on a plane, booking a room to fulfil access needs, often prove to be difficult, costly and time consuming.

Challenges for persons with disabilities include: • Untrained professional staff capable of informing and advising about accessibility issues • Inaccessible booking services and related websites • Lack of accessible airports and transfer facilities and services • Unavailability of adapted and accessible hotel rooms, restaurants, shops, toilets and public places • Inaccessible streets and transport services • Unavailable information on accessible facilities, services, equipment rentals and tourist attractions

Why is accessible tourism important?

Accessibility is a central element of any responsible and sustainable development policy. It is both a human rights imperative, as well as an exceptional business opportunity. In this context, accessible tourism does not only benefit persons with disabilities, it benefits all of society.

To ensure that accessible tourism is developed in a sustainable manner requires that tourist destinations go beyond ad hoc services to adopting the principle of universal design, ensuring that all persons, regardless of their physical or cognitive needs, are able to use and enjoy the available amenities in an equitable and sustainable manner. This approach foregoes preferential or segregated treatment of differently abled constituents to permitting uninhibited use of facilities and services by all, at any time, to equitable effect.

I am not a person with a disability – how does this affect me?

Accessibility is also an important aspect of realizing the rights of the world’s ageing population. As we grow older, our chance of experiencing a permanent or temporary disability is increased. A focus on accessibility can therefore ensure that we are able to participate fully in our societies well into our older years. Accessibility also benefits pregnant women and persons who are temporarily rendered immobile.

The improvements to physical and service infrastructure that come with a focus on accessibility also encourage a more multigenerational focus in development planning. For families with small children, accessible infrastructure – particularly in transportation, city planning and building design – improves the ability of these families to participate in social and cultural activities.

The United Nations is committed to sustainable and equitable development. Certainly, making basic adjustments to a facility, providing accurate information, and understanding the needs of disabled people can result in increased visitor numbers. Improving the accessibility of tourism services increases their quality and their enjoyment for all tourists, as well as improving quality of life in the local communities.

Other resources:

  • UN News Centre: Accessible tourism will benefit everyone, say senior UN officials on World Day
  • World Tourism Day 2016 Theme: Promoting Universal Accessibility
  • UN Environment : #Tourism4All videos 1 , 2 , 3
  • The UNWTO General Assembly adopts Recommendations on Accessible Information in Tourism
  • UN World Tourism Organisation Accessible Tourism Manuals
  • Disabled World Travel Documents
  • European Commission Improving Accessibility
  • Sustainable Tourism Online
  • 7th Session of the Conference of State Parties to the CRPD
  • United Nations World Tourism Organisation Best Practice Guide  
  • European Network for Accessible Tourism – World Summit in Montreal, October 2014
  • Centre of Excellence for Destination
  • European Network for Accessible Tourism
  • Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality
  • Capitalising on the Grey-haired Globetrotters Economic Aspects of Increasing Tourism among Older and Disabled People

Other languages:

French: Tourisme et Handicaps Spanish: Fundaciononce Arabic: Arab Tourism Portal German: Russland Barrierefrei

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Why accessibility is the hotel industry’s most overlooked asset, stephen cluskey (ceo mobility mojo) speaking at the recent skift global forum in new york, accessible tourism – problem or opportunity.

Accessibility will eventually affect us all. Imagine an elderly traveler with a bad hip or knee who needs to know if there is a walk-in shower in their hotel room, a wheelchair user looking to find out if the elevator doors are wide enough, a parent with a stroller who wants to know how many steps there are at the hotel entrance, or a menu in larger print for someone who forgot their eye glasses in a restaurant. That’s accessibility.

According to the World Health Organization, there are over 1 billion people around the world with some form of a disability.

AARP research shows that over the next 20 years, 75 million Baby Boomers will be aging into disability. This demographic has amassed the largest accumulation of wealth in history and has the time and desire to travel.

But, there’s a hiccup – more than half of those worldwide with a disability choose not to travel because of insufficient information and uncertainty around accessibility.

Lots of people with accessibility needs still believe that doors are closed to them. I know this is not the case. We just need to inform people properly.

It is a market crying out for solutions – last year accessible bedrooms were the second most searched for amenity (after Wi-Fi of course!). Adapting to this under-served market will be crucial for hotels.

We’ve found that hotels view accessibility as a compliance or regulatory requirement, rather than an asset. In fact, it can be one of the most underutilized assets a hotel has. They spend so much money on their accessibility, but then neglect to advertise it!

Hotels are waking up to the fact that guests with accessible needs consistently account for a higher than average per-person spend and a longer than average stay. Guests with accessible needs stay 3.3 nights, compared to an industry average of 2.9, and spend 9.9% more per stay.

Around 14% of hotel owners in Britain noticed an increase in turnover after improving their accessibility provision.

Rolling with the times

In fact, many believe this wave of aging and accessibility-dependent tourism is already upon us. In Britain, older generations have overtaken the country’s youngsters as the most prolific travelers and now account for 58% of travel and tourism expenditure.

Seniors and people with disabilities are more likely to travel with friends or family, and what’s more, group and business reservations are often decided on the accessibility needs of just one member of the group. This could mean a booking for a wedding or a conference for more than 500 people based on one individual with accessibility needs. The massive potential for additional revenue from accompanying guests’ bookings is often completely overlooked.

So, not only is the tourism market aging, but so too is the number of those traveling with accessibility needs.

When most hotels think of accessibility, they think of wheelchair users. However, a 2015 UK study found that only 6% of those we need to consider when addressing accessibility concerns are wheelchair users. In fact, the largest cohort was those with a long-term illness – 46%, followed by those with a mobility impairment, and those who are deaf/have a hearing impairment, at 24% each.

Clearly the demographics of tourism are shifting radically. But equally, the way in which consumers are engaging as tourists is changing. The principal reason is of course, technology.

Disruptive technology

Online booking platforms and increasingly sophisticated technology have revolutionized how we approach travel. Last year, 82% of travel bookings were made via a website or mobile app, without any human interaction at all. As consumers place more faith in their digital devices, so too must hotels ensure that the information users seek is readily available, as they will have increasingly few opportunities to inform potential guests otherwise!

The biggest priority among modern travelers, however, is personalization . A customized experience is now considered an expectation rather than extraordinary. For example, in 2015 Virgin Hotels launched Lucy, their free app that acts as a personal hotel assistant by fulfilling requests for services and amenities, functioning as the room thermostat, streaming personal content and more. Hotels are increasingly using technology to offer guests a bespoke experience such as this is.

Doug Carrillo, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Virgin Hotels, explains: “Our mobile app Lucy, will put guests in the captain’s chair. The technology will be smart and intuitive, and light the way to a more immersive experience within the hotel.”

accessibility in tourism and hospitality industry

Significant investment in accessibility is beyond what many hotels can resource, but there are a broad range of technological solutions that hotels are employing to improve their accessibility provisions. For example, major hotel brands are working on technology that delivers smart, hyper-personalized hotel rooms using the Internet of Things (IoT) to transform the hotel guest experience by anticipating guests’ needs during their stay.

VR is also trending among hotels to enrich the customer experience. Best Western hotels were among the first to use this and have gone on to rely heavily on video tours of their properties and as they are proven to generate higher engagement than traditional static imagery.

Another disruptive technology with obvious accessibility benefits is facial recognition. A hotel chain in China has introduced facial recognition booths that members can use to check in seamlessly, enhance security, and can be used in conjunction with electronic payments. With platforms like Airbnb gaining ground on traditional accommodation types, innovations such as these ensure that hotels provide the quality of experience to stay competitive.

Mobility Mojo , proves that there are simple, straightforward steps that can be taken to offer customers the precise accessibility information they require and enhance their experience. With technological innovation, a whole new world will open up for millions of people. And companies like AWS make it easier than ever to provide this innovation. Proactively using technology to improve accessibility within travel and hospitality can transform both your business and the lives of millions of people.

We all get old, many of us develop impairments, but few of us ever lose the love of travel. This simple, but compelling reason is central to successfully catering to the needs of the modern tourist. Accessibility does not have to be the awkward appendage of hotel accommodation. Instead it can be a powerful tool to unlock a growing, valuable market segment.

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Accessible hospitality for all: Making everyone feel welcome

 Amerián Portal del Iguazú 

International Day of People with Disabilities celebrated in the first week of December every year. This international observance is promoted by the United Nations since 1992 and calls for all to work together to create an accessible future to ensure people are not excluded because of their health impairments. In this article, we will look at how tourism industry players have adapted their facilities and services that made tourism accessible for all, including people with disabilities.

The celebration falls on 3 December annually, to remind us that a person is not inherently “disabled”, and disability is not a feature of a person. Over a billion people, about 15 per cent of the world’s population , have some form of disability. The rates of disability are on the rise due to ageing populations and an increase in chronic health conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, or mental health conditions, which all influence the nature and prevalence of disability.

Disability awareness and inclusion training

Disability is an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and active participation restrictions. It is a complex situation, reflecting the interaction between features of a person’s body and features of the society in which he or she lives, defined by World Health Organisation .

Hospitality communication is vital and is especially important for frontline employees which include customer-facing staff as they must be able to communicate effectively with guests to meet their needs and provide services. Understanding the challenges faced by people with disabilities, some leading players in the hotel industry provide disability awareness training to their staff.

An accessible hotel with well-trained staff makes guests with disabilities feel more enjoyable. Hotels in Latin America are making headway in providing equal services to people with disabilities.

Two resorts under the AMResorts Collection of Luxury Resort Destinations - Dreams Huatulco Resort & Spa and Secrets Huatulco Resort & Spa in Huatulco, Oaxaca, Mexico – and Amérian Portal del Iguazú in Argentina provided training for all staff to help them improve cognitive skills that will enable them to attend to guests with disabilities .  

Amerián Portal del Iguazú

Employees from Dreams Huatulco Resort and Secrets Huatulco Resort also learned sign language that will help facilitate communication with hearing-impaired and deaf guests. Meanwhile, Amerián Portal del Iguazú provided training to its staff to ensure they are equipped with the right skillset to provide quality services. The training also enhanced their understanding and awareness of the disabled.

Accessible rooms

Hotels that provide full and equal enjoyment of its facilities and services to people with disabilities must offer accessible rooms that meet a specific set of disability design standards. Dreams Huatulco, Secrets Huatulco, and Amérian Portal del Iguazú pay attention to inclusivity for guests of all abilities by adapting their facilities to meet international standards.

Over the years, Dreams Huatulco and Secrets Huatulco have made significant changes to some of its facilities, including adjustment to the height of the glass peepholes in accessible rooms to allow disabled guests to get the corridor view without opening the door. Both resorts also adapted the height of security boxes and closets in rooms for guests’ convenience. These may seem like small modifications, but it earned them recognition and loyalty from guests.

Secrets Huatulco Resort & Spa

Amérian Portal del Iguazú have also modified some of its rooms and bathrooms with disabled-friendly features such as audible and visible alarms, as well as sliding-doors closets.

Amerián Portal del Iguazú

Towards barrier-free facilities and services

Comprehensive service and barrier-free facilities are important features to attract guests with disabilities. Guests in Dreams Huatulco and Secrets Huatulco will feel welcome within the premise as the rooms are clearly marked in Braille. Braille is also used in the elevator and in the menu on display.

“We have modified our menu that will better serve the needs of guests. Our restaurants also provide gluten-free options,” says Margarita López, Quality Manager from Dreams Huatulco and Secrets Huatulco.

