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Making every guest welcome: Practical accessibility tips �for your business

Ross Calladine, Accessibility and Inclusion Lead, VisitEngland & Government-appointed Disability & Access Ambassador for Tourism 01.10.25

ROARR!

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Good afternoon, everyone, It’s great to be back in Manchester!

I am Ross Calladine, the Accessibility and Inclusion Lead at VisitEngland.

Accessibility specialist, developing initiatives that help tourism businesses and destinations tap into the high value, growing accessible tourism market.
Appointed Disability and Access Ambassador for Tourism by the UK Government in January 2022.

VisitEngland/VisitBritain is THE NATIONAL TOURISM AGENCY
Building England’s tourism product, raising Britain’s profile worldwide, increasing the volume and value of tourism exports, and developing England and Britain’s visitor economy
VisitEngland leads the regenerative growth of England’s visitor economy.
A key role is facilitating an accessible and inclusive tourism industry to help make the UK the most accessible tourism destination in Europe. And we work closely with our Marketing Manchester and our other Local Visitor Economy Partnerships on this shared priority.

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Simply put, accessibility is all about removing barriers to promote positive and equitable experiences for all�

VisitBritain / Daniel Wildey / National Trust - Keswick

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�“Tourism experiences that can be enjoyed by people with physical, sensory and cognitive impairments and others with accessibility requirements”��

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Join at slido.com�#3795169

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In one or two words, what do you feel or think about accessibility in your organisation?

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What proportion of the UK population is classified as disabled?

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Wheelchair users make up 20% of the total number of disabled people in England?�

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How much is accessible tourism worth in England annually?

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What percentage of disabled adults in England did not take a holiday in England in the last 12 months?

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The reality for many

“People take for granted nipping on holiday, but for those with access needs such a lot of thought has to go into it.”

“I have researched accommodation and chosen ones saying they are wheelchair accessible, only to find that in the majority of cases there have been major access problems, (…) many times I have had to come away early, as it is too tiring to manage the barriers.”

“The lack of access has a daily impact on us. It has made us nervous to try new places and leads to frustration and upset”

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What’s your motivation?

Motivators

Commercial

Reputational

Legal

Cultural / Moral

Professional / Operational

Individual / Personal

Commercial – a largely untapped, loyal and valuable market. Catering for this market can help drive bookings and deliver against your bottom line.
Reputational – word of mouth and recommendations is strong for this market. By understanding customer’s individual needs and focusing on customer service, you will get your customers talking positively about you, helping to build a strong brand reputation. Reduces the risk of adverse PR.
Legal – obligations under the Equality Act 2010 e.g. to anticipate requirements and make reasonable adjustments. Helps with compliance.
Cultural / Moral – it is just the right and ethical thing to do and it’s rewarding to deliver excellent service to everyone
Professional / Operational - enhances job satisfaction and creates a positive workplace culture that supports retention and attracts skilled candidates. Employees want to work for companies that demonstrate social responsibility and treat all people with dignity and respect.
Individual / Personal – you may be disabled or have a health condition or impairment yourself. Or you know a family member or close friend or colleague who does. Or you recognise that on average a person will spend 8 years disabled in their lifetime so you are designing for your future self.

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Who has accessibility requirements?

People with:

Sight loss

Hearing loss and D/deaf people

Physical or mobility impairment

Learning difficulty or intellectual disability

Dementia

Mental health condition

Social/communication impairment/ neurodivergent people

e.g. an Autistic Spectrum condition

Long-term illness/health condition

Older people

Families with young children

People with dietary requirements

And others!

Temporary impairment

e.g. due to operation, broken limb

3G families

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What issues can people with accessibility requirements face when they're trying to enjoy tourism and hospitality venues?

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Removing barriers

“I couldn’t get into the venue”

“I couldn’t get around the venue”

“I couldn’t participate”

“The environment made me uncomfortable”

“The facilities weren’t what I expected”

“There were no alternative formats”

“No suitable accessible toilet”

“Staff attitudes”

“Lack of accessible transport to venue”

“Lack of appropriate parking”

“Lack of access information”

“Inaccessible website”

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Focus on The 6 Ps

People

Place

Processes

Products and services

Promotion

Personnel

Focus on the 6 Ps

People - Providing a warm, inclusive welcome to all customers by understanding your diverse guest base and their varied accessibility needs. This includes recognising that disabilities are often invisible, needs vary greatly between individuals, and creating an environment where every guest feels valued and respected from the moment they arrive.�

Place - Creating physically accessible environments through thoughtful design of buildings, outdoor spaces, and facilities. This encompasses everything from step-free access and accessible parking to clear wayfinding, appropriate lighting, and accessible toilets that meet diverse mobility, sensory, and cognitive needs.�

Processes - Establishing clear, inclusive procedures for booking, arrival, service delivery, and departure. This includes accessible booking systems, flexible check-in procedures, clear communication methods, and emergency evacuation plans that account for all guests' needs e.g. PEEPs and GEEPs

Products and services - Developing offerings that can be enjoyed by all guests, such as accessible rooms with proper equipment, varied dining options that cater to different dietary requirements, and activities or experiences that can be adapted or have alternative formats available.�

Promotion - Marketing and communicating your accessibility features clearly and accurately. This involves providing detailed accessibility information on websites, using inclusive imagery in promotional materials, and ensuring marketing channels themselves are accessible to people using assistive technologies.�

Personnel - Training and empowering your team to deliver excellent service to all guests, including disability awareness training and understanding how to communicate effectively with diverse customers. This also encompasses actively recruiting and employing disabled people, creating an inclusive workplace culture, and ensuring all staff know when and how to offer assistance appropriately.

