TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Jake Steinman

Following the worst year in history for the travel industry, why would anyone want to focus on accessibility?

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photo of Jake Steinman
Jake Steinman

We are profoundly aware that the industry is still suffering, however, forward thinkers always find a way to turn slumps into opportunities for future growth. As an example, TravelAbility 2019 attendee Visit Reno-Tahoe has made accessibility a part of their recovery by simply adding a landing page to their website that aggregates links to all of their accessible pages—museums, attractions, outdoor experiences—in one place. This positions Reno with content that will benefit the local community, of which 15-20 percent are disabled according to the CDC, and may not be aware of accessible features available in their own backyard. It will also appeal to Baby Boomers over the age of 65, 40% of whom self-identify as having a disability according to HealthToday. Why are they focusing on Baby Boomers? (Health Today: “40% of Seniors Report Having a Disability”)

According to the U.S. census, Boomers control 70% of all discretionary spending in the U.S. and plan travel as much as they can, while they can, and, most importantly, where they can…when it’s safe. They are the earliest to receive the Covid-19 vaccine along with people who are disabled and may be among the first to hit the road in time for summer bookings. Meanwhile, It’s not just destinations that are showcasing their accessibility.

(U.S. News and World Report: Baby Boomer Report; Bloomberg Business: “Boomers Are Going to Drive a Silver Surge”)

The Holiday Inn in Santa Maria, California, part of the Point Hospitality Group, another TravelAbility 2019 attendee, developed what may be the most user-friendly accessible landing page that other hotels, attractions, or even museums can emulate. The CEO told me, the first thing they saw when someone with a disability checked in was a lawsuit waiting to happen. While they were motivated to reduce the likelihood of litigation, they also want to reduce guest disappointment by providing an “Accessibility FAQ” page. Using a template developed by TravelAbility they provided answers and images of accessible rooms taken by a sales manager with their iPhone. The goal was to allow potential guests with a wide spectrum of disabilities to know immediately whether the hotel was the right fit for them. Assembling the information and photography took all of 3 ½ hours of staff time. (See the Holiday Inn Santa Maria Accessibility Landing page prototype here.)

The Future of Small Group Travel? Bankrolled by Grandparents.

En route to Palm Springs in October, I decided to overnight at the hotel on the central coast of California to experience the accessibility myself. Since it was a weekend, the hotel was nearly fully booked and all the accessible rooms were occupied. While having coffee in the lobby, I struck up a conversation with a guest whose wife used a wheelchair. He seemed to be in his seventies and told me they were traveling with his daughter and her three children and complained that he had to pay for three rooms. I realized that I had happened onto what may be the future of small group travel: a multi-generational family where travel arrangements were planned by the parent, financed by the retired grandparent with a disability who required two additional standard rooms to accommodate adult children and grandchildren. While having coffee my new friend began musing about international travel once vaccines were available.

I often wonder what they are doing now. They represent the cohort of baby boom travelers who are eagerly awaiting the vaccine so they can begin traveling again. New data out of the UK indicates that one-fifth of Baby Boomers have a net worth of over $1.3 million. In the U.S. the average net worth of Baby Boomers is $1.07 million (U.S. 2017 census). They have been the least affected financially by the pandemic and, according to the latest AARP Travel Trends study, have been saving funds they had allocated for travel for future trips, while Gen X’ers and Millennials have re-purposed 2020 travel funds for other uses.

Have Antibodies, Will Travel!

They represent an ideal group to target as they will have been vaccinated (hopefully) by the end of March and will be among the first to take luxury vacations reachable by car in the summer and luxury and travel by air in the mid-to-late fall. They represent an ideal group to target as they will have been vaccinated (hopefully) by the end of March and will be among the first to take luxury vacations reachable by car in the summer and luxury and travel by air in the mid-to-late fall.

So why focus on accessible travel? Investing in accessibility is a way to hasten the recovery in the short term as high-spending 65+ travelers loaded with antibodies are readily targetable and raring to go. Meanwhile, you’ll be set for the day in the future when 30 million baby boomers who have been conditioned to view travel as the toy department of life, will have aged into a disability.

Ten days after this article was first posted, this appeared in the New York Times.

Jake Steinman is the founder of TravelAbility, the conference and online ecosystem for accessible travel. The TravelAbility website is a hub of information and resources that help travel companies become more accessible. He can be reached at Jake@travelabilitysummit.com

This story sponsored by Expedia:  Get your copy of the “Breaking Down Barriers to Travel Report” here.

New Travel Guide Shows Wheelchair Users How to Explore Salt Lake City

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Salt Lake City skyline.

TravelAbility Advisory Board member John Morris recently traveled to Utah and published a free wheelchair accessible travel guide to Salt Lake City on his website, Wheelchair Travel.

