According to a recent study, tourists with disabilities spend $460 more for travel insurance coverage than consumers without impairments or medical issues. This is a hefty premium when compared to travelers without such illnesses.
The study also examined additional difficulties that travelers with disabilities encounter, such as time inequality, digital accessibility, a lack of representation of people with disabilities, a lack of inclusive design, and a lack of understanding of impairments and how to accommodate them.
Due to a lack of accessibility, two out of every three handicapped persons encounter challenging and dangerous circumstances while traveling.
One-tenth of persons with disabilities who travel said they felt uncomfortable and afraid, and one-fifth of them said they couldn’t go to the bathroom.
This led to emotions of humiliation, loneliness, and disrespect being experienced by a quarter of the respondents, and almost a quarter (21%) reported feeling ignored.
The Valuable 500 is the largest CEO group dedicated to disability inclusion in the world. Expedia, Airbnb, and British Airways are notable participants.
Each supplier in the travel sector should comply with the seven principles outlined in the business collective’s credo in order to ensure best practices.
This study adds to the growing number of forms of prejudice that persons with disabilities experience on a daily basis. When a hotel, restaurant, or transportation provider is inconvenient, you’re passing on some potential revenue.
With an estimated $13 trillion in yearly buying power, it is vital for the tourism sector to prioritize accessibility rather than treating it as an afterthought.
This can be fixed by putting customers and employees with disabilities at the center of the tourism industry. If you place inclusive and accessible design at the core of your company, it will benefit everyone and open up the market to people with disabilities.
Although travel improves ties and broadens perspectives, historical, physical, and cultural restrictions sometimes prevent equal access to travel.
Being disabled is a normal aspect of being human. Regardless of skill, everyone should be able to travel. Expedia Group is dedicated to making the world more equitable and open.
We are able to exchange best practices and work together towards a common objective to make sure that visitors with disabilities are respected and included by cooperating with our extensive network of partners on tools like our Lodging Accessibility Guide.