Dreams Huatulco Resort & Spa.

These resorts also provide easy access to the beach that features an access ramp and adapted palapas (open structure with a roof made with dried palm leaves) so that guests with disabilities can enjoy at the beach with their families and friends.

One of the many problems holiday-goers with disabilities face is the lack of an accessible booking system via the web. To address that, Amerián Portal del Iguazú designed a website especially for the visually impaired, based on World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Accessibility guidelines . The guidelines explain how to design web content – natural information such as text, images and sounds, as well as code that defines structure and presentation - that is more accessible to people with disabilities.

Different facets of sustainability, including social sustainability  

Sustainability is more than just protecting the environment. It is also about bringing positive social, economic, and cultural impact. All three hotels - Dreams Huatulco Resort & Spa, Secrets Huatulco Resort & Spa, and Amerián Portal del Iguazú are certified against NEPCon Sustainable Tourism Standards for Accommodation for their efforts and commitment to sustainability by incorporating numerous sustainable practices in various aspects.

Amerián Portal del Iguazú has also received the “Accessible Hotel” distinction from the Naciones Tourism Secretariat. The distinction is given as an acknowledgement of the quality services and modifications of its facilities to accommodate the needs of people with disabilities.

“It is satisfying for us when guests with some disabilities and their families express how much they enjoyed their holidays with us. They could relax too, knowing their relative is able to move around on their own within our hotel,”  says Valentina Fombona, Human Resources Associate, who also oversees the implementation of the sustainability strategy in Amerián Portal del Iguazú.

Although some hotels have taken initiatives and significant steps by adapting existing facilities to accommodate guests with disabilities, it is more important to change our mindset and attitude towards disability inclusion, says Saùl Blanco, NEPCon Tourism Manager.

“There’s still a lot to be done for universal accessibility to become a reality in the tourism sector, especially in developing and emerging destinations. But we recognise the effort and commitment of these hotels in making tourism accessible for all.”

“Making the hotel accessible and adapting the stay for disabled guests to help increase the competitiveness of tourism destinations and businesses. But I believe we all play a role in creating an accessible future for all.”

Featured image by  Amerián Portal del Iguazú. 

Related news

Catalonia

  • Tourism for all

First International Standard for accessible tourism just published.

Big blue sign indicating wheelchair access to the beach via a mat rolled out on the sand.

For the more than one billion people in the world who live with some kind of disability, travelling can be a challenging affair. Recognizing the importance of removing unnecessary barriers to tourism, ISO has published a standard to help the industry make travel accessible to everyone.

ISO 21902 , Tourism and related services – Accessible tourism for all – Requirements and recommendations , provides requirements and guidelines to facilitate equal access and enjoyment of tourism by people of all ages and abilities. This includes anyone who might face accessibility issues or have specific access requirements, such as those with disabilities and the elderly.

Requirements and recommendations

For Marina Diotallevi of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), who is also Convenor of the working group of experts that developed the standard, the lack of consistency and clarity across countries on how to make tourism facilities and services accessible continues to create barriers.

“These barriers are also often due to a lack of knowledge and training within the industry, which often means that well-meaning efforts go to waste,” she said.

“There is a distinct lack of guidance in the tourism sector on how to apply appropriate standards related to accessibility, and the standards that are in place often differ across countries or even within national borders of the same country.”

Jesús Hernández, the ISO 21902 Project Leader and Director of Universal Accessibility and Innovation at Fundación ONCE, added: “In some countries, there are no appropriate standards at all, leaving tourism providers without guidance on how to adapt their facilities and tourism offerings to cater to everyone. ISO 21902 is the first International Standard aimed at filling that major gap, thus improving accessibility across the whole tourism value chain.”

The new standard is intended to cater to anyone involved in, or touched by, tourism. This includes national tourism administrations and tourism boards, municipalities, and public entities in charge of infrastructural policies, development and legislative/regulatory frameworks. It will also benefit all travel and tourism businesses, such as tour operators and travel agencies, transport providers, accommodation facilities, hospitality and catering, as well as support players such as architects, ICT developers and, of course, the tourists themselves.

ISO 21902 was developed by ISO technical committee ISO/TC 228 , Tourism and related services , whose secretariat is held by UNE , ISO’s member for Spain. It can be purchased from your national ISO member or the ISO Store .

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Accessible tech is making travel more inclusive — and setting better standards for the hospitality industry

  • Travelers with mobility disabilities spend $58.2 billion on travel annually.
  • Some hospitality businesses are becoming more inclusive with accessible tech for disabled travelers.
  • Digital and physical tech has helped improve accessible travel experiences, but more can be done.
  • This article is part of " Build IT ," a series about digital tech and innovation trends that are disrupting industries.

Insider Today

On December 31, 2017, when I was a 25-year-old athlete and actor, I was admitted to my local hospital because I couldn't feel anything below my chest. In the coming months, I was diagnosed with neuromyelitis optica, an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system, similar to multiple sclerosis. 

That year, I relearned how to do everything from walking to driving and reacclimated my mind to a world that didn't know or care that my body would move and function differently forever. As a Black woman, my lived experience was already intersectional, but my NMO diagnosis added another layer.

This particularly affected my relationship with traveling. It took years for me to feel comfortable with taking trips again, and when I finally did, I needed to keep accessibility top of mind. I quickly realized places that offered amenities such as ramps and elevators were helpful, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.

To achieve true accessibility, hospitality establishments must use both digital and physical technologies to be more inclusive.

Accessibility-focused databases help disabled travelers plan their trips

Isabelle Ducharme is the president of the board of directors at Kéroul , an organization dedicated to making Quebec an accessible destination for all travelers. 

"I was an aircraft mechanic for the army here, and I had a car accident on the eve of my 22nd birthday, and now I get around in a motorized wheelchair," Ducharme told me. "One of the things that helped me through rehab was knowing that I could still travel and do my activities. I was still in rehab when I went to my first Rod Stewart concert and when I did my first trip to Mexico."

Over the past 25 years, the Ministry of Tourism for Quebec has relied on Kéroul to help with the province's accessibility-related needs and innovations. Kéroul has been so successful that the Minister of Tourism endowed the organization with $5 million in 2017 to distribute over the course of five years to help organizations in Quebec without the funding become more accessible. 

Ducharme and her Kéroul teammates hope that when the financial responsibility of funding-accessible services is lightened, more business owners will be open to creating and updating spaces with inclusivity at the forefront.

Kéroul also evaluates buildings and venues in the tourism industry to accredit accessible certification in Quebec, which means that these locations are fully accessible to people of all ability ranges and can be advertised as such. Its certifications are the only ones recognized by the Quebec Ministry of Tourism. 

Kéroul executes these evaluations by sending an expert to assess a certain spot and ensure accessible criteria are met. They then give the space an accessible rating level — full access, partial access, or not accessible — and provide a breakdown of how noncompliant areas can improve.

If a space gains certification, it's added to the Bonjour Quebec website, the official website for the tourism board of Quebec, and included in Quebec for All , a platform with a searchable database of over 1,800 accessible tourist establishments. This digital resource is a huge help for those who need to keep accessibility in mind while planning a trip.

Quebec for All also has an interactive digital map that allows travelers to see the accessible offerings at a location, discover what other fully or partially accessible locations are nearby, prepare for places that don't have the amenities they need, and more. 

Accessible tech at accommodation facilities is creating truly all-inclusive stays

Picking a destination and getting there are just part of the journey for many disabled travelers. While a number of hotels, inns, and lodgings have standard accessible rooms, it's a pleasant surprise when there are special amenities that make an all-inclusive stay memorable for everyone. 

For example, resorts such as Mayakoba in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, are using coded wristbands instead of thin plastic key cards for visitors to enter their rooms and access other parts of the resort. The wristbands are helpful for people who have difficulty holding and maneuvering smaller items such as standard key cards. 

Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey, is also addressing accessibility needs with technology. It has over 60 rooms integrated with accessible amenities: Some are reserved for clients with hearing and visual impairments and equipped with a Room Valet visual alerting system and a bed that shakes when the doorbell is pushed. 

These rooms come in all sizes and suite styles, from a studio to a presidential suite, so that people who need accessible rooms aren't limited by affordability. This location also has Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant beach wheelchairs and wheelchair access to the beach, which are in high demand at the waterfront destination.

Popular tourist destinations are incorporating more accessible tech 

Tourist hot spots and cool local spots are slowly but surely embracing more accessible technology. The Lincoln Center in New York City is a prime example.

The Lincoln Center offers experiences and features such as virtual shows made for people with dementia and their caregivers; text captions, downloaded from a QR code, for shows and performances; and art series featuring fully realized virtual worlds via platforms like Arium , which allows users to create and engage in virtual exhibitions and communities. 

Miranda Hoffner, the director of accessibility at the Lincoln Center, said that people who are neurodivergent and sensory-seeking — meaning they search for and engage with sensory input and stimulation — also "have great experiences" using the vibration vests at events including silent discos. "We're enjoying experimenting with this tool and showing audiences that we can decenter sound," she added.

Hoffner also regularly scours New York City and the internet to find accessibility innovators across the world who can host or lead accessibility-focused events at their venues.

Improving accessible tech for the future of travel

The hospitality industry has a long way to go when it comes to accessibility.

A study by MMGY Global , a marketing and research agency that specializes in travel and tourism, found that travelers with mobility disabilities spent $58.2 billion on travel annually and were going on leisure trips at nearly the same frequency as those without mobility issues. Since many disabled travelers do not travel alone — typically taking trips with a caregiver, a colleague, or a family member — more accessibility tech within the hospitality industry could help businesses boost their revenue.

Two of the biggest issues with increasing accessible tech in this field are documentation of its benefits and the price of acquiring and integrating the tech. Many hotels and destinations either have trouble notating, or simply do not document, how much revenue they've made because of the accessible tech and services they provide.

Take Ocean Casino Resort, for example. Brian Brennan, the establishment's public-relations manager and a wheelchair user who gave me a tour of the resort, said the business reported more than $47.6 million in gross operating profits in the first half of 2023. This is 40% higher than it was within the same time frame in 2022.

But there's a catch: Brennan said the increase in revenue "is not solely related to the disabled community" but that he considered it "a testament to the success a property can have when it is committed to being inclusive to guests of all walks of life."

Still, calculating how often accessible rooms and amenities are booked and requested is a more tangible way to help investors see the financial benefit of contributing to these offerings in travel spaces. 

This presents an open field of opportunities for tech innovators to partner with the hospitality industry to create accountability measures for accessible amenities. Once the numbers are there, administrators will have a stronger case to get board members and investors to allocate money for accessibility.

accessibility in tourism and hospitality industry

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UN Tourism | Bringing the world closer

Tourism for all – UNWTO presents “Accessibility and Inclusive Tourism Development” - Compendium of Best Practices

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Tourism for all – UNWTO presents “Accessibility and Inclusive Tourism Development” - Compendium of Best Practices

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  • 19 May 2021

The UNWTO Affiliate Members Department, within the framework of the activities of the Working Group on Accessible Tourism, organized the Expert Meeting on Accessible Tourism – Good Practices on Accessible Tourism in Nature Areas at FITUR Next.

This event provided a space to recognize the importance of incorporating accessibility into the tourism practices in nature environments, share knowledge and experiences by UNWTO Affiliate Members and other tourism stakeholders, and provide recommendation on how to strengthen accessibility and create an accessible tourism for all.

