Tourism for All UK Conference ‘A Market to Win’

Tuesday 31 January 2012

With London hosting the Paralympics, accessibility in UK tourism will be highlighted like never before in 2012. Ian Lacey and Victoria Eichhorn attended a timely conference in January, organised by Tourism for All UK, which set out to show that it makes sound financial sense to appeal to tourists with disabilities. Recent research by VisitEngland suggests that the value of trips in England by domestic and international visitors with health conditions and impairments is worth over £2 billion. For tourism and hospitality businesses, a relatively small financial investment can bring about a profitable return. 

 

Training hospitality staff to feel confident about asking the right questions and how to accommodate special needs will ultimately boost both sales and levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty. It was evident from the conference that there is still a long way to go to achieve full accessibility in UK tourism. However, steady progress is being made and a shift in attitude can go a long way to overcoming any physical obstacles. The Paralympics should act as a catalyst for a major step change.