Accessible and Inclusive Tourism
4. Where to next?
4.1. Challenges
Whilst there has been significant progress and strides in the Australian accessible and inclusive tourism sector, challenges still remain from both an industry, environment and visitor perspective.
The industry's limited understanding of the market's potential can often result in missed opportunities. Many tourism businesses feel apprehensive about making mistakes which leads them to focus only on basic compliance rather than thinking outside the box to deliver an enhanced accessible and inclusive service offering and experience. This cautious approach can result in missed opportunities to serve a broader customer base.
There is a widespread lack of confidence in effectively marketing and communicating to visitors with disability with websites often having limited access information despite an accessible and inclusive offering being available. Many tourism businesses lack confidence in how to market, which can deter potential customers seeking accessible options.
In regards to the environment and infrastructure, Australia's accessible and inclusive tourism sector faces significant infrastructure challenges. Many destinations and attractions lack adequate facilities such as ramps, elevators and adapted restrooms, limiting options for visitors with disabilities. For example, physical mobility barriers and the absence of accessible infrastructure are key factors underpinning the exclusion of people with disabilities from beach holiday experiences. Outdated infrastructure across Australia is in dire need of renovation which often restricts the ability for visitors with disabilities to access and enjoy attractions and experiences.
Visitors with disability continue to encounter several challenges. There is a lack of trust in available information during the planning and purchasing stages with information often hard to access or understand, and communication channels are limited. Attitudinal barriers, including discriminatory or negative attitudes, contribute to feelings of being 'othered' or perceived as a burden.
Addressing these challenges in accessible and inclusive tourism requires coordinated efforts to enhance access to information, investment in infrastructure and fostering inclusive attitudes within the industry.
4.2. Opportunities
While Australia is well on the way, there are still opportunities to grow and develop the accessible and inclusive tourism sector to develop a national standard of best practice.
Our research and work over the last eight years has unveiled positive change and attitudes towards improving access and inclusion for all. It is increasingly a priority component of future infrastructure planning and design in public spaces and amenities and destinations are leading the way to improve access, setting the benchmark for businesses to look beyond compliance. The key opportunity aligns with attracting a wide and loyal customer base, high with repeat visitation.
The accessible and inclusive tourism sector continues to grow, however still requires thought, attention and care. It is important to think of customers beyond their mobility and focus on their ability. We need to as an industry, change our mindset to this important sector and recognise that the problem is that society puts up barriers for people with disability, not that people with disability are the barrier. While it is hard to service each disability specifically, making minor changes which would suit a wide range of disabilities is encouraged and is a positive and significant step forward. Importantly working with people with disability to learn from and work with to co-design products, services and experiences is critical.
Becoming a true ally for people with disabilities means continuing to shift the focus from simply ‘ticking boxes’ to embracing a genuinely customer-centric and commercially-minded approach. By embedding access and inclusion into everyday business practices and operations, Australia has the opportunity to lead in delivering world-class services and experiences that drive both meaningful impact and commercial success for this vital sector.