At the event, the publication Accessibility and Inclusive Tourism Development – Compendium of Best Practices , available in the UNWTO E-Library, was launched and presented to the audience. This publication is the result of the work carried out in the last months by the Working Group on Accessible Tourism, coordinated by the Affiliate Members Department and chaired by the Spanish Network for Accessible Tourism (Red Estable).

We trust this publication will provide all relevant stakeholders with tools and resources to make their tourism destinations, facilities and services accessible for all

Its aim is to create an accessible pathway in nature, from which to descry a new approach for inclusive tourism development in natural areas, which is very much in line with the UNWTO priority to foster an Accessible Tourism for All and so contributing to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The compilation of best practices included in the publication and the final recommendations provides innovative, inclusive, and sustainable solutions that enable access to nature for all the people.

In the words of UNWTO Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili: There is still a lot of work to be done, as we are still far from guaranteeing a universally accessible tourism sector. However, we trust this publication will provide all relevant stakeholders with tools and resources to make their tourism destinations, facilities and services accessible for all. We also hope it will serve as a source of inspiration for them to continue working, so that tourism becomes truly accessible.

Within the framework of the event, representatives of the entities which contributed to the publication shared with the audience their projects, all very different in terms of contents but sharing the common goal of promoting an Accessible Tourism for All and supporting the right of people with disabilities to travel. Accessible accommodations in nature, accessibility to natural parks and beaches, and the use of plastic to manufacture accessible products were only some of the topics that were presented.

RELATED LINKS

  • Download the news release in PDF
  • Expert Meeting on Accessible Tourism: Good Practices on Accessible Tourism in Nature Areas
  • Accessibility and Inclusive Tourism Development in Nature Areas – Compendium of Best Practices

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Tourism Teacher

What is Accessible Tourism and Why is it So Important?

Disclaimer: Some posts on Tourism Teacher may contain affiliate links. If you appreciate this content, you can show your support by making a purchase through these links or by buying me a coffee . Thank you for your support!

Accessible tourism is an integral part of implementing sustainable tourism. When most people hear the term ‘accessible tourism’, they immediately think of disabled people and things such as audio devices for the blind and ramps for those in wheelchairs. Yes, this is an important part of accessible tourism, BUT accessible tourism is actually MUCH more than this!

Accessible tourism is about providing access to tourism for people from all walks of life and all kinds of backgrounds- provision for disabled people makes up just one fragment of this.

This article sets out to cover the broad spectrum of areas that are encompassed within the concept of accessible tourism. I will explain what accessible tourism is, provide some definitions of accessible tourism and then I will discuss at length the factors influencing accessible tourism.

What is accessible tourism?

Definitions of accessible tourism, why is accessible tourism important, factors influencing access to tourism, disposable income, cost of travel, cost of tourism, cost of living, exchange rate, available leisure time, nature of employment, stage of life, social environment, access to transport , cultural attitude, images of destination, perception of destination, familiarity with destination, uncertainty over future, political stability, disease , natural disaster, social conditions , economic conditions, level of development, government attitude to tourism, laws or restrictions, availability of resources for tourism, attractions , mega-events, marketing and promotion, technology , startegies to implement accessible tourism, accessible tourism: conclusion, further reading on accessible tourism.

Accessibility in tourism is a social right- everyone should have access regardless of where they come from, their age, their gender, any disabilities they may have, hope much money they earn etc.

Also sometimes referred to as ‘ tourism for all ‘, accessible tourism is closely aligned with the principles of sustainable tourism . In order for an organisation to be sustainable, it should provide access opportunities for all.

Accessible tourism

Accessible tourism provides opportunities for all types of people to take part in tourism activities.

People’s needs vary considerably- while one person may have a physical disability, another person may be financially disadvantaged or may not have access to the technology required to organise their trip.

By ensuring there is accessible tourism, destinations are enhancing their business prospects by attracting a wider range of tourists than they may otherwise achieve.

Accessible tourism involves a collaborative process among all stakeholders in tourism including Governments, international agencies, tour-operators and tourists themselves.

There are many things to consider when planning for accessible tourism, such as accessing information, travel arrangements to the destination, local transportation, accommodation, shopping, and hospitality.

There is no universally agreed and approved definition of the term accessible tourism, which perhaps contributes to the lack of clarity that many people have in understanding what constitutes accessible tourism.

The concept of accessible tourism has evolved considerably throughout recent years. This is largely because society has become more aware and more inclusive. This has resulted in discussions about accessibility coming to the forefront amongst tourism stakeholders.

Below I have outlined some of the commonly noted definitions, however, it is important to remember that the concept is likely to continue to evolve further and that the term be need to be ‘redefined’ as necessary.

Accessible tourism (also known as access tourism, ‘universal tourism’, ‘inclusive tourism’ and in some countries such as in Japan ‘barrier-free tourism’) is tourism and travel that is accessible to all people, with disabilities or not, including those with mobility, hearing, sight, cognitive, or intellectual and psychosocial disabilities, older persons and those with temporary disabilities”  ( Takayama Declaration – Appendix, UNESCAP, 2009 ). 

‘Accessible tourism refers to tourism that caters to the needs of a full range of consumers including persons with disabilities, older persons and cross-generational families. It entails removal of attitudinal and institutional barriers in society, and encompasses accessibility in the physical environment, in transportation, information and communications and other facilities and services. It encompasses publicly and privately owned tourist locations.’ ( Takayama City and UNESCAP Conference – Press Release – Takayama, 2009 )

‘Accessible tourism is a process of enabling people with disabilities and seniors to function independently and with equity and dignity through the delivery of universal tourism products, services and environments. The definition is inclusive of the mobility, vision, hearing and cognitive dimensions of access.’ (Darcy, 2006)

‘ Accessible tourism enables people with access requirements, including mobility, vision, hearing and cognitive dimensions of access, to function independently and with equity and dignity through the delivery of universally designed tourism products, services and environments. This definition is inclusive of all people including those travelling with children in prams, people with disabilities and seniors’. (Darcy & Dickson, 2009)

More posts that may interest you- – Types of tourism: A glossary – Everything you need to know about sustainable tourism – Enclave tourism: An explanation – The structure of the tourism industry – What is the sharing economy and how does impact travel and tourism?

Accessible tourism is not just about people with disabilities, it is about everyone.

Accessibility is a central element of any responsible and sustainable development policy , both in the context of tourism and in other areas.

Accessible tourism is important because accessibility is a human right and an important business opportunity. By ensuring that tourism is accessible, there is more scope for business development for individuals and from a top-down perspective.

In order to ensure that accessible tourism is developed in a sustainable manner, tourism stakeholders must develop policies and practices aimed at achieving inclusivity, avoiding practices that include preferential or segregated treatment.

There are many factors that may influence a person’s access to tourism. In order for tourism to be developed and managed in a sustainable way, these factors should be taken into consideration at the planning stage and throughout implementation.

Accessible tourism

Accessible tourism: Economic factors

There are many economic reasons that tourism may not be accessible for some people. I will outline some of the major economic factors below.

Travel and tourism is considered a luxury in that it is not essential to maintain life. As a result, when a person does not have much disposable (or ‘extra’) income, the first thing to suffer is often their holidays.

During times of financial hardship, such as an economic recession, the tourism industry is one of the first areas to suffer.

Therefore, disposable income is a key contributor to the travel and tourism industry.

A key contributor to accessible tourism is price. If the price of travel is too high, many people will not be able to access it.

The tourism industry really took off with the growth of the low cost carrier . Reductions in the price of flights, coupled with growing route networks, made travel and tourism more accessible.

But it’s not just about the cost of travelling to a destination. The price of tourism facilities in the destination is also a key factor in attaining accessible tourism.

If hotels and tourist attractions are very expensive, this will likely mean that many people will not be able to access the tourism industry in this area.

The cost of living in both the tourism traveller region and the tourism destination region (for more on this see my post on Leiper’s tourism system ) can have a significant impact on accessible tourism.

leiper

If the cost of living is high in either area, tourists may not be able to financially access tourism.

Exchange rates are particularly important in international tourism .

Tourists who are based in a country with a strong currency (such as the UK, the USA, Australia ) are naturally at an economic advantage over tourists who live in countries with weaker countries.

This is because their money goes further when they travel abroad, particularly if they choose to travel to a destination with a currency that is weaker than the currency used in their home country.

Accessible tourism: Social factors

There are also many social factors that contribute to accessible tourism. I will introduce you to these below.

Accessible tourism is dependant on whether a person has the free time to spend on tourism.

Many countries around the world now offer their employees paid leave each year. This has resulted in a growth in tourism because people have more available leisure time.

Whether you have a lot of time to spend on travel and tourism or not can be dependant on the type of employment that you have.

For me, one of the reasons that I work in education is so that I have lots of free leisure time to travel!

However, some jobs do not offer such flexibility and may offer reduced leisure time.

A person’s physical ability to take part in tourism is a key contributor to accessible tourism.

This includes physical disabilities, illnesses and health that is effected by age.

There are many things that tourism stakeholders can do to ensure that tourism is accessible such as providing ramps for people who are in wheelchairs, brail cards for the blind and lifts for those who find stairs challenging.

Accessible tourism should enable people to access tourism no matter what stage of life they are in. This means that there should be facilities for young children, such as ramps of buggies, as well as facilities for the elderly.

Tourism destinations should try to differentiate the products that they have on offer to cater for people of all ages.

Education may have an impact on how accessible tourism is for a person.

For example, it has been a long debated topic about whether students should be allowed to take holidays during the school term. Prices invariably rise as soon as school breaks up, meaning that some families can no longer afford the tourism products that are on offer.

Different people come from different social environments and this should not make tourism any more or less accessible.

A social environment could be centred around a particular culture or religion, for example.

It could also be related to particular hobbies and interests.

Some people have more access to transport than others. This is commonly noted when comparing city living to rural living. In towns and cities there is typically a wider range of transport options than in rural areas.

In fact, transport accessibility is one of the greatest challenges that the rural tourism industry faces.

Psychological factors

Psychological factors also play a significant role in accessible tourism. Here is a summary:

If a person is not motivated to visit a certain area, they probably won’t- it’s as simple as that!

A person’s cultural attitude can be an important factor in accessible tourism.

For example, people want to feel that their culture will be treated with respect.

Some people think they are superior or inferior to others, and if this is the case then they may not wish to travel to a particular area in which they hold this view.

The image of a destination is a key factor in determining if a person may be likely to visit.

Many of us want to visit Thailand because of the many images of exotic beaches that we can see, for example.

However, some people may not want to travel to Thailand because they perceive it to be a bad country because of the poverty levels or because of sex tourism in Thailand .

This demonstrates that perception also plays a key role in accessible tourism.

Many people prefer to travel to a destination because they are familiar with it.

This may be because they have travelled to said destination before, or it may be because they have seen their favourite influencer talk about it on Instagram .

Familiarity with a destination can be a motivational factor.

Sometimes tourists feel that they have a ‘connection’ to a place.

In some instances this may be a physical connection- a family member may live there or the tourist may have a strong history in the area.

In other cases tourists may feel that they have a psychological connection with a place. They may affiliate with the culture or the ‘feel’ of the place.

Whilst for some people, distance is no issue, other people prefer to stay closer to home.

And some people prefer not to travel to particular areas or using particular modes of transport because of fear.

