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The Economic Potential & Benefits of
Accessible Tourism in South East Asia
Chris Veitch - European Network for Accessible Tourism
& Simon Darcy - University of Technology Sydney
The winner of the 2022 award
for the destination offering the
most outstanding visitor
experience is…
The most accessible one!
‘Accessibility’can be misinterpreted
Win Win Win
Visitors Businesses Destinations
A Stereotype Image?
Access imperatives
Legal
Moral Business
e.g. UK Disability Discrimination Act 1995 / Equality Act 2010
Drivers for Accessible Tourism
Market Drivers for
Accessible Tourism
1. Respect for Human Rights, Global Governance - UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities
- European Accessibility Act (proposed)
2. Demographics + Ageing population
- Growing population of older people with access needs
3. New Business Opportunities- Opportunity to develop quality tourism based on accessibility, sustainability and improved customer care
- Corporate Social Responsibility and good business sense
Not all disabilities are visible
We can’t ignore accessibility
Accessibility development
• Universal Design and Service offers
exciting and untapped development
opportunities for visitors, local
businesses and destinations.
• We should see improving
accessibility in tourism as
compelling, not just a means to an
end in itself (an easily accessible
tourist experience) but also as
a‘tool’leveraging many other wider
benefits.
Business & Destination
Benefits Through
Accessibility Accessibility
Improve Quality
Respond to Changing Markets
Increase Market
Opportunities
More CompetitiveDifferentiate
Create a Unique Selling Proposition
A Better WelcomeRepeat Visits &
Recommendations
Improved Financial
SustainabilitySeasonality
Social Responsibility
Civic
Pride
Inward Investment
Impact of disability
on holiday-taking
Similar to non-
disabled
holiday
experience
Holiday-taking is a
possibility, depending
on availability of
disabled facilities /
services
Holiday-taking can
be complicated,
involving potential
loss of dignity for
disabled person
Partially
hearing or
visually
impaired
Mobility
impaired -
no walking
aids
Profoundly
deaf or
blind
Wheelchair
user
Mobility
impaired -
with walking
aids
Adult learning
disability / mental
health problems,
with behavioural
problems
Low
impact
High
impact
Source: VisitBritain
We all fit into this boxwe call accessibility!
The Access Market
Specialist
All other Markets
The Pyramid
All with a Disability 20% of Aust population (ABS 2004)
Mo
bility
Vis
ion
He
arin
g
Ag
ein
g/S
en
iors
Dexte
rity &
Fa
tigu
e
Me
nta
l He
alth
(Invis
ible
)
Co
gn
itive
/Le
arn
ing
Co
mm
un
ica
tion
Se
ns
itivitie
s
Higher
Support Needs
Lower
Support Needs
No Restriction 4.7%
Mild 5.3%
Moderate 3.5%
Severe 3.3%
Profound 3.0%
Then…• Disabled and elderly people were marginalised in society.
• Not seen as a desirable or valuable market by the tourism sector
• Lack of knowledge about how to address their needs.
Now…- Increasing numbers of older travellers: travel is part of senior lifestyle.
- Older people inevitably acquire some disabilities or impairments.
In fact most disabilities are acquired
- These are not the "traditional" old people we knew 30 years ago.
- They aspire to do more and go to new places in their retirement/old
age...
- The active older “baby-boomer” generation is changing the perception of
"customers with disabilities" in the minds of tourism business owners.
- Businesses are gearing up to meet the requirements of seniors, disabled
visitors, families and an increasingly diverse market.
Why has the accessible tourism
market been ignored for so long?
Megatrends
Recent research from Accenture identifies four key trends:
• an ageing population,
• growing resource scarcity,
• exploding technology advances and
• emerging markets
“…that have the ability to shape the global economy and
drive growth in the coming decade, despite continued
market uncertainty.”
20
Accenture. New Waves of Growth reporthttp://www.accenture.com/us-en/landing-pages/management-consulting/new-waves-growth/pages/default.aspx
World Report on Disability, 2011
Dis
abili
ty
Ageing & Growth:
Areas to watch
• Experiential goods and services:
Increasing demand for varied leisure opportunities,
entertainment, travel and tourism.
