By Jake Steinman, Founder, TravelAbility (w/ assistance from Claude.ai)

Seven years ago, the travel industry talked about accessibility in a whisper. Today, the smartest people in the room are talking about it out loud, because they’ve done the math.

The shift is captured in two acronyms. The industry is moving from FOMU, the Fear of Messing Up, (thank you, Brittany DeJean) to FOMO, the Fear of Missing Out. One mindset sees accessibility as a liability to be managed. The other sees it as one of the largest growth opportunities travel will see in our lifetimes.

2019: The Era of FOMU

When Travelability began in 2019, the prevailing mindset across travel and hospitality was fear. Not fear of losing customers, but fear of making mistakes.

Hotels, attractions, cruise lines and tour operators worried that one wrong word, one inaccessible room or one poorly trained employee could lead to a complaint, a bad review or a lawsuit. Accessibility lived in the legal and compliance department. The goal was to meet the minimum standard and avoid getting caught short.

That fear had a cost. Many businesses chose silence over engagement. They didn’t market to travelers with disabilities, didn’t describe their accessible features in detail, and didn’t ask what those guests needed. The safest move seemed to be saying as little as possible. The result was a market of millions of willing travelers who couldn’t find the confidence to book.

2026 and Beyond: The Era of FOMO

In 2026, the conversation has flipped. The question is no longer “What if we get it wrong?” It’s “What if we miss this?”

The reason is demographics. Baby boomers control roughly 50% of the world’s wealth. They are also the generation that made travel a lifestyle, not a luxury. Now they are aging into disability, whether that means reduced mobility, hearing or vision loss, or chronic health conditions.

Don’t Fear the Mistake. Fear the Missed Opportunity.

Jake Steinman

What makes this moment different is that these travelers have both the time and the resources to go. They are retired or nearing retirement. Their calendars are open and their bucket lists are long. Disability doesn’t end their desire to travel. It changes what they need in order to do it.

The businesses that understand this aren’t asking how to avoid complaints anymore. They’re asking how to win the loyalty of the wealthiest travel cohort in history before their competitors do.

The 2030 Moonshot

By 2030, every baby boomer will be over 65. An estimated 40% of them will be living with a disability. And they will still want to travel.

They will also be living longer than any generation before them. Advances in pharmaceuticals and medical care are extending not just lifespans but active years. A 75-year-old today may manage arthritis, diabetes or heart disease with medication and still be ready to board a river cruise, explore a national park or fly across the world to see grandchildren.

• That’s the thinking behind Travelability’s 2030 moonshot: a travel industry ready to welcome this generation when the wave fully arrives. Readiness means more than ramps and grab bars. It means:
• Accurate, detailed information about accessibility so travelers can book with confidence
• Staff trained to serve guests with disabilities naturally and respectfully
• Products and experiences designed for a range of abilities from the start, not retrofitted later
• Marketing that shows older travelers and travelers with disabilities as the valued customers they are

2030 is not far away. The destinations, hotels and operators that start building now will be the ones this generation trusts with their time and money.

Don’t Fear the Mistake. Fear the Missed Opportunity.

FOMU kept the travel industry cautious and quiet. FOMO is pushing it to act. Both are fears, but only one leads to growth.

The truth is that the biggest mistake a travel business can make today isn’t getting accessibility slightly wrong. It’s sitting out entirely while the largest, wealthiest and most travel-hungry generation in history looks for places that are ready for them.

The demographic wave is coming either way. The only question is whether you’ll be ready to welcome it.