Winning more visitors with accessibility advice

Just as the London 2012 Paralympic Games get under way, a new guide has been released advising destination managers on how to make accommodation more accessible.

It’s been launched by VisitEngland, after a survey found that 83 per cent of travellers looking for access information for a trip use a destination website – but that only 39 per cent find it easy to find the information they need.

74% of travellers also said they would be much more likely to choose a destination that offered better guidance than rivals.

The guide, called Winning More Visitors, details the type of information visitors with access needs might want when looking at a destination, such as accessible parking, local public transport or where to find help if needed during their stay.

Ross Calladine, the Skills, Welcome & Accessibility Manager for VisitEngland, said: ‘Visitors who have a health condition or impairment – and their travelling companions – spend over £2bn each year in England, and our research shows that many of those visitors will choose where to spend that money based on the access information available on destination websites.’