1. The potential of the
accessible market for Scotland
Chris McCoy
Equality and Diversity Manager

2. Drivers for VS Business
• The ‘Tourism Framework for Change’ ambition is to ‘achieve 50%
revenue growth through ‘social, economic and environmental
sustainability’.
• To keep ahead of the competition…..‘there needs to be a culture
of enterprise and innovation across the industry to drive continual
investment in new products and services that build on Scotland’s
tourism assets and deliver fresh, engaging and distinctive visitor
experiences…”(TFC)
• Support our sustainability & CSR agenda by delivering on our
Values in the Corporate Plan: i.e. Innovation – “seeking new and
better ways of doing things, not afraid to take risks were justified.”
• Meet our statutory duties under the New Equality Act

3. Accessible Tourism
What is it?

4. • “Accessible Tourism is a process of enabling people with
disabilities and senior people to function independently and with
equity and dignity through the delivery of universal tourism
products, services and environments. The definition is inclusive
of the mobility, vision, hearing and cognitive dimensions of
access. This also benefits people with small children, the SAGA
market, people with temporary disabilities, and their travel
companions.”
• Accessibility is much more than accommodating for wheelchair
users, it is about the attitudinal barriers.

5. This is not about political correctness
• ..this is not about charity
• It’s about a better return on your investment
• It’s about higher occupancy rates
• It’s about sales
• It’s about just good business sense
• “Just market to me like you market to the golfers.... I have money
to spend I need good quality information, I need a smile... these
cost very little.”

6. Who have we spoken to?
• We have held 7 Consultation events since August 2011
• We have spoken to the experts, over 100 people that understand!
• Disabled People and their families and friends from all over
Scotland
• You would think?
• “the doors are not wide enough” or “ you haven’t got a ramp?”

7. What have we really found?
• TOP TWO BARRIERS:
• Staff attitude: “it was how I was welcomed when I came thro the door”
• “I was made to feel in the way.” “I don’t mind falling over boxes in the
• corridor as long as people are nice to me”
• Information :– “what was on the web-site bore no relation to reality
• when I got there”
• Quote from Karen Darke – Paralympic Cyclist
• I have climbed up Mount Kilimanjaro so don’t tell me I can’t make it up your
• stairs, just give me the info and I will decide”

8. • “An accessible room in one hotel doesn't compare to an
accessible room in another hotel. It would be good to have a
detailed list of facilities because then you could find out exactly
what you needed rather than just being told 'we have an
accessible room'.”
• “I think that it is important that we don't just focus to access to
the room but also restaurant, pool, bar and all other areas that
everybody else has access to.”

9. How many people are disabled?
• “A market of over 900 million people in the world are disabled as a
consequence of mental, physical or sensory impairment” United Nations
Enable
• In 2002 roughly 51.2 million or 18% of Americans stated that they had
some form of disability” Employers Forum on Disability
• Almost 4 million Australians or 20% of the population reported a disability
in 2003
• There are 4.4 million people with disabilities in Canada
• “Disabled people represent 50 million persons in the European Union
(10% of the European population), the equivalent to the population of
Belgium, the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary and the Netherlands
together.”
• 63% of people with disabilities are older than 45. Nearly 30% of people
in the age group 55 – 64 report a disability and the incidence of
disability will increase as the EU population gets older.

10. Disabled people in the UK
• According to the DCMS website, there are 11 million disabled
people in the UK – that’s 16% of the population.
• Only 4% of people (1.2m) in the UK use a wheelchair. (NHS)
• 2 million people in the UK have sight impairments (RNIB)
• 9 million people are registered deaf and hard of hearing (RNID)

11. The Purchasing Power of the market
“Almost half of disabled holidaymakers
spend between £500 and £1000 on their “Australians with a disability are estimated to
holiday, while 10% spend more than have a disposable income of 26 billion dollars
£1,500.” Travel Weekly, 19. Feb 09 per year and remain a relatively untapped
market”…”each year people with a physical
disability spend up to $613 million on tourism
alone.” New South Wales Government, Australia
“$13.6 billion spent on 31.7 million trips each
year by people with disabilities [in the US]”
and “$27 billion per year could be spent by
people with disabilities if certain needs were “The estimated annual purchasing power
of people with disabilities [in the UK] is
met.” Witeck-Combs Communications £80 billion per year.” Family Resource Survey
2002/2003
“In Europe as a whole there are 45 million disabled
people with a purchasing power of €166 billion.” “In 2001 economically active Canadians
Improving information on accessible tourism for disabled with disabilities had $25 billion Canadian
people, European Commission, 2004 dollars available.” e-Bility.com
“The large and growing market of people with disabilities has about
$175 billion in discretionary spending, according to the U.S
Department of Labour”
Accessibility for persons with Special needs: European activities and opportunities