A person made be afraid of flying, for example.

Another factor that can influence accessible tourism is uncertainty that a person may have in their future.

Many people may not want to go on holiday if they have worries over aspects such as their job security or money.

The 2020 Coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated more than ever that people are nervous to travel when there are political, economic and health uncertainties.

Broader factors (macro-determinants)

Alongside the environmental, social and economic factors that influence accessible tourism, there are also several macro-determinants which can play a key role. Some examples include:

Destinations that are experiencing or that have recently experience terrorist attacks are unlikely to be accessible tourism destinations.

e.g. New York after the 9/11 attacks, Tunisia after the shootings in 2015, Bali after the bombing in 2002.

Areas that have ongoing war are also unlikely to be accessible tourism destinations.

One exception is Israel. Israel continues to welcome tourists, despite ongoing feuds with Palestine. I watched rockets being shot out of then sky when I was there, it was pretty scary. You can read all about that here.

Destinations that are experiencing political instability are not likely to welcome tourists with open arms.

They also often receive a lot of negative media attention, which can impact tourist motivations to travel to the area in the near future.

e.g. Thailand Bangkok riots in 2018, Egyptian revolution in 2011.

If a person does not feel safe and secure in a destination, they may not feel that it is accessible.

There are many parts of Africa and Central America that revive fewer visitors for this reason.

Many tourists will avoid travelling to areas that have disease.

This has never been more prevalent than the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic, which has a devastating impact on the tourism industry.

Natural disasters often hit tourist destinations hard.

The 2001 tsunami, the Nepalese earthquake in 2015 and Hurricane Katrina in the USA in 2005 all had terrible consequences for the tourism sector.

Many people do not want to be faced with particular social conditions when they go on holiday.

This may be things such as poverty, gun crime or smoking.

Many tourists do not want to experience tourism in poor areas.

The economic conditions here mean that accessible tourism is not achieved.

Other people are influenced by levels of development.

Many less economically developed countries do not experience the same levels of tourism is Western nations because of their inferior levels of development.

This include aspects such as an underdeveloped airport or road infrastructure.

In some parts of the world the Government may not have a favourable attitude towards tourism.

There could be a lot of corruption, for example. Or there could be high taxes on tourism activities.

Some people choose not to travel to particular areas because of the laws or restrictions placed upon them.

A common example of this is people who are in same-sex relationships who wish to visit destinations in The Middle East. Rules and punishments for same-sex relationships shown in public can be severe; making tourism inaccessible for some.

Some areas are not accessible destinations because they lack the sources required for tourism.

Perhaps the area does not have a well developed road infrastructure or enough water to fill the hotel swimming pool, for example.

Attractions can be a big draw to a destinations for tourists. Likewise, a lack of attractions may put tourists off.

Mega-events can often result in overtourism and congestion.

Mega-events could be the reason a person visits the area, but it could also put a person off visiting.

In order for accessible tourism to be achieved, all types of visitors should be made aware of what is on offer.

This is where good marketing and promotion come in.

Lastly, technology can have a significant influence on whether accessible tourism is achieved or not.

Nowadays, many people will rely on technology for research purposes and to book the components of their holiday .

Therefore, those who do not have adequate access to such technology may be disadvantaged.

There are many strategies that tourism destinations and organisations can use to implement accessible tourism. This includes:

  • Encouraging policies and actions to support social tourism at all levels
  • Ensuring universal adherence to workers’ leave entitlement, safeguarding this aspect of social security guaranteed by the European social model 
  • Designing and adapting tourism facilities and sites to meet physical disability needs
  • Improving information relevant to disabled people and under-privileged groups 
  • Encouraging a broad price range in tourism facilities and experiences 
  • Pursuing specific schemes to facilitate and encourage holiday-taking by people on low incomes, such as the holiday voucher systems run in some countries based on tax incentives and involving governments and operators
  • Having effective marketing and promotion strategies

Accessible tourism is not a luxury, it is a right. Everybody should have access to tourism.

In order for tourism to be sustainable, it should do its upmost to development and implement accessible tourism where possible. This will inevitably have positive outcomes for the overall business development. As I have explained in this article, the three keys areas of the environment, economy and society should be considered when planning for accessible tourism.

To learn more about accessible tourism, I suggest that you consult the texts listed below.

  • Accessible Tourism: Concepts and Issues – This book sets out to explore and document the current theoretical approaches, foundations and issues in the study of accessible tourism.
  • Best Practice in Accessible Tourism: Inclusion, Disability, Ageing Population and Tourism – It brings together global expertise in planning, design and management to inform and stimulate providers of travel, transport, accommodation, leisure and tourism services to serve guests with disabilities, seniors and the wider markets that require good accessibility. 

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Best Practice in Tourism Accessibility and Inclusion: Case Study of Ireland

In this Blog, key NTG partner, TU Dublin, School of Hospitality Management and Tourism, explores accessibility, inclusion, best practice and skill requirements in tourism destinations.  Paudie Healy, CEO of Universal Access Ireland , shares his insights and experiences of best practices in the sector.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than one billion people around the world live with some form of disability, and this number will increase as people live longer . The UN estimates that by 2050 approximately 1.6 billion people in the world will be over 65 years-old . In the European Union’s 27 states, more than one fifth of the population is now age 65 or more, and it is projected that the share of those aged 80 years or above will have a two-and-a-half fold increase from 2020 to 2100 .

Developing best practice in accessibility and inclusion has become one important aspect of public policy in tourism. In 2018, the EU and the European Commission developed the ‘European Capital of Smart Tourism Initiative’ to strengthen destinations, create positive tourism experiences for all and promote the exchange of best practices in Europe . The initiative awards cities based in four categories: accessibility, sustainability, digitalization and cultural heritage and creativity. In 2020, Malaga and Gothenburg won the award, taking the lead in the continent and becoming example cities in sustainable practices and accessibility.  However, ending barriers in accessibility is still challenging in the industry and continued actions to bring awareness and inclusiveness when travelling are certainly needed.

What defines accessible tourism?

Accessible tourism involves ensuring that tourism destinations, products and services are accessible to all people, regardless of their physical limitations, disabilities or age. Requirements to accessibility include cognitive, hearing, mobility and vision dimensions, but it also includes any person that needs to access places with ease, for example, parents with prams, or seniors with mobility needs.  The need  for accessibility remains a problem in many destinations, which highlights efforts to create new experiences for visitors and to remove any psychological, physical or cultural barriers in destinations . According to the UNWTO , it has become more than imperative to redefine and redesign destinations and attractions, to promote inclusiveness and to ensure accessible tourism for all.  As Europe’s population ages, the future requirements for best practices in the sector will increase. Tackling barriers to accessibility promotes sustainability for the tourism industry, and quality of life for all travelers. The recovery of the sector after the Covid-19 health crisis must include solutions for a better and inclusive visitor experience, as it will impact significantly on the future of the industry.

Best practices in tourism attractions and destinations

Best practices in the sector include a wide number of initiatives such as architecture solutions and modernization of access to attractions for improving the visiting of people with mobility issues, the use of technology to enhance the experience for people with hearing or visual disability, improved services in the transportation, accommodation, and food and beverage sector and new ways of communication. The concept of universal design has gained importance in the sector, and there has been progress in destinations to improve competitiveness and quality of services. The concept of universal design is that the whole environment  is accessible and can be used by everyone, regardless of people’s age, size or disability. This includes public spaces such as streets, buildings and the organization of services and digital information technology for accessibility .

Among the good practices evaluation criteria present in the UNWTO policy for promoting accessibility and inclusive tourism development in public spaces and nature areas are :

  • Public and private collaboration
  • The elaboration of plans with the participation of representative entities of people with disabilities and experts in accessible tourism
  • Training related to accessibility, improving employee skills in awareness and to care for people with disabilities
  • The implementation of accessibility with a design process carried out by specialized people
  • Sustainability of the project over time
  • The possibility of replication of the project

All practices must bring solutions that will raise awareness of the needs and rights of travelers and make tourism more inclusive and accessible for all, overcoming challenges and guaranteeing an enjoyable travel experience.

Best practices in accessible tourism: interview with Paudie Healy, CEO Universal Access Ireland

Ireland is known for its diverse heritage attractions, nature parks and museums. In 2018 and 2019 the cities of Killarney and Tralee, in County Kerry, launched plans to become flagship towns in accessibility in Ireland . The changes include accessible pedestrian routes in all greenway and in cultural activities and spaces, implementation of universal design for city mobility, the redesign of public spaces, the improvement of technology for  Braille readers and those who experience hearing difficulties, the development of initiatives to encourage accommodation providers to improve accessibility, and training for tourism providers and for public awareness in accessibility .

Paudie Healy, the CEO of Universal Access Ireland, an organization that delivers solutions in Universal design and accessibility to the public and private sector in Ireland, has been working on improving accessibility in the hospitality and tourism sector. Paudie is an expert in accessibility and inclusive design, having been appointed to four national European standards committees, and as a non-executive board director of the European Network for Accessible Tourism. He is also a Universal Design taskforce member with the International Air Transport Association and a former appointee by the Minister for Transport Tourism and Sport in Ireland to the Government Tourism Leadership Group.

He talked to us about accessibility, inclusion and skills training in tourism and hospitality:

What are the key points of developing accessibility and inclusion in services or business?

“Having family members with a disability and aging, I have a good understanding of the barriers to participating  in tourism experiences, and where the divide is. I also know from a business perspective that businesses don’t realize that the barriers are there and once you explain to them, the solution sometimes can be very small. It doesn’t have to be a huge investment to make some changes:   disability and inclusion training, bias awareness, small changes can start the journey. It’s all about getting on the journey, and when you start to make those changes you start to understand the barriers. But the key thing for me, always, going into business or public service, it comes down to leadership and cultural change. You have to start at the top and if you embed leadership and culture at the top of the organization, at CEO and board level, Disability and age inclusion, person centric authenticity becomes part of the DNA of the business. It just becomes another objective in business, the same as finances, the same as health and safety, the same as marketing, accessibility and inclusion of people with disabilities and age just becomes part of your business. We then go on to develop a road map including strategy, action plans, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and reporting This gives a return in investments, environmental return, sustainability return and social return. There are very few things that gives you all of those but yet if you are on this path that’s what you will get from inclusion and a person-centered approach”.

What is the role of skills training to promote accessibility in tourism?

“I think training is paramount, because that’s where everything starts. You have to make sure that people are aware in the first place there are barriers in their organization, facilities, product, services or IT. But training has to be in every level and it even needs to form part of training with legislators, because they have to understand the policy they are creating. From a tourism perspective, it is vital from the state agencies that they understand when there is planning in destination development both nationally and locally, that nobody can be left out. We have some very key legislation, directives, standards international best practice now in Europe that backs that up. In the training, we have to meet every touch point in the customers journey like in Information – searching and bookings on websites, platforms and mobile, in Transport – vehicles, terminals, transfers, assistance, in Infrastructure –  external environment, attractions, accommodations, restaurants, streets and beaches, in Services  – hospitality, packages, tour guides, excursions, menus, activities and IT, in Public Services – public transport, public attractions, footpaths, parking, universal toilets  and once you create that awareness you start to develop different modules in customer service training. I will give you an example of simple hotel housekeeping daily service; when you are going to a hotel, everyone has the shower head set at the highest level. Does it not make more sense if you have it at the lowest level, so a person of any size, or stature, or ability is able to move it up to their own height, and have wet rooms that everyone can universally use? Through a universal design approach, we start that process and with that approach, we make sure that everyone can use the facility or get the service. It is clear that training is critical at all levels”.

