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
Visitors
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Businesses Destinations
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A Stereotype Image?
Access imperatives Drivers for Accessible Tourism Business
Moral
Legal e.g. UK Disability Discrimination Act 1995 / Equality Act 2010
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
Increase Market Opportunities
Differentiate
More Competitive
Repeat Visits & Recommendations Social Responsibility
Civic Pride
A Better Welcome Respond to Changing Markets
Create a Unique Selling Proposition Seasonality
Inward Investment
Improved Financial Sustainability
Impact of disability on holiday-taking Low impact
Partially hearing or visually impaired
High impact
Mobility impaired no walking aids
Similar to nondisabled holiday experience
Source: VisitBritain
Mobility Profoundly impaired deaf or with walking blind aids
Holiday-taking is a possibility, depending on availability of disabled facilities / services
Adult learning disability / mental Wheelchair health problems, user with behavioural problems
Holiday-taking can be complicated, involving potential loss of dignity for disabled person
We all fit into this box we call accessibility!
See the customer not the disability
The Access Market Specialist All other Markets
The Pyramid Higher Support Needs Profound 3.0% Severe 3.3% Moderate 3.5%
Lower Support Needs
Mild 5.3% No Restriction 4.7%
All with a Disability 20% of Aust population (ABS 2004) Mental Health (Invisible)
Dexterity & Fatigue
Ageing/Seniors
Sensitivities
Hearing
Cognitive /Learning Communication
Vision
Mobility
Why has the accessible tourism market been ignored for so long? 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.
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.”
Accenture. New Waves of Growth report http://www.accenture.com/us-en/landing-pages/management-consulting/new-waves-growth/pages/default.aspx 20
Disability
World Report on Disability, 2011
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. Accenture. New Waves of Growth report 22
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
Accenture. New Waves of Growth report 23
Accessibility Requirements • 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!
Real numbers: count the visitors 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/
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Real numbers: count the visitors Around 11% of the total number of tourists have Australia 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). 26
Real numbers: count the spend “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”.
USA
Dr. Scott Rains, Disabled travel expert and educator, 2011. www.rollingrains.com
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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
Key messages for businesses • 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‟.
Adapted from Lane (2007)
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.’
Visitors
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Businesses Destinations
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