Hospitality firms 'must understand disability needs'

Deputy Business Editor

Tuesday 11 September 2012

SCOTTISH hospitality businesses are being urged to build on the impact of the Paralympic Games and improve their services for disabled customers to take a greater share of the accessible tourism market.

Custom byline text:

Greig Cameron Deputy Business Editor

National agency VisitScotland is trying to educate com-panies of all sizes on what they can do to better meet the needs of disabled guests.

It hopes the success of the London Paralympic Games will help to raise awareness of an under-developed business sector.

The most recently available data suggest overnight trips made by someone with a disability contributed £325 million to the Scottish economy.However VisitScotland says it is not just trying to get more hotels and B&Bs to install wheelchair ramps.The agency is suggesting businesses can take simple steps such as making sure their website or marketing material is usable for people with sight or hearing impairments.There should also be clear information on the accommodation provided and how accessible things like restaurants, bars and parking facilities are.Chris McCoy, head of VisitScotland's accessible tourism project, said: "While a great number of Scotland's accommodation providers and visitor attractions provide excellent facilities and warm welcomes for disabled visitors, overall it's fair to say there is still some work to be done and we can never be complacent."We are aiming to give the industry the tools with which to make the most of the accessible tourism market."Research tells us this is a hugely loyal market who, if welcomed with a great first impression, will come back time and time again."These improvements also make strong business sense – as this is a market which has already proved to be very lucrative for the UK in general and for Scotland."The number of disabled people in the UK is around 11 million with a further 124 million across Europe and they are estimated to have a disposable income running into tens of billions of pounds.The prevalence of disability increases the older a person gets so the ageing population should see the value of accessible tourism soar in the decades ahead.Capability Scotland said common barriers to travel included poor staff attitudes, bad customer service and a lack of accurate information about facilities and attractions.Senior policy and consultancy manager Elspeth Molony said: "Capability Scotland has been working with VisitScotland to improve the experiences of disabled tourists in Scotland."While physical barriers can be problematic, our findings show that, ironically, the issues which most upset disabled tourists are those which can most easily be resolved with the right training."A number of disability equality training seminars for the tourism industry are being held around Scotland this autumn.An Accessible Tourism Steering Group – with representatives from Capability Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Tourism Forum and the Scottish Government – has been set up with a conference on the sector scheduled to be held in Edinburgh in March next year.Discussions about setting up electronic learning programmes around accessible tourism are also taking place.

Contextual targeting label:

Business

Commenting & Moderation

We moderate all comments on HeraldScotland on either a pre-moderated or post-moderated basis. If you're a relatively new user then your comments will be reviewed before publication and if we know you well then your comments will be subject to moderation only if other users or the moderators believe you've broken the rules, which are available here.

Moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Please be patient if your posts are not approved instantly.

Hospitality firms 'must understand disability needs'

Commenting & Moderation

MOST READ

SPONSORED LINKS

MOST COMMENTED