Would you be able to highlight the key skills required to training in hospitality and tourism?

“If you are looking at a higher state agency level, first of all they have to understand users’ needs and different abilities. And it is critical when we talk about universal design, accessibility and inclusion, we are talking about different people’s needs, diverse needs, we are not talking about their health condition, we are just talking about user’s needs. Do we give a customer service, a public service, to every individual with equity? When we are looking into the modules and training, awareness on different user’s needs is critical.  Procurement is critical, we must make sure everyone is being included through a universal design approach in all tender documents. That’s a whole process there as well writing up the tender, user input from diverse abilities, having accessibility and universal design as part of the evaluation weighting, user testing before sign-off etc. For example, apart from accessible facilities, products and services, is there training on accessibility for evacuation and on-going maintenance in the hospitality sector?  In terms of digital communications, companies need to explore how to create accessible documents, websites, platforms, booking engines. Are our HR departments trained in inclusive recruitment? Simple little things like having your videos captioned, having a loop system inside your reception, having a vibrating pillow for a person that needs it for an evacuation ; these are all simple little things, but they are vital. So, it’s back again to giving that person-centered service. We have all different needs, we are all diverse in our abilities, yet we are trying to put a tourism experience into a box that’s a standard offering, and that has to change because there is no human born as standard just with different user needs and needs that will evolve through the human life cycle”.

Do you think accessibility training skills are necessary both for manager level and operational level?

“It is vital at both levels. It is vital in senior management level, because they have to become aware at the first place of the problem. Managers are leaders and create the inclusive culture, they are also the people that can apply any funding as required and instruct operational change, so if we don’t change or, more important, if managers can’t understand different user needs then you are losing the battle immediately. But equally it is vital at an operational level because, at the end of the day, they are the people that are meeting the users. The person that’s on the ground level, no matter what they are doing, they will see more, and hear more, and probably understand more of the challenges on a day to day basis than any person   at board room level. So that’s why it is vital that they receive training, so they understand accessible tourism and how to deliver inclusive service equally.  It is absolutely vital from a perspective of people with disability and impairment , getting that customer service equally and being able to participate independently”.

What are the strategies that could be created in destinations to achieve inclusion in tourism?

“I think at city level it is vital to develop training with policy makers, government tourism agencies at the highest level. This should be on accessible and inclusive strategy, brand engagement, industry engagement, accessible tool kits support, capacity building, awards, accreditation and more locally with developing product development, services, accessible booking services, accessible events, developing accessible destination guides and promoting  all in accessible formats in print and electronic. These are all underpinned by a universal design approach and process.  In respect of Kerry and Kerry County Council, we have trained all their staff on general accessible tourism awareness, we have done an audit of Killarney town, we have created an action plan and a roadmap for each department, looking through the universal design approach. Of course, this will be always evolving and ongoing, they have built into their tourism strategy right across each checkpoint. Some smart cities, as Malaga and Gothenburg, are very advanced. Being smart is about making sure every client, every customer, has the opportunity to visit and participate in the tourism experience equally and independently, and I always like to say that it’s not very smart if you leave out up to a quarter of the population and their families and friends. So that’s key. When we look at smart cities, we must look at everything, from a digital inclusion, because everything is getting moved so fast in technology, we must make sure that there are no barriers there, because of all different types of assistive technology and users operating preferences. Our transport systems are also vital to ensure all tourists can get around a city”.

What are the recommendations you could mention for developing sustainable initiatives for accessibility for tourism

“Accessibility and inclusion are going to become huge going forward because of the changing age demographics. Every one of us will get a disability as we get reduced function as we age, and that’s apart  from hopefully avoiding any acquired disability or long-term chronic illness. We must make sure that everyone with a disability has an equal opportunity to participate, that’s a vital human right.  I believe going forward changing the mindset, leadership and culture within any business or government services in the hospitality sector is vital. It is also vital because it sends out a message for all potential employees with disabilities that you are welcome and we want you if you have the talent and qualifications, if you are good enough we are happy to make sure that you will have every accommodation so you can perform to your best. Inclusiveness is a big part of an organization, there is no room for exclusion  any more. We are working towards the UN 2030 sustainable goals and disability cuts across all of those goals, so we can’t forget people’s different needs and people’s different abilities. I do believe government leaders, industry leaders and us as a society have the power and ability to make and  embed these changes now that we are beginning to understand different user needs. The important thing and the good thing are that everyone can make that decision to make a small change in their own business, starting with a leadership and cultural change at board or management level, in accessibility and inclusion of people with disabilities and ageing. And if they begin to understand this, they begin to do the small things right, we start to see the changes. Sustainability is a key part of universal design, accessibility and age inclusion:  leaving nobody out, leaving nobody behind, and that’s the key going forward. Everyone should have the right to have that human right, tourism services and to participate in the experience and society as equal as possible”.

This blog has highlighted best practice in accessible tourism, the importance of accessibility and inclusion skills training, strategies adopted in destinations and the key tourism employee skills required at both the managerial and operational level.  TU Dublin and the NTG Alliance thank Paudie Healy for his insights and examples of developing accessibility and inclusion for tourism destinations.

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Contemporary Trends and Issues in The Hospitality and Tourism Industry

Contemporary Trends and Issues in The Hospitality and Tourism Industry

  • Dr. Antoneta Njeri Kariru
  • May 13, 2023
  • Development Studies

Dr. Antoneta Njeri Kariru Ph.D. Hospitality Management, Lecturer, Department of Hospitality, Travel and Tourism Management, Murang’a University of Technology, P.O Box 75-10200, Murang’a, Kenya. 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2023.7481

  Received: 25 March 2023; Revised: 12 April 2023; Accepted: 14 April 2023; Published: 13 May 2023

Contemporary trends and issues in the hospitality and tourism industry often generate opportunities and challenges. The hospitality and tourism environments are constantly changing. Customers’ needs and preferences dictate consumption and business success in the service-driven and experiential industry. This review paper explores contemporary trends and issues in Hospitality and Tourism. The review adopted a qualitative approach with a focus on the collection of secondary data and subsequent thematic analysis. The paper looks at hospitality and tourism products, services, experiences, markets and environments. It also reviews the existing opportunities and challenges in the industry. The paper lastly recommends that hospitality and tourism firms understand, embrace and take advantage of modern trends and opportunities that emerge in the environment. They should also devise strategies for managing inherent challenges in the industry.

Key Words: Contemporary, Trends, Issues, Hospitality, Tourism

INTRODUCTION

The hospitality and tourism industry is highly competitive. The industry is often monopolistic with many firms offering similar products and competing for the customers that are available. The unique characteristics of the industry such as intangibility, perishability, variability, inseparability (Kotler et al. 2021), costly and labour-intensive further complicate operations. Hospitality and tourism services and experiences cannot be enjoyed before consumption. They also cannot be stored for later use. They tend to vary with the service provider. They largely depend on the service provider making the provider and delivery inseparable. It is expensive to run hospitality and tourism facilities due to high fixed and variable costs. The industry further requires many employees who hold different positions.

Hospitality and tourism stakeholders need to understand the business environment if they are to succeed. The industry is exposed to trends and challenges that emerge from internal and external environments. This review paper investigates contemporary trends and issues in the hospitality and tourism industry. Its objectives are twofold;

  • To investigate contemporary trends in the hospitality and tourism industry
  • To explore contemporary issues in the hospitality and tourism industry

Literature Review

Authors like Ballantyne, Packer and Axelsen (2009) have previously looked at trends in tourism research. According to Rosing et al, (2015), a trend is defined as “a general direction in which something is developing or changing. Trends involve looking at the statistical analysis of historical data over a selected time frame and charting the progression”. Trends are therefore patterns that emerge and are observed in either the market or industry. They are often linked to new markets, products, opportunities and challenges. They may call for a change of strategies and tactics. Examples of hospitality and tourism trends are demographic shifts, emerging markets, digitization and changes in information technology (IT) (Kapiki, 2012). Nonetheless, trends are constantly changing thus calling for continuous research.

Other authors such as Fonseca (2012) and Hole, Khedkar and Pawar (2019) have studied issues in tourism. Issues are challenges that arise in the industry. Issues make the management of hospitality and tourism facilities difficult or impossible. Issues range from disasters to wildlife poaching, seasonality of tourism, insecurity and poor infrastructure. Changing economics, technology, sustainability, competition, safety and security standards are challenges facing hotels (Nain, 2018). Issues call for the continuous development of strategies and tactics to mitigate negatives impacts.

METHODOLOGY

This review paper adopted a qualitative approach by exploring secondary data from journal articles, books, newspapers and online resources when analyzing the contemporary trends and issues in the hospitality and tourism industry. Thematic analysis was then used to present the results and themes that emerged from the data. Thematic analysis explores themes that are generated during data analysis (Kombo & Tromp, 2006).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Contemporary trends in the hospitality and tourism industry

Table 1 shows the contemporary trends in hospitality and tourism. The trends include popular tourist destinations, attractions and source markets, development of niche tourism products, concern for security, value of ISO certification, greening and growth in international travel.

Table 1: Contemporary trends in hospitality and tourism

  Popular tourist destinations

Popular tourist destinations include Dubai, Mexico, India, China, Tanzania and Kenya. These destinations offer a range of attractions that draw local, domestic, regional and international tourists. For instance, Dubai is popular for medical, business, adventure, sightseeing, leisure and shopping driven travel (Yas et al, 2020). Mexico normally attracts travellers who seek climate, geography, infrastructure, entertainment, culture, history, festivals, food, shopping and nightlife (Regalado-Pezúa et al., 2022). Popular attractions in China include sports, cultural, holiday and internet tourism (Zhao and Liu, 2020). India’s main attractions are music, dances, festivals, weather, ecology, flora, fauna (Prabandhan, 2022) and medicine. Tanzania has attractions like adventure, tours, wildlife, beaches and culture (Malleo and Mtengwa, 2018) that are similar to Kenya’s attractions.

Popular tourist attractions

Popular tourist attractions include the Wonders of the world such as the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt (Gupta, 2020), Great wall of China in China, The Taj Mahal in India, Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil, Machu picchu in Peru and the Maasai Mara and Wildebeest migration in East Africa. The wonders of the world offer a range of cultural, historical, religious and wildlife attractions.

Popular tourist source markets

Popular tourist source markets include Brazil, Russia, India, China, United States of America (USA), France, Italy and United Kingdom (UK). Most popular tourism source markets like Brazil, Russia, USA, France, Italy and UK are developed countries with great tourism spending powers. Countries such as India and China also have large human populations that constitute the outbound tourism market. For example, China is a major tourist source market and destination (Wee, 2017). China also has a great economy and improved living standards that increase tourism spending power (Zhao and Liu, 2020) coupled with technological advancement and global development strategies that have increased its outbound tourist numbers (Liu and Cheng, 2021).

Development of niche tourism products

Niche tourism products are tourism products that can give competitive advantages by targeting specific groups of tourists (Wahab and Shamal, 2022). Niche products include wellness tourism, health tourism, gastro tourism, wine tourism, conference tourism, events, space tourism, dark tourism, war tourism, family entertainment and sports tourism. Niche experiences facilitate specialization in production and marketing thus achieving excellent firm performance.

