Accessible travel: not a niche but a growth market.
, by Annemarie Postma, 3 min reading time
Accessible travel is still too often seen as a social responsibility or as a relatively small niche. But a look at the figures reveals something entirely different: a large, growing, and commercially interesting market.
Globally, an estimated 1.3 billion people live with disabilities; about 16% of the world's population. The European Union has approximately 90 million people with disabilities.
And that's just talking about the traveler themselves.
Don't think in terms of one customer. Think in terms of a travel party.
People with disabilities rarely travel alone. On the contrary: accessible travel often influences the choice of a partner, family, friends, or caregivers.
European and international studies indicate that travelers with disabilities often travel with one or more companions. A recent publication by Accessible EU/UN Tourism mentions a multiplier of 2 to 3 people per traveler with a disability.
Commercially, this means something important:
You don't just sell a room to one guest. You can win an entire booking.
An accessible hotel room can therefore determine the choice of a couple.
Or of a family.
Or of a group of friends.
Or of a traveler with an attendant.
And if your accommodation turns out not to be reliably accessible, the entire party may choose another provider.
The market is already spending billions
In the United States, figures from the Open Doors Organization clearly show how large this market has become. In the most recent study, 25.6 million travelers with disabilities made a total of 76.9 million trips over a two-year period and spent almost 50 billion dollars on their own travel.
Approximately 10 billion dollars was spent on air travel alone by American travelers with disabilities during that period. And that doesn't include the expenses of travel companions.
So the question isn't whether this target group spends money. The question is: does this target group choose you?
And therein lies the opportunity
One of the biggest problems is not the lack of interest from travelers, but the lack of reliable information.
A hotel says a room is accessible. But what does that mean exactly?
- Is the door wide enough?
- How high is the bed?
- Can you get next to the bed?
- Is the shower really usable?
- How do you get to the pool?
- How accessible is the restaurant?
- And what about the transfer?
The American study shows that 74% of adults with disabilities who stayed in a hotel or motel reported one or more accessibility barriers.
That's not just a problem for the traveler. That is a missed commercial opportunity for the hospitality sector.
Trust sells
Organizing accessibility really well and communicating clearly about it makes it much easier for a traveler to book.
Not with a generic icon on the website. But with concrete information, honest photos, clear dimensions, and an experience that matches what was promised beforehand.
That creates something that is perhaps the most important thing in hospitality: trust. And trust leads to bookings, repeat visits, and recommendations.
Accessibility as a competitive advantage
The travel industry doesn't just have to approach accessibility from the perspective of legislation or social responsibility. It can also be a clear business case.
- More potential guests.
- Larger travel parties.
- More trust.
- Stronger customer loyalty.
- A distinctive offering.
- And a target group that is still too often underserved.
UN Tourism explicitly calls accessible tourism a business opportunity for destinations and companies.
From ‘must’ to ‘want’
That is exactly what Accessibly Yours helps organizations with. We test, audit, and assess the accessibility of hotels, resorts, airlines, cruises, railway companies, and travel organizations. Not just based on regulations. Not just based on a checklist. But based on the question:
“Would a traveler feel confident booking here?”
We make visible what works well, where opportunities lie, and what can be concretely improved. Because ultimately, it's not just about accessibility. It's about winning trust and thereby winning customers.
Accessible Travel. Inclusive Hospitality.
From social value to commercial advantage.
blog posts
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, by Annemarie Postma Interview with founder Annemarie Postma
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, by Annemarie Postma Accessibility isn't a checkbox. From 'we have to' to 'we want to'.
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, by Annemarie Postma Accessibility becomes the standard
