Accessible travel specialists call for more training and product

Accessible travel specialists have repeated pleas for more suitable product for disabled clients as well as training as they continue to battle against the slow pace of change.

Operators and travel agents cited continued difficulties in booking accessible hotel rooms and said lack of availability remained a major issue.
Enable Holidays chief executive Ben Kirby said: “We could book hundreds more people but there are not enough accessible rooms to match demand, especially in peak season.”

Amar Latif, founder of Traveleyes, called for hotels to use voice technology in lifts and rooms. 

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“Why can’t all lifts announce what floor they’re on? An Alexa (or similar) in a hotel room would make things like finding light switches so much easier for blind or vision‑impaired travellers,” he said.

Hotel, cruise line, airline and agency websites were also criticised for lacking information about accessible products or services.

Jon Fletcher, founder of The Wheelie Good Travel Company, said: “I’ve been into ‘accessible’ hotel rooms where I’ve not been able to turn around in a wheelchair unless I’ve moved all the furniture into one corner. Suppliers need to get their act together on that, [albeit] some are doing brilliantly.”

Latif said 95% of airline websites were not accessible to visually impaired passengers, while agencies could also do better with screen readers and alternative text, known as alt text, which describes website images.

InteleTravel agent Caroline Harris called on hotels to ensure staff were properly trained to support neurodiverse children. “I have clients who would spend anything on their family holiday if they thought their children with additional needs would be catered for,” she said. 

Richard Thompson, founder of Inclu, a luxury hospitality and travel group for disabled travellers, agreed: “Let’s get beyond the wheelchair. Can your hotel provide access for an autistic child at its children’s club?”

He added: “There are probably three hotels in the Caribbean that provide access support to swimming pools, the cost of which is less than a coffee machine in the bar.”

He said little had changed in 25 years, branding the lack of suitable product worldwide for disabled clients “commercially insane”.

Operators said training was still needed, with Kirby noting a particular knowledge gap around hidden disabilities.