Growth of wellness tourism

Wellness tourism focuses on wellness. Tourists visit hospitality and tourism facilities for wellness. Wellness tourism has dimensions like “health of body, mind and spirit, self-sufficiency, physical strength, esthetics, healthy nutrition, relaxation, meditation, mental activity, education, environmental awareness and sensitivity to social relationships” Smith and Puczko (2014) as quoted by Dini and Pencarelli (2021). Dini and Pencarelli (2021) add that wellness tourism includes hot springs, spas, medical tourism, natural environment, culture, gastronomy, spirituality, care of body and mind, sports and events. Wellness tourism therefore focuses on diet, healthy menus, healthy cooking methods, portion control, gyms and exercise facilities, consumer education, relaxation, meditation, fitness, beauty and spas. In response to growing demand, hospitality and tourism facilities have developed spas, saunas, healthy restaurants, gyms, yoga and meditation rooms.

Growth of health tourism

Health tourism is travel to improve one’s health. Health tourism is driven by globalization, rise in health expenditure, global travel, reduced health costs, ICT and internet (Aydin and Karamehmet, 2017). There is concern for healthy eating as customers address health issues like cholesterol, calories intake, diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure. Hospitality and tourism facilities are therefore offering healthy menus, portion control, customer education, healthy food and beverage production practices, gyms and fitness facilities to cater to the health tourist.

Growth of gastro tourism

People travel for food. Gastronomic tourism, also called culinary tourism or gourmet tourism, seeks culinary experiences involving Gourmet travellers (Gheorghe, Tudorache and Nistroreanu, 2014). “Food related gastrotourism refers to the pursuit of appealing, authentic, memorable culinary experiences of all kinds, while traveling internationally, regionally or even locally….where food is the focus and motivation for the travel” (Williams, Jr Williams and Omar, 2013). Gastro tourism is therefore travel to food attractions. It involves visiting destinations to sample and experience cuisine and foods of the region.

Growth of wine tourism

Tourists travel for wine. Wine tourism targets tourists interested in wine involving visits to wineries in order to taste wine and experience area where wine is grown and produced (Gu, King and Huang, 2019). Motivators for wine tourism include rest, relaxation, tasting, education, outing, socialization, eating, drinking, entertainment, touring, purchase, event, history, culture, talks and outdoor relaxation (Byrd, Canziani, Hsieh, Debbage and Sonmez, 2016). Popular wine tourism destinations include the wine growing regions of France, Spain, Italy, South Africa, Germany and Portugal like Champagne, Bordeaux, Loire, Alsace, Burgundy, Duoro valley Beira, Minho, Tejo, Lombardy and Veneto.

Uptake of space tourism

Space has been attracting tourists lately. Space tourism is travel to space (Cole, 2015) for leisure, business or research (Yazici and Tiwari (2021). Elon Musk, one of the richest men in the world in the year 2023, has promoted space tourism in the 21 st century by facilitating commercial and private travel to space. Popular space travel destinations include the orbit and international space station (ISS).

Embracing dark tourism

Dark tourism involves travel to destinations linked to death, wars, genocides and massacres. Smith (2002) claimed that death and disaster can be tourism attractions. The motivation for dark tourism include strong curiosity about death and disaster thus yielding mental, physical and educational experiences (Chang, 2014). Dark and war tourism destinations could include Ukraine, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan and Rwanda.

Desire for entertainment and growth in family outings

Entertainment and family outings include family vacations and visits to popular entertainment spots like hotels and theme parks. Family entertainment is an element of Family tourism and Entertainment tourism. Family tourism is tourism that involves family members (Schanzel and Yeoman, 2015) while entertainment tourism is travel to entertainment attractions like gaming destinations (Luo and Lam, 2017).

Uptake of sports tourism

Sports events such as football, world cup, superbowl, basketball and the olympics have become popular attractions among sports enthusiasts. “Sport tourism is all forms of active and passive involvement in sporting activity, participated in casually or in an organized way for non-commercial or commercial reasons and necessitating travel away from home. Sport tourism simply identify tourism activities involving sports. It is a simple combination of both sports and tourism” (Gozalova, Schikanou, Vernigor and Bagdasarian, 2014). Sports tourism attracts people of all ages ranging from the young to the old. It could be local, domestic, national, regional or international. It could also be physical, digital or virtual via popular electronic and online media.

Growth in international travel

People travel internationally for reasons such as business, leisure, medical, education, sports, religion, health and adventure. There has been an increase in the number of international tourist arrivals from traditional source markets like Britain and Italy and emerging markets like China and India (Sofronov, 2018). Growth in transport infrastructure including air, rail and water through cruises has continued stimulating the growth in international travel.

Growth of medical tourism

Medical tourism is related to health tourism. Medical tourism is travel for healthcare (Ghanbari, Moradlu and Ramazani, 2014). People travel widely and internationally to seek treatment for illnesses. Even so, efforts should be made to integrate culture, heritage and recreation in medical tourism. Countries such as India are popular medical tourism destinations.

Growth of cruise tourism

Cruise tourism has grown as a tourism activity. Cruise tourism includes casinos, short excursions, port lectures, shopping, spas, sea, sports, fishing, leisure, accommodation, entertainment and vacation (Brida and Zapata, 2009). Cruise tourism is a form of luxury tourism with economic, socio-cultural and environmental impacts (Brida and Aguirre, 2010). According to Wee (2017) cruise holidays have grown due to better and larger vessels being developed, development in cruise ship infrastructure like ports and the growing interest in cruising.

Growth of domestic and regional tourism

Domestic travel involves local travel while regional travel covers countries, regions and economic blocs. Domestic travel is travel within countries while regional travel is travel within groups of countries and continents. Domestic and regional travel have stimulated domestic and regional tourism. Domestic and regional travel could be for business, leisure, adventure, religion, sports, events, health etc. Hole et al. (2019) noted that there has been increase in domestic tourism in India in line with the growth in the aviation industry. This trend has been witnessed globally affecting regional tourism as well.

Growth in the event industry

There has been an increase in the nature and number of events in the hospitality and tourism industry. Oklobdžija and Blace (2015) give The Accepted Practices Exchange Industry Glossary of TERMS (APEX, 2005) definition of an event as, “An organized occasion such as a meeting, convention, exhibition, special event, gala dinner, etc. An event is often composed of several different yet related functions”. Events in hospitality and tourism range from weddings, business meetings, celebration dinners, fundraisers and sports. Pabilando, Pitao and Bacason (2022) list events to include concerts, conventions, parties and weddings. There has been growth in conferences, meetings and conventions occasioned by the rise in the number of local and international conferences, seminars, workshops and conventions. Events have moreover spurred demand for outside catering.

Catered business travel

Business tourism involves people travelling for purposes that are related to their work. As such it represents one of the oldest forms of tourism, man having travelled for this purpose of trade since very early times (Davidson, 1994, as cited by John and Susan, 2001). It is normal for businesses to cater for business travel among its employees by paying for expenses like accommodation, entertainment, food and transport. This trend has stimulated the development of business hotels and facilities that focus on the business traveller by providing meeting rooms, conference halls, business centers, photocopying, printing and internet services.

Demographic changes

Demographic changes include ageing of the populations and growth of the youth and young populations. “The major demographic trends are the slowing of population and household growth, the aging of the population, and an increasing fragmentation of consumer markets, rising educational level, a more colourful society due to migration, a changing role of women in society” (Nedelea, 2008).

A large percentage of the world population is growing older. Ageing of the population has created the senior tourist (Batista-Sanchez, 2020). It has also spurred demand for healthy menus, special meals for the elderly and leisure travel. The senior tourists travel a lot because they have the time and are well off with pensions and other retirement benefits to spend and enjoy.

Growth of the youth and young populations is a demographic trend in hospitality and tourism. The young and youth make up the youth tourist. Youth tourism involves people aged between 15 and 29 years (Cakar and Seyitoglu, 2016).  Growth of the young and youth populations have led to high consumption of junk food, rise in adventure and education tourism, increase in use of information technology in hospitality transactions and growth of the techno savvy population.

The middle class form the middle-class tourist. Growth of the middle class has improved the hospitality and tourism spending power from the class. The middle class also has disposable time while some own assets (Yunyao, Xiaotong and Rui, 2016). The middle-class travel motivations include leisure, adventure, business, religion, health and education. Gao et al., (2022) found that the young middle outbound tourist in China sought relaxation, pleasure and culture.

Education can be a motivation for travel. People cross boundaries to pursue learning in foreign institutions. Touring, employment, skills and knowledge acquisition are some motivators for travel among education tourists (Tomasi et al, 2020). Travel for education has therefore created education tourists. Popular education tourism destinations include UK, USA, Canada, India and Australia.

Women are increasingly travelling for reasons such as leisure, business, education, health, wellness, sports, adventure, culture and religion. Most women are either traveling solo (Hamid et al, 2021) or in groups. Uptake of business roles among women has also led to the development of hospitality and tourism facilities such as hotels, restaurants, clubs and bars with amenities that specifically cater to the woman traveller.

Changing preferences of hospitality and tourism consumers

Customers’ needs and demands are constantly changing. The changes may be due to crises such as covid-19 (Tarakci et al, 2021), demographic shifts, new generations, ageing, innovative products, technology, globalization, emerging markets and competition. New preferences among hospitality and tourism consumers include healthy eating, growing health concerns when dining out, demand for healthy menus, safety, security, personalized services, quality, value and variety. Changing preferences call for the development of products and experiences such as organic restaurants, green businesses, safe premises, quality products, value for money and product diversity.

Concern for health and safety

Health and safety ranges from food to premise safety. Health and safety have always been important in the hospitality and tourism industry (Breda and Costa, 2005). Concern for safe food and food poisoning have led to the adoption of the ISO 22000 food safety system, hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) and healthy menus. The food management systems enhance safety throughout the production and preparation process from planting to production, customer service and consumption. Hospitality and tourism facilities are also vulnerable to disease outbreaks, pandemics and epidemics like cholera, typhoid, salmonella and covid-19. The facilities are moreover prone to accidents such as falls, drowning and burns among employees and customers. These diseases and accidents can accrue costs such as deaths, injuries, treatment, absenteeism, negative reputation and lawsuits.

Increased personalization

Increased personalization has created the need to customize and tailor make services, products and experiences to individual preferences and tastes. Customization generates customer satisfaction, employee motivation, purchase, spending, positive word of mouth and loyalty. Hospitality and tourism products including rooms, destinations, food, entertainment, events, occasions and environments are nowadays being customized to specific customers’ wishes. Information technology has facilitated service personalization (Gana, 2018) since customers can give precise instructions over the internet and digital platforms thus developing and customizing products online.

Growing importance of value co-creation

Value co-creation is the co-creation of value through personalized interactions that are meaningful and sensitive to specific consumers. Tourists’ interactions with the organization and each other contribute to the co-creation of value (Rihova, Buhalis, Moital and Gouthro, 2014). Value co-creation actively involves the customer and use of IT and virtual platforms in co-creating experiences and meeting customers’ needs while achieving firm objectives.

Catering to customers with disabilities

Hospitality and tourism facilities have learnt to address the needs of customers with disabilities. Catering to customers with disabilities has led to accessible tourism (Reindrawati, Noviyanti and Young, 2022). It has had an impact on hospitality and tourism infrastructures, employee training and service delivery. Hospitality and tourism firms have developed special facilities and infrastructure such as elevators and stairs for customers with disabilities. They have trained employees on service delivery and instituted processes and systems that facilitate service to customers with disabilities. Catering to customers with disabilities is also an element of corporate social responsibility.