12. UK Market (UKTS)
• In the UK, 11% (13 million) of overnight trips were made by or
accompanied by someone with a disability, contributing almost
£2.5 bn to England’s visitor economy in the 12 months 2009
(United Kingdom Tourism Survey)

13. Breakdown of Statistics: Jan – Dec 2009 Scotland
• Respondent has a disability
Disability Trips (thou) Spend (m)
Wheelchair user 43 5m
Blind 20 4m
Deaf 65 4m
Learning difficulties 24 5m
• A member of the party has a disability
Disability Trips (thou) Spend (m)
Wheelchair user 19 4m
Blind 48 14m
Deaf 128 40m
Learning difficulties 77 22m

14. Spending - Scotland
With a Disability 2009 £18m
Within a party 2009 £80m
Total Spend £98m
This is only the UK domestic market, so in bound figures
would make a substantial increase in the spending figure
Then we made some interesting comparisons with other
targeted markets: e.g.
The China Market

15. Chinese market – IPS Survey
• 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009P
• Total Visits (000s) 7 13 14 9 12
• Total Nights (000s) 61 58 104 253 71
• Total Spend (£m) £7 £5 £7 £10 £5
• Average yearly spend Chinese
Market 2005-8 £7m

16. Compare the market!
• UK Disabled Market for Scotland: £98m in one year,
• Chinese Market for Scotland: average £7m over 5 years

17. How do we go forward?

18. Industry aspect
• To provide you with the evidence of the business case for
accessible tourism
• Best practice case studies ( examples of successful promotion of
the accessible tourism product)
• What are the barriers for the industry
• What are the current policies towards the accessible market
• Attitude, to get behind the issues, destroy some myths
• Communication barriers within the Industry, how do you engage
with the accessible market, if at all?
• Perceived practices that might facilitate the inclusion of disabled
people.
• What products and services would you provide for the
accessible market.

19. Industry aspect contd
• What are your perceptions of the accessible market ?
• Is there a slight unspoken “unease” about perceptions of profit
and disability in the same sentence?
• Training requirements - what would the you need, in relation to
staff training on accessibility

20. To do this we have
• Set up Project Steering Group– to discuss all current research
evidence, look at further research options, create a project plan,
costs, timeline, resources, how to engage with the industry. Joint
team with the Government, but chaired by VS.
• We are making a film to showcase accommodation providers to
share what we are calling “the best kept secret in Scotland”
• Included AT within these industry events going all over Scotland
• Plans for a major Accessible Tourism Conference Oct 2012 to
engage the industry and the accessible market
• Begun work looking at a customer service disability module
training for the industry – using the consultation as a base line
• Begun work on how you can prepare and load your own
accessible statement on your web-site, both now, and on our new
consumer site launched next year

21. What can you do?
• Keep in touch with the AT project via email on our web-site
• www.visitscotland.org email to: accessible.tourism@visitscotland.com
• Take a copy of the guidance & sample accessible statement today,
consider doing this for information on your own web-site
• We will be producing further guidance on producing good copy for your
web-site
• Take a copy of the post-card and pass on to someone who couldn’t
make today
• Talk to us about this market, open the dialogue with local people ask
local groups what can I do, get it on the agenda of your local tourism
forum
• Talk to your Quality Assurance Advisor, join the Accessible Scheme,
part of the QA scheme in VS
• Sign up for VS E Updates, for AT latest news
•

22. Unlocking the potential...
• Showing you that working with the accessible market is far more
than just compliance with the law, it will give you a return on your
investment
• Establishing the economic argument for accessible tourism that
is understood, assuring you that this need not be a costly
exercise, some solutions are cost neutral e.g. not asking you to
design more accessible rooms, but showing you a strategy for
increased occupancy for the ones you already have.
• Develop a strategy which will enable us to educate and sell the
idea to you, the Scottish tourism industry, and to the traveller
with accessible needs
• Provide a tangible demonstration of social sustainable tourism
which we believe will unlock the market

23. Sneak preview of the Film

24. Questions & Answers
• With....
• Tom Hart – ex of this parish Eildon Cottages and member of the
VS AT project steering group
• Chris McCoy AT project manager