Accessible tourism is an extremely important side of our industry that often does not get enough attention as it deserves. The world is full of a widely diverse population with many people requiring different or additional services to what may be considered the standard. As someone who knows many people requiring accessibility in their travel, this topic is one I am very passionate about.
I can’t begin to imagine what it would be like to not be able to visit somewhere I have dreamt of or do something I have always wanted to do, just because it was not accessible for my needs. In order to combat this issue of inaccessibility, the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) has taken it upon themselves to promote full inclusion and accessibility in community and tourism experiences, products and services in the Thompson Okanagan region.
TOTA is doing great work to turn the Thompson Okanagan into an inclusive community, but unfortunately, this is not the same everywhere in the world. Although the UN Sustainable development goals do incorporate accessibility, many places still do not put their own resources into becoming more accessible.
The question is, how can we make tourism on the global level more accessible?
I wish it could be as easy as setting out some general guidelines but we all know that is not going to be effective in creating change. For many communities, becoming more accessible would require changes to infrastructure that would cost a lot of money they may not have. In order to support changes in the industry to make tourism more accessible and inclusive, we need to offer more training programs and resources to educate professionals on the topic as well as offer grants to small tourism businesses looking to make the changes to their operations.
Again this is all easier said than done but I do feel like growing educational opportunities and awareness of the topic will push tour operators in the right direction over the coming years.