Building a culture of Quality and Total Quality Management

Quality is meeting and exceeding customer expectations (Puri and Singh, 2018).  Total quality on the other hand integrates people, product, services, processes and environment in meeting and exceeding customers’ expectations. Quality enhances customer satisfaction and loyalty. It is a source of competitive advantages and profitability. However, firms are striving to manage the costs of quality and measure quality. Quality has costs like warranties, training, samples and maintenance. It is also dynamic thus making it difficult to measure.

Value of ISO certification

Modern firms have made International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certifications business priorities. The ISO certificates are a sign of quality and compliance with set regulations. Important ISO certifications in hospitality and tourism include the ISO 22000 Food safety system that enhances food safety, ISO 14000 Environmental management that addresses the environment, ISO 27001 Information security for enhancing information safety, ISO 50001 Energy management for reducing energy wastage, ISO 37001 Anti-bribery management system for mitigating bribery, ISO 26000 Social responsibility for social responsible businesses, ISO 31000 Risk management for reducing risks, ISO 20121 Sustainable events for running sustainable events, ISO 9000 Quality management for quality assurance and ISO 45001 Occupational health and safety for workplace health and safety (ISO, 2023). ISO certification enhances business reputation, instills consumer confidence, generates trust, institutes compliance and establishes high standards.

Uptake of societal marketing and corporate social responsibility initiatives

Societal marketing promotes the needs and wants of customers while addressing societal concerns (Truong and Hall, 2013). It involves embracing corporate social responsibility including employee responsibility, environmental management, energy management, community involvement, ethical business, vision and values. Hospitality and tourism firms embrace corporate social responsibility through initiatives like taking care of employee welfare, environment conservation, reducing energy wastage, community development, sponsorship, addressing stakeholders’ needs and ethical businesses.

Encouraging sustainable hospitality and tourism businesses

Sustainability addresses the availability of scarce resources in future. Sustainability could be environmental, economic and social. Patino, Medina and Arilla (2016) believed that sustainability is important in modern tourism and should reflect economic, environmental and social dimensions. The sustainability concept led to the development of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Hospitality and tourism facilities can moreover contribute towards achievement of the sustainable development goals of no poverty, quality education, decent work and economic growth, good health and wellbeing, affordable and clean energy, clean water and sanitation and climate action. The firms can offer employment, educate stakeholders, sustain livelihoods, conserve energy, protect the environment and mitigate climate change.

Embracing green businesses

Greening is about Going Green. Greening embraces environmentally friendly practices. Greening in hospitality and tourism means showing concern for the environment, building green hotels, green restaurants, green infrastructure, green team of staff, green practices, reducing, reusing, recycling, pollution control, water and energy conservation, recycling of waste and provision of local menus. Furqan, Som and Hussin (2010) explain that green tourism integrates environmentally friendly tourism with focus on products that do no harm to the environment while enhancing environmental, economic, cultural and experiential richness. Green tourists are people whose primary motivation for travel is environmental friendly experiences.

Building customer centric businesses

Hospitality and tourism businesses should be customer centric. Customer centrism is focus on the customer (Niininen, Buhalis and March, 2007). Popular sayings are that “The Customer is the king” and “The customer is always right”. Debate still ranges on whether the two statements are true and accurate. The customer may be the ultimate consumer but not always right. Customers can make mistakes like excessive drinking and fighting with employees thus costing the business.

Changing Information Technology (IT)

Information technology, information and communication technology and the internet have greatly affected the hospitality and tourism industry (Jadhav, Shivaji and Mundhe, 2012). The internet has affected bookings and sales e.g. bookings.com. There is also emphasis on smart technologies e.g. smart phones, smart guest rooms, motion sensor facilities; online social networks e.g. trip advisor; online distributors, online customer experiences, online transactions, customer relationship management, mobile phone payments, digital menu order taking and video conferencing. In addition, Apps have made tourism enjoyable and accessible and artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality, augmented reality, robotics and chatbots have become popular benefiting tourists, organizations and industries thus enhancing smart tourism with a digital future (Sugasri and Selvam, 2018).

Impact of globalization

The world is now a global village. Patino, Medina and Arilla (2016) felt that globalization has changed the face of tourism. There are modern technologies in production and service including advanced communication technology. There is also global competition, markets, products, multi-culturalism at the work place and environmental concerns like global warming and travel.

Modern legal frameworks and laws governing the industry

The hospitality and tourism industry has not been spared by legal frameworks (Korze, 2018). Laws affecting the hospitality and tourism industry include the betting tax, liquor laws and licensing, banning of plastic bags, banning of shisha, minimum wage laws and pollution control. Restrictions, laws and fines have therefore been imposed on gambling, sale, distribution, promotion, marketing and production of alcoholic beverages, packaging materials, smoking, shisha, minimum wages and environmental protection.

Increased competition

There is a lot of international, regional, national, domestic and local competition. The hospitality and tourism industry has always been competitive (Vodeb, 2012). Continents, countries, cities, towns and regions are competing for tourists. There are also alliances, mergers, acquisitions, business closures, substitutions and new entrants in efforts to ensure business survival.

Increased substitution of the hospitality and tourism products

Substitution means the availability of alternatives. Hospitality and tourism substitution could affect destinations, products, services and experiences (Van der veen, 2015). For example, convention centres versus tented camps with conference facilities, delis versus traditional restaurants and hotels versus tented camps. Substitution increases competition between firms while expanding the customers’ choices.

Increased insecurity

Insecurity has always been a challenge in the hospitality and tourism industry. Insecurity arises due to threats like terrorism, fraud, robbery, disease outbreaks e.g. ebola, covid-19, political unrests and cyber-crime (Hamarneh and Jeřábek, 2018). Terrorists have previously attacked hospitality and tourism facilities and destinations. Some tourists have also been victims of fraud and robbery white traveling. The year 2019 also saw the emergence and spread of the corona virus (covid-19) that became a pandemic and threat to the global hospitality and tourism industry. Wars, general elections and civil unrests have been threats to tourists as well. Information technology and the internet have created security challenges such as online fraud, hacking, theft and illegal use of tourists’ data and information.

Popularity of digital marketing

Digital marketing uses electronic platforms for communicating, promoting and marketing to hospitality and tourism consumers. Most hospitality and tourism firms have been forced to adopt digital media and tools including internet marketing, search engine optimization, electronic bill boards and displays, website marketing, social media marketing, mobile marketing, content marketing, video marketing, viral marketing, online PR and branding and affiliate marketing (Kariru, 2022). Social media tools such as twitter, facebook/meta, whatsapp, Linked In, instagram and tiktok have become popular for communication, advertising, marketing and entertainment among hospitality and tourism businesses. Almost all businesses nowadays maintain online presences through websites and search engine optimization. The mobile phone has also become an important tool for communication, marketing and financial transactions.

Embracing public relations

Internal public relations (PR) involves internal customers or employees while external public relations deals with external stakeholders and publics like the media, suppliers, potential employees, communities, customers and government (Petrovici, 2014). Internal PR can be embraced through work-life balance, tele-commuting, flexi work-plans and schedules, diversity and unionization. Hospitality and tourism firms can embrace external public relations through media outreach, ethical businesses and CSR-environmental, community, employee and market place.

Focus on memorable experiences

Memorable experiences are unforgettable experiences. Hospitality and tourism consumers nowadays demand experiences. There is therefore shift of focus from delivering products and services to creating memorable experiences (Hosany, Sthapih and Bjork, 2022). The experiences should be personalized (Nain, 2018). The memorable experiences can be created via themes like favourable atmosphere, services, value, destination, quality, communication and products thus influencing emotions and generating loyalty.

Contemporary Issues in Hospitality and Tourism

Contemporary issues and challenges in hospitality and tourism include seasonality of tourism, travel advisories, poaching of wildlife, sex tourism, child sex tourism, limited diversification of tourism, economic recessions, stagnations and booms, natural disasters like tsunamis, forest fires and floods in national parks, politics, crises, insecurity, negative perceptions of the industries, negative impacts of tourism, drugs, immorality, climate change, inaccessibility of destinations and poor infrastructure. According to Hole et al. (2019), India faces challenges like “financial issues, global uncertainty, branding issues, human resources, financial viability, customer issues, operating cost creep, supply, safety and security”.

Table 2 highlights contemporary issues in hospitality and tourism including the seasonality of tourism, travel advisories, natural disasters, poaching of wildlife, drugs, immorality and crises.

Table 2: Contemporary issues in hospitality and tourism

Tourism seasonality

Destinations have in the past experienced seasonality. Tourism seasonality refers to the “fluctuations of demand or supply in the tourism industry, caused by temporary movement of people due to factors such as climate conditions and public and school holidays” (Corluka, 2019). Governments have attempted to manage seasonality by adjusting prices during the off-peak season, diversifying tourism and developing new tourism products that attract tourists throughout the year.

Travel advisories

Most countries in the world have been affected by travel advisories. Travel advisories are restrictions on travel given by countries to protect their citizens from real or imaginary threats like terrorism attacks, disease outbreaks and wars (Babey, 2019). Travel advisories restrict travel thus reducing hospitality and tourism activities and earnings.

Limited tourism diversification

The hospitality and tourism industry has been known for lack of tourism diversification. Diversification refers to the expansion of a product or a sector into a new market rather than specializing in a single-product (Weidenfeld, 2018). For example, countries with coastal regions are known to focus on beach tourism paying less attention to other tourism activities like agri tourism. Tourism diversification increases tourism products thus increasing tourist numbers and spending. However, limited diversification reduces tourist numbers and spendings.

Economic crises

Economic crises include recessions, stagnations and inflation. Economic crises like downturns and recessions can affect the hospitality and tourism industry (Kapiki, 2012). Downturns and recessions reduce disposable income among the traveling publics thus reducing hospitality and tourism spending and consumption. Inflation also makes tourism products expensive and unaffordable.

Natural disasters

Natural disasters are harmful events occurring in nature that are often beyond human control. Natural disasters affecting the hospitality and tourism industry include cyclones, diseases, hurricanes, flooding, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and bushfires (Praveen and Rajesh, 2021). Natural disasters destroy hospitality and tourism properties and cost lives while instilling fear of travel to affected destinations.

Political events

Political events include terrorism, wars, civil wars, civil unrests, travel advisories and general elections. Elections and wars tend to affect hospitality and tourism activities (Kimani, 2021). Elections, unrests and wars deter tourists from travelling and visiting affected destinations due to fear and insecurity thus reducing hospitality and tourism spending.

The hospitality and tourism industries have been exposed to many crises. A crisis is a “low probability, high impact event that threatens the viability of the hotel and is characterized by ambiguity of cause, effects and means of resolution, as well as by a belief that decisions must be made swiftly” (Karam, 2018). Common crises in hospitality and tourism include natural crises like earthquakes and floods, environmental crises like oil leakages, geopolitical crises like terrorism attacks, political disturbances or wars, social crimes or road accidents and epidemic diseases.

Insecurity is a major challenge in the hospitality and tourism industry. Insecurity in hospitality and tourism could be in the form of crime, fraud, terrorism, war, and corruption (Hamarneh and Jeřábek (2018). Robberies, hijackings, human trafficking, drugs, online fraud, corruption and bribery are crimes that pose threat to the industry. Terrorism has previously shifted tourism patterns (Wee, 2017) by drawing tourists away from affected destinations.