The travel guide contains detailed information on accessible attractions, hotels and transportation services in Salt Lake City – resources disabled travelers need to confidently explore new destinations. In rating the key areas of access for disabled tourists, Morris gave Salt Lake City high marks for the accessibility of its tourist attractions and public transportation system.

The Salt Lake City wheelchair travel guide is one of more than 50 accessible travel guides on the Wheelchair Travel website and can be accessed by clicking here.

Disabled People Speak Out About Accessible Travel — Here’s What They Said (and what they’re looking for)

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Wheelchair user at the beach.

John Morris, founder of Wheelchair Travel and a member of the TravelAbility Advisory Board, recently published the results of a wide-ranging survey he conducted on accessible travel. Referenced by Expedia’s “Breaking Down Barriers to Travel Report,” Wheelchair Travel’s 2020 Accessible Travel Study included more than 700 participants, 90% of whom have a disability of their own.

The survey sought to better understand the travel patterns of disabled people, and to identify ways that travel providers could better serve those who have accessibility needs.

An important finding that destinations should pay particular attention to found that 81% of disabled travelers said that accessibility was an important factor in selecting a vacation destination. 50% said it was the “most important” consideration.

The report referenced TravelAbility’s campaign to promote the development of Accessible Travel Landing Pages on CVB and DMO websites. When asked to identify which types of information should appear on those pages, 84% said accessible lodging, 74% said accessible restaurants and 73% said accessible museums and attractions.

OUR TAKE: As the study reveals, there is tremendous opportunity for destinations to attract disabled visitors – 87% of whom travel with at least one other person. With the pent-up demand for travel, extending a welcome mat to disabled people can be an important revenue-driver in the post-pandemic recovery.

To read the full study, click here.

American Airlines Backpedals After Wheelchair Travel Blogger Speaks Out

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American Airlines planes at Chicago Airport, city skyline in background.

Last month, American Airlines made headlines after it refused to transport WheelchairTravel.org Founder and TravelAbility Advisory Board member John Morris, citing a new airline policy that deemed his power wheelchair too heavy to fly.

John, who has flown more than a million miles as a wheelchair user, took his case to the media, generating coverage by NPR, Travel + Leisure, The Dallas Morning News, Forbes and numerous other publications. Following the original NPR story, American Airlines stated that it would review its policy and “ensure all customers can travel wherever American flies.”

Last week, the airline announced that it had reversed the policy, allowing power wheelchair users like John to fly once again. Congratulations, John, on your successful advocacy campaign!

To read the latest NPR story, click here.   -JS

Why We Postponed TravelAbility Summit

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Jake standing with a microphone talking to audience members seated at :Llaunchpad event

We have some sad news. Despite the six months of promotion and awareness, registrations for TravelAbility 2020 have been alarmingly slow. Our team spent the past week phoning last year’s attendees and our Advisory Board members—our most enthusiastic supporter base— to find out if they were planning to register for this year’s conference. The results were not exactly surprising, given the state of the travel industry.

Here’s what we heard: Because there is no real end in sight to Covid-19 and with travel happening in fits and starts, their budgets – or what’s left of them – are being placed on hold until there is a clear end in sight. Some destinations have been barred from spending money unless it generates revenues in the short term, and one advisory board member told me that they need approval for even a $20 expenditure. The industry is in survival mode.

When faced with challenges and obstacles, many in the disability community are resilient, adaptable and resolute. I’ve seen those characteristics first-hand in my listening tours across the country, one-on-one conversations and at the amazing inaugural conference we had in 2019. We understand the current realities, but also appreciate the chance to continue conversations and commitments throughout the coming year. 

Although we’re postponing the Summit until the fall of 2021, we will continue to work on advancing accessibility in following ways:

  • Launching our newly redesigned website as an information hub and repository for accessible travel information
  • The Explorable podcast, launched last month in collaboration with Design Sensory, will feature many of the innovative companies and speakers in upcoming episodes.
  • TravelAbility Insider, the Summit’s companion online newsletter will be published bi-monthly.
  • Monthly or bi-monthly webinars featuring some of the most inspiring presenters we recruited for TravelAbility 2020
  • The Landing Page Initiative: Helping the travel industry advance accessibility by adding accessible landing pages to their websites..

As a result of the postponement, we will miss the opportunity to gather and create new allies. So many people left last year’s TravelAbility Summit inspired to promote accessibility and inclusion!

Thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing you at our upcoming webinars. 

Coming Soon: The TravelAbility Landing Page Tracker. If you are destination, hotel or attraction with a dedicated accessible web page and would like to become part of the Landing Page Project, please contact me at jake@travelabilitysummit.com