Accessible tourism refers to the practice of creating all-inclusive and barrier-free travel experiences for people with disabilities, as well as for those without disabilities. It is an essential aspect of making travel and tourism equitable and accessible to all.
Make the world accessible
This is the Wheel the World brand’s purpose. They believe that people with disabilities should experience the world like anyone else.
Accessible tourism enables people with disabilities, including those with mobility, vision, hearing, and cognitive impairments, to enjoy touristic activities and travel independently, with equity and dignity through the delivery of universally designed tourism products, services, and environments.
This also includes seniors and families traveling with young children in strollers.
Accessible Tourism: the three dimensions of accessibility
The three dimensions of accessibility are physical access, sensory access, and communication access.
Physical access includes the provision of facilities and services that cater to the needs of people with physical disabilities who use wheelchairs, walking aids, or handrails.
Sensory access includes the provision of facilities and services that improve the accessibility of tourism activities for those with hearing or visual impairments. Accessible features include captioning, audio description, and sign language interpretation.
Communication access includes the provision of facilities and services that cater to the needs of those with cognitive, speech, and hearing disabilities. Examples of accessible features include audio guides, large print materials, and braille signage.
Accessible Tourism in vacation rentals
As a vacation rental owner, you have a significant role to play in creating accessible tourism experiences.
By providing the right services and design in your vacation home, you can be part of a positive shift towards sustainable and responsible tourism while attracting new guests.
Here are some examples of accessible vacation rentals:
- Wide entrance doors and easily accessible handles
- Clear pathways that accommodate mobility aids
- Bathrooms with grab bars and handrails, as well as adjustable showerheads
- Kitchens with lowered countertops and cabinets that allow for toe kicks for wheelchair users
- Accessible bedrooms with entryways that are at least 36 inches (91.5 cm)wide, beds that are easy to get in and out of, and bedside light switches and lamps that are easily reachable
The list of accessible features is endless, but the key is to focus on designing your vacation rental in a way that provides a barrier-free environment for all. You can gather more examples from ADA, The Americans with Disabilities Act, here.
Accessible Tourism tools for vacation rentals
Doinn´s app enhances communication between deaf-mute colleagues working in the cleaning of tourist apartments and collaborates effectively with specialized companies focused on their labor reintegration.
If you use QR codes for your house rules, remember that it is challenging for a blind or partially sighted person to scan it. Luckily with the company NaviLens you can transform up to 10 QR codes into accessible QR codes for free.
Accessible Tourism, a human right
In conclusion, accessible tourism is important because it is a human right for everyone. It is also beneficial for the economy, as it creates business opportunities for destinations to expand their range of tourists by catering to a wider audience.
With the collaboration of tourism stakeholders, including governments, tourism organizations, businesses, and tourists, we can work towards becoming a more equal and inclusive sector.