Poaching has been rampant in the tourism industry. Poaching is the killing of wildlife like elephants and rhinos for products like hide and horns which are then sold (Lucas, 2022). Poaching has led to decline and extinction of some wildlife thus reducing tourism activities in affected regions.

Sex tourism and child sex tourism

Sex and child sex tourism are immoralities in hospitality and tourism. Sexual tourism involves traveling for sex (Blackburn et al., 2011) while child sex tourism involves tourists indulging children in sexual activities (Bah, 2021). Sexual tourism goes against moral standards and has been linked to the erosion of morals, spread of diseases such as AIDS and death.

Negative impacts of tourism

Hospitality and tourism have both negative and positive impacts on destinations, societies and countries. These impacts could be socio-cultural, environmental and/or economical (Ferreira, Castro and Gomes, 2021). The negative impacts of tourism destroy destinations, attractions, societies, communities, economies, environments and cultures. Some negative impacts of tourism are the erosion of traditional values, commoditization of the tourism product, immorality, drugs, pollution, destruction of destinations, economic leakage and unequal development of tourism.

Negative characteristics of the hospitality and tourism industry

The hospitality and tourism industry has negative and positive characteristics that act as issues. The industry is known to experience job insecurity, monotony, low pay, unsocial working hours and lack of work-life balance. For example, job insecurity, which has always been an issue due to seasonality in the industry, was apparent during the covid-19 pandemic, when some employees were laid off and fired (Karatepe et al, 2022). The jobs entail performing similar tasks daily. The pay especially for operatives is considered somewhat low leading to heavy reliance on tipping and service charges. Employees are often forced to work late into the night and during weekends and public holidays. Most women in the industry also find it hard to balance family and work. These features often discourage students and employees from joining the industry and pursuing hospitality and tourism courses in colleges and universities.

Drugs are a menace in hospitality and tourism. Drugs in tourism have led to the coining of the term “drug tourism”.  “Drug tourism could be seen as the journeys undertaken with the purpose of obtaining or using drugs, which are not available or are illegal in the tourist origin places” (Pareira and Paula, 2016). Drugs in hospitality and tourism are linked to crime, immorality, illnesses and death.

Climate change

Climate change is a major issue in the hospitality and tourism industry. Climate change leads to temperature rises thus directly and indirectly affecting hospitality and tourism through the erosion of natural attractions and extreme weather events such as floods (Siddiqui and Imran, 2018). Erosion of natural attractions destroys destinations, products and experiences while extreme weather events deter travel to affected areas.

Inaccessible destinations and poor infrastructure

Some tourist destinations and attractions have become inaccessible due to poor infrastructure like roads and bridges. Inaccessibility has always been a challenge for hospitality and tourism development (Toth and David, 2010). Remote areas like national parks, game reserves and beaches are often inaccessible due to poor roads and bridges especially during harsh weather like the rainy season when the regions flood.

The hospitality and tourism industry experiences many trends and challenges which act as opportunities and threats. These trends and challenges are manageable with proper training, innovations, plans and policies. It is up to hospitality and tourism stakeholders to understand the micro and macro environmental forces that impact their organizations. Hospitality and tourism stakeholders should take advantage of the opportunities that exist and mitigate the issues. The stakeholders and academia should therefore work together to make policy changes that contribute to business performance and sustainable tourism development.

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Why Alberta is giving the tourism industry its own immigration stream

Move cheered by industry groups but one economist calls it ‘government coddling’.

accessibility in tourism and hospitality industry

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As Alberta hopes to more than double the size of its tourism economy in the next decade, the provincial government is taking a new step to fill labour gaps by giving the industry its own dedicated immigration stream . 

The industry hopes the program will help fix its long-standing labour shortage, but critics say the program could have unintended consequences. 

Meanwhile, a national tourism industry group is watching the new policy and hopes to see it adopted more widely. 

"It's a great initiative for us to consider as a kind of pilot example … [that] we can build on and, if we're lucky, extend the model beyond Alberta," said Philip Mondor, president and CEO of Tourism HR Canada. 

  • Jasper, Alta., tourism expected to rebound this summer, but businesses struggle to find workers

Some provinces, like Saskatchewan , have their own immigration policies in place aimed at hospitality workers. But Mondor believes these other policies haven't been on the scale of what Alberta has announced.

The new immigration stream is aimed at temporary foreign workers who are already working in the province's tourism industry and wish to stay in Canada permanently. 

Workers in 18 job categories will be eligible, the province told CBC News, from cooks and cleaners to dry cleaners and tour guides.

How it works

A person walks into the Rimrock Resort Hotel in Banff, Alta.

The new stream falls under Alberta's provincial nominee program , which nominates people for permanent residence in Alberta.

Temporary foreign workers will be eligible  if they've worked in tourism and hospitality for at least six months and have a permanent job offer in hand from an approved employer.

Businesses in food and accommodation have already been able to hire many more temporary foreign workers in recent years, after the federal government tripled the industry's hiring cap. 

But this new immigration stream means at least some of those workers will have a clearer path to staying in the province permanently. 

"Ultimately, there is a shortage of labour in this particular area, and we were contacted and we were lobbied by the industry to do something," said Alberta Immigration Minister Muhammad Yaseen in an interview with CBC News. 

The Alberta Hospitality and Lodging Association attributes its protracted hiring woes to "perceptions" about the industry, according to president Tracy Douglas-Blowers. She said it can also be tough in Alberta to lure people away from the oil and gas industry, which offers better wages, and to find workers in small towns, which have small pools of labour. 

"For a number of years, hotels have been sort of underneath a bit of a structural labour shortage, and that goes back to long before the the pandemic," said Douglas-Blowers in an interview.

She said this new program will help.

  • Rocky Mountain employers in Alberta see major boost in temporary foreign worker approvals

Alberta was given 9,750  nominations last year under the provincial nominee program, said Yaseen. He expects nominations under the new tourism sector stream will make up about eight to 10 per cent of the program's total. 

Pros and cons for workers

A Help Wanted sign in Banff, Alta. in the summer of 2022.

The change is good news for workers and employers in Rocky Mountain resort towns, said Karli Fleury, with Banff & Lake Louise Hospitality Association.

"These are real people who desperately want to make Banff or make Alberta their home, and previously we've had no possible way to support them," said Fleury, who is the association's director of workforce and destination initiatives. 

Jason Foster, an associate professor at Athabasca University who studies the experience of migrant workers, has mixed feelings.

On the one hand, he said, any additional avenues that temporary foreign workers can use to stay in Canada will be a positive step for them.

But giving bosses more power over their employees' immigration status isn't always a good thing, he said. 

"It actually also gives the employer a new threat, 'Do as I say or I'm not going to help you get your PR,'" said Foster, who specializes in human resources and labour relations. 

Mondor, with Tourism HR Canada, said there are "reasonable" concerns to be had with connecting immigration to a particular employer, but he said the industry has made "enormous efforts" to root out bad actors and that problems are few and far between. 

'Coddling' businesses

Another concern for Mikal Skuterud, a University of Waterloo economist, is that the program means employers will no longer need to raise wages and make their jobs more appealing to attract workers. 

If a tourism job offers a glimmer of hope at achieving permanent residency, people will work in these jobs no matter how bad they are, Skuterud said. 

"It's just a way to keep wages down and it's cheap labour," said Skuterud.

"Many economists will tell you Canada's economic problem is there's not enough competition, that we coddle businesses — well, here's a perfect example of it."

Mondor, for his part, said there are "competitive practices" happening within the tourism industry and the sector offers plenty of opportunity for career development and well-paid work. 

The average full-time income for a person working full-time in tourism in Canada is $47,925, according to Tourism HR Canada's 2023 compensation survey, though wages vary by region and by job. 

For example, the average full-time hotel front desk clerk in Alberta earns around $41,000, the report said, while restaurant and food service managers earn $63,122.

accessibility in tourism and hospitality industry

Thinking of a Jasper, Alta., vacation? Here's why there may be disruptions

The new tourism immigration stream is set to kick off March 1. Minister Yaseen said the government will measure its success by how many people apply. 

  • Dire lack of housing for Banff workers spurs worst summer staffing shortage in years

Mondor believes other provinces will be keeping an eye on Alberta as hiring gets underway. 

"I think that eyes are watching this one.… I think it's a bold step, and I think it's going to really have some play outside of Alberta," he said. 

Full list of eligible jobs

According to a statement from the Alberta Ministry of Immigration and Multiculturalism, the new immigration stream targets 18 jobs: 

  • Program leaders and instructors in recreation, sport and fitness. The median wage, according to the Statistics Canada Job Bank, is $19.23 .
  • Restaurant and food service managers. Median wage $26.44 . 
  • Accommodation service managers. Median wage $34.67 . 
  • Food service supervisors. Median wage $18 . 
  • Chefs. Median wage $19 . 
  • Cooks. Median wage $17 .
  • Maitres d'hotel and hosts/hostesses. Median wage $15 . 
  • Bartenders. Median wage $17.50 . 
  • Hotel front desk clerks. Median wage $17 . 
  • Tour and travel guides. Median wage $18 . 
  • Outdoor sport and recreational guides. Median wage $18.50 . 
  • Food and beverage servers. Median wage $17 .
  • Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations. Median wage $15 .
  • Support occupations in accommodation, travel and facilities setup services. Median wage $17 . 
  • Light duty cleaners. Median wage $18 .
  • Specialized cleaners. Median wage $18 .
  • Janitors, caretakers and heavy-duty cleaners. Median wage $21 .
  • Dry cleaning, laundry and related occupations. Median wage $16.50 .

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

accessibility in tourism and hospitality industry

Reporter/Editor

Born and raised in Calgary, Paula Duhatschek is a CBC Calgary reporter with a focus on business. She previously ran a CBC pop-up bureau in Canmore, Alta., and worked for CBC News in Kitchener and in London, Ont. You can reach her at [email protected].

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Tourism and Disability pp 155–172 Cite as

Tourism for Disabled Travelers: Breaking Down Barriers Through Network Interactions

  • Patrizia Accordino 6 ,
  • Raffaella Coppolino 7 &
  • Elvira Tiziana La Rocca 7  
  • First Online: 30 March 2022

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Part of the Tourism on the Verge book series (TV)

The chapter starts from the basic idea that collaboration in digital platforms allows removing the barriers making tourism inaccessible to the disabled. Two main steps lead to the drafting of this chapter. The first step concerns the literature review on the theme of tourism for the disabled and aims to highlight the scientific landscape and to understand the evolutionary trend of the studies. Attention is paid to verifying the state of the art of accessible tourism researches focused on collaboration through platforms. The second step is a field check of the main platforms dedicated to supporting the removal of barriers for disabled tourists. The contribution is twofold: the theoretical point of view identifies the main trends of existing literature, whereas the practical vision provides a map of different digital platforms for accessible tourism and their peculiarities, making an overview of the environment and legislation affecting accessible tourism.

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Accordino, P., Coppolino, R., La Rocca, E.T. (2022). Tourism for Disabled Travelers: Breaking Down Barriers Through Network Interactions. In: Abbate, T., Cesaroni, F., D'Amico, A. (eds) Tourism and Disability. Tourism on the Verge. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-93612-9_10

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