Businesses of all industries should do their part to ensure accessibility for the consumer. This includes the travel industry. As spring marches along, and people begin to book summer vacations, it's important to ensure your travel business can accommodate customers of all ability levels.
This summer, you can ensure accessibility for your travel business with these seven tips.
Offer accessible accommodations
A fundamental step in ensuring an accessible travel business is to offer accessible accommodations. Per Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), hotels and places of lodging are required to have means of accommodating guests with disabilities. However, only some hotels may be up to code in this regard. Furthermore, international travel may result in accommodation standards that differ from those outlined in the ADA.
As a travel business, it’s your duty to verify that any places of lodging you contract with can accommodate guests based on the highest ADA standards. These accommodations can include wheelchair-accessible rooms, raised toilet seats, grab bars in the shower, and other features that make it easy to navigate the inn or hotel.
Have an accessible website
It's important to ensure that any digital aspect of your travel business is as accessible as any physical ones. This includes having an accessible website.
Websites are important in the travel industry. As such, it's important to ensure potential customers of all abilities can use the website. Ways to make a website accessible include providing alt text on images, adding audio descriptions and closed captions to video elements, and using legible color schemes on web pages. For detailed steps on website accessibility, check out the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
Another aspect of an accessible travel website is to detail the accommodations that are part of a travel package. This includes the accommodations located at any lodging place and means of transportation. Under ADA Title III,they must disclose hotel accommodations as part of the “Reservation Rule.” By being transparent about the nature of accommodations present, the customer can make an informed decision for their trip.
Provide accessible travel accommodations
Accessible transportation separates a memorable trip from an utter disaster. In order to ensure accessible transportation, you should provide shuttles with wheelchair lifts or ramps, shuttles that make space for wheelchairs, and narration of scenic views for guests with visual impairments.
Offer accessible tours and activities
Part of running a travel business means organizing activities to explore a new city or country. This is something that many people look forward to when they are booking a vacation.
You must ensure that all of your clients can enjoy the activities in your travel program. Organize tours in wheelchair-friendly spaces, schedule activities in places that won't trigger sensory sensitivities, and provide plenty of rest breaks.
Demonstrate commitment to accessibility
Showing your company’s commitment to disability inclusion can go a long way. It not only shows that you care about equity and justice, but that you have the client’s best interest at heart. These clients are trusting you to facilitate a safe trip to a place they may have never been before.
One way to do this is to communicate publicly your business's commitment to accessibility in media spaces such as tv ads or the Internet. You could also provide accessible trip consultations and allow them to be over the phone, with an interpreter, or through video.
Partner with disability organizations
To measure the effectiveness of your travel company’s accessibility efforts, it would be a good idea You can do this by partnering with a disability organization. These organizations will be able to provide insight into the needs of travelers with varying abilities. By using these insights, you can make an informed decision about the type of accommodations you will need to provide.
Examples of these kinds of organizations include the American Association of People with Disabilities, The National Disability Rights Network, and Disabled in Action.
Train staff in accessibility awareness
As the owner or executive of a travel business, all your accessibility knowledge is moot if your staff doesn’t share that awareness. Tour guides, bus drivers, or whoever is interacting with the client should all be aware of the importance of prioritizing accessibility.
Any training given to staff should include topics like disability etiquette, the purpose of specific accommodations, and workshops on how to deal with situations in real-time.
Conclusion
Prioritizing accessibility in your travel business is not only the right thing to do, but also the smart thing to do. By offering appropriate accommodations, training your staff, and committing to accessibility, you can ensure that you are open to the widest possible customer base this summer season. It’s important to remember that accessibility is a process of perpetual improvement. It isn’t an end goal. Always be open to feedback and continually evaluate your policies to stay accessible.
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