Department for Culture Media and Sport
stakeholder forum newsletter
Welcome to the first quarterly DCMS Accessible Tourism Stakeholders Forum newsletter, which provides updates on work to improve tourism services to disabled people.
A message from Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE – 12 times medal winner in the Olympic and Paralympic games:
“Winning the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games was a great victory for London and the UK. It showed what we have to offer the world.
That victory provided us with a huge opportunity to showcase the merits of our country – but also highlights the risks of failing to adequately prepare for improving accessibility, not only with sports facilities but also within transport infrastructure, public buildings and the public realm.
To a stage a games for everyone we must create a truly accessible agenda to meet the fundamental objective of giving disabled visitors – many of whom will be visiting our country for the first time – a positive welcome through the provision of accessible facilities and information. I’m very supportive of the aim of the Accessible Tourism Stakeholder Forum to increase and improve the service offered to disabled visitors.
Participating in the Paralympics is a once a lifetime opportunity for an athlete and one of the most important events in their lives. They aim high. You too should mirror their hopes and aspirations in the services you provide.”
Did you know?
- 10 million people have a disability in the UK – that’s 16% of population
- 2 million people in the UK have sight impairments (RNIB)
- 9 million people are registered deaf and hard of hearing (RNID)
- 1.2 million people in the UK use a wheelchair (NHS)
- 5.7 million overnight trips were made by or accompanied by someone with a disability, contributing almost £1bn to England’s visitor economy in the first six months of 2009 (UKTS)
- 12%of all overnight domestic trips were taken by someone with a disability or accompanied by someone with a disability (UKTS)
- 15% of those with a limiting disability and 23% of those with a non-limiting disability would consider going on holiday in the UK (Taking Part Survey)
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About the Forum
In September 2007 the DCMS published ‘Winning: a tourism strategy for 2012 and beyond’, presenting plans to increase and improve access to services for disabled visitors in the UK. The report recognised that although progress is being made, accessibility remains a significant challenge for the tourism industry. Key recommendations are:
- improved access
- better and more accurate information provision
- improved disability awareness training for staff and managers.
DCMS set up the Accessible Tourism Stakeholders Forum in April 2008 to help achieve these goals. Members represent a wide cross-section of the industry: central and regional government and partner organisations, visitor accommodation, visitor attractions, passenger transport, the hospitality industry and disability charities and organisations – including the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) and the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
The Forum is closely connected to the objective of the Government Olympic Executive (GOE) to deliver an accessible Olympic Games and a lasting Paralympic legacy. It has links with London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) and Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA). We fully support the Government’s framework for a legacy for disabled people announced by the Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP and the Minister for the Disabled Jonathan Shaw MP on 3 December.
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Forum meetings
The next meeting will be on 19 January 2010 and will focus on the tourism opportunities for businesses and disabled visitors to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
In October we concentrated on transport with an informative talk from the Association of Train Operating Companies and Southern Rail. The Forum has now met seven times. It is taking forward three specific areas of work through dedicated working groups, made up of Forum members.
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Working group updates
The Engaging Customers Group has developed an online questionnaire that will give a better understanding of what disabled people expect when they go on holiday or make a visit and any barriers they face in accessing these services. The Access to Tourism Survey is available on the DCMS website. DCMS commissioned Quality Fieldwork & Research Services to host and develop the questionnaire. We very much welcome feedback from anyone with a disability who has been on holiday in England this year or visited an attraction such as a stately home, park or garden to complete the survey.
The Business Case Group commissioned a new question on disability in the United Kingdom Tourism Survey (UKTS) last year. Analysis of the first six months data shows that 2.8 million holiday trips were made by disabled people in the period January – June 2009 with a total spend of around £600m.The group are now preparing an interim business case pulling on information gathered over the last year to be published early 2010, followed by a fuller case in June.
The Training Group has been working with People 1st – the sector skills council for the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector to improve the provision of disability awareness training within the sector and the welcome given to disabled customers. They recently published the results of a survey about training provision within the hospitality sector which showed that there was some ambivalence about the importance of disability training and that the biggest reason for not providing it was related to a lack of knowledge about provision. This clearly suggests a need to provide better information to support businesses.
People 1st are now undertaking a small scale project for the Forum to:
- scope the skills and knowledge required to meet disabled customers’ needs
- identify and evaluate existing accessibility programmes
- match the content of these programmes against the skills and knowledge identified.
Early results of the survey also helped to inform the disability awareness content of a new Customer Service Programme developed by the National Skills Academy. This was piloted over the summer, with positive results.
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Member’s news and new initiatives
- Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express have been confirmed as the Official Hotel Services Provider to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
- Holiday Inn Express London – The City has recently installed ceiling track hoist facilities. This brings the total number of IHG hotels with hoists to six thus extending this service to cater for those on a budget.
- The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) have introduced Stations Made Easy – an online tool which helps disabled and older people how stations can be accessed and which is embedded within the National Rail Enquiries Website. ATOC, Department for Transport and Network Rail have helped to fund the project.
- Southern Trains now operate a priority seat card for disabled people with eight seats allocated per carriage following a successful trial service earlier this year involving 160 card holders.
These specially designated priority seats are for use by people with disabilities, expectant mothers, elderly passengers or those carrying infants and the card can be shown to obtain a seat if it is occupied. This can be particularly helpful at times when a train is particularly busy and where a person’s disability is not always physically apparent.
- Tourism for All, RADAR and Shopmobility – came together in July to launch Open Britain, a one stop shop for people looking to find accessible tourism and leisure options at the National Theatre on Southbank. The launch was attended by the then Minister for Tourism, Barbara Follett MP and the Minister for Disabled People, Jonathan Shaw MP.
The initiative includes an interactive website with a database of places to eat, drink sleep and visit, the capability for users to review experiences and contribute to a travel blog, an easily recognisable Open Britain logo for accessible businesses to use to promote their services and an annual printed guide detailing accessible accommodation, leisure and food and beverage options.
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Contact us
For further information about the DCMS Accessible Tourism Stakeholder Forum, or if you have any questions, thoughts or ideas please do email Muj Khan at muj.khan@culture.gsi.gov.uk or call 0207 211 6403.
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