• Health services and wellness products:
Increased health spending including long-term care for
the elderly
• Age-inclusive consumer goods:
Increased demand for products designed to adapt to the
changing physiological condition of older people.
22
Accenture. New Waves of Growth report
Ageing & Growth:
Success factors
• Businesses, governments and third-sector providers
such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) will
need to adopt better long-range skills planning and
better techniques to analyze demographic demand
shifts.
• Areas such as healthcare and social care, tourism and
travel, will require a distinctive blend of knowledge and
skills
23
Accenture. New Waves of Growth report
• Information
• Infrastructure
• Transport
• Services
• Facilities
…provisions for elderly and disabled people are either
lacking or inadequate in many countries and regions.
This is a clear case of "market failure" where both the
public sector and entrepreneurs have failed to provide what
many potential visitors need.
Customers do not come simply because they simply can't!
Accessibility Requirements
Real numbers:
count the visitors
25
2009 UK Visitor Survey asked:
- Do you or does anyone travelling with you
have a disability or a long-term health
problem?
• 11% of all visitors answered “yes”.
• Disabled visitors contributed almost £2bn
to the English domestic visitor economy in
2009. (11% of total spending)
• Disabled visitors stay longer and spend
more per visit, on average. http://www.visitengland.org/
26
Around 11% of the total number of tourists have
a disability or long-term health condition
(2003 study).
Tourists with a disability:• Spent AUS $8 billion to 11.9 billion
• Contributed AUS$3 billion to 4.5 billion to Tourism
• 12%−15% of total tourism Gross Value Added
• Contributed $ 3.8 billion to $5.7 billion to Tourism Gross
Domestic Product (11%−16% of total)
• Sustained between 51,820 and 77,495 direct jobs in the
tourism industry (11.6%−17.3% of direct tourism
employment)
Source: Dwyer & Darcy 2008 “Economic Contribution of Accessible Tourism in
Australia” (estimates).
Australia
Real numbers:
count the visitors
27
“American adults with disabilities or reduced
mobility currently spend an average of 13.6
billion dollars a year on travel. Creating
accessible cruise ships, accessible ship
terminals, accessible ground transportation,
and accessible tourist destinations is not
charity – it is just good business”.
Dr. Scott Rains, Disabled travel expert and educator,
2011.
www.rollingrains.com
USA
Real numbers:
count the spend
Social Tourism
• Social Tourism Project – ‘Accessible Culture for all’
• Aims to get more people to visit Malta
• People with access requirements do not travel alone, are big spenders and likely to return
• Need to be more clever and strategic and sophisticated and treat social tourism like a mainstream market
Malta
Don’t miss out!
Benefits for business
See the market differently
“Accessibility, we try to think of
it as the norm, we don‟t think of
ourselves as an accessible
accommodation or an
accommodation just for people
with disabilities. We just happen
to be a holiday cottage that had
been adapted and is suitable for
everybody”
Sonja Gregory, The Hytte, Northumberland, UK
• Accessibility benefits a wider market e.g. families and older
people.
• Building accessibility into new build / refurbishment can be low
cost.
• Attractions can improve quality of experience for everyone.
• A loyal market.
• Access information is important.
• Staff training is vital.
• The more accessible the business the more attractive it is to a
wider number of people – wider customer base.
• If not accessible can stand to lose more than one customer = 24.
• See accessibility as the norm so that „everyone can have a nice
time together‟.
Key messages for businesses
Unlocking the potential
• How can we manage
all of these moments of
truth that our visitors
have in our
destinations and make
them more accessible?
Developing synergy
‘Understanding this interconnectedness and
interdependence of individual businesses in the
experience of the visitor is essential in order for
destinations to grow their market share.’
‘To achieve this understanding may require the
leadership of destination managers and marketers, such
as regional tourism organisations, local chambers of
commerce as well as local governments.’
Dickson & Darcy (2012)
Unlocking the potential:
A Key role for destinations
We are the champions!
International Destination (Continent)
National Destination
Regional Destination
Local Destination
Tourism Businesses
Actions needed on every level
Enterprise - level
Cities and Destinations
Regions within countries
Countries
Global regions: Europe, Asia, North & South America, Australasia, Africa
Being positive about access
Source: ‘Growing your customer base to include disabled people.’
Win Win Win
Visitors Businesses Destinations
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