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Accessibility: Your essential guidance

visitengland.org/access

Top 20 Tips

Action Checklists

Technical Guidance

Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Toolkit

for Businesses

We worked throughout 2023 to develop a new Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Toolkit for Businesses. It’s a best-in-class holistic toolkit to inspire, inform and guide the development of tourism venues and experiences that people with a wide range of accessibility requirements can enjoy. Has anyone seen this yet?

A complete set of guidance on improving accessibility across the key areas of Customer, Place, Information and Employment
It is practical with real-life case studies, downloadable business-specific top 20 tips - enabling time-poor business owners and managers to easily focus action on priority areas, actionable checklists to plan and prioritise improvements, technical guidance for the built environment when undertaking new-build, refurbishment, conversion, and adaptation projects
It is free to access - available to all on the Business Advice Hub, www.visitengland.org/access

Main toolkit is an ‘on page resource’ but there is a Word version available to download and a number of downloadable elements.

Start with the free e-learning course on the VisitEngland Academy
Top-level introduction taking you through the structure and practical tools of the toolkit
3 videos covering different sections of the toolkit

Look out for the promotional cards with he QR code

Ill now share 7 top tips from the toolkit.

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1. Train yourself and all staff in disability awareness

43% say they do not know anyone who is disabled (Scope)

Increase knowledge & confidence of you and staff

Operation of all accessibility equipment

Train and train again: on induction and refreshed regularly

Online / classroom-style, general / impairment specific, local / national provider

EXAMPLE: Watatunga Wildlife Reserve�

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2. Appoint an Accessibility Champion��

Part of one person’s role or split between two or more people.

Responsible for driving access for all.

Develop an action plan.

Inspire colleagues and coordinate activity.

Encourage accessibility ambassadors.

Leafy Fields Glamping

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3. Gather insight, feedback and recommendations��

Customers: add a question on accessibility to any customer surveys.

Local disabled people: invite a local access group to visit.

Accessibility professionals: undertake an access audit

Set up a pan-disability Access Panel

Act on feedback and respond promptly to comments.

National Football Museum

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“If I don’t know, I don’t go”

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90% of disabled people� will try to find accessibility information before visiting a �new place

West Yorkshire LVEP / James Mulkeen – Wakefield, West Yorkshire

Euan’s Guide Survey 2024

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62% will assume somewhere is inaccessible and avoid going if the venue has not shared accessibility information

Visit Northumberland / Kevin Gibson – Bamburgh, Northumberland

Euan’s Guide Survey 2024

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4. Provide an ‘Access for All’ section on your website ��

Clearly signpost from homepage, don’t hide in footer.

All access information in one place.

Avoid using ‘disabled/disability/special needs’ in title.

Don’t state you are ‘fully accessible’.

Include photos/video of disabled people.

Include link to Accessibility Guide.

EXAMPLE: Holkham

Accessibility information needs to be easy for people to find on websites. Clearly signpost to this section from the homepage; do not hide the link in footer. Remember not everyone with accessibility requirements identifies with the term ‘disabled’ so use terminology rooted in accessibility and inclusion and avoid disability-focused language e.g. use the term ‘accessibility/customers with accessibility requirements’ rather than ‘disabled/disability/special needs’. Ensure a link to your Accessibility Guide is prominent in this section.

A warm welcome, contact information, Key Accessibility Features (download the attractions questionnaire), Accessibility Guide, Accessibility Videos and Virtual Tours, Accessibility resources, Accessible destination highlights eg accommodation.

Section 6: Marketing your Accessibility

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5. Promote your Key Accessibility Features

Helping businesses and distributors to provide more consistent information

Identifying the top features that users look for when researching trips

Complete the questionnaire using AccessIndex to add to your listing on their website

Use the questionnaires in the Toolkit to list features on your own website (extended list)

- To save time and energy when researching a trip, people with accessibility requirements want to easily find out what key accessibility features are available at tourism and hospitality venues. �- In 2024, VisitEngland led a UK and Ireland-wide project to identify the features people with accessibility requirements search for when looking for places to stay and visit. �- The project created a list of key accessibility features that would drive greater consistency in how top-level accessibility information is presented on both tourism listing websites and tourism business websites. The list was informed by new robust consumer research, with 800 disabled travellers in Britain.�-Complete the questionnaire from Marketing Manchester to add to your listing on their website. 17% response rate so far.�- Free questionnaires are now available to help tourism and hospitality businesses identify the key accessibility features at their venue and promote them in the accessibility section of their website. �- There are questionnaires for six common business types: serviced accomm, self-catering accomm, attractions and experiences, camping, glamping and holiday parks, food and drink, events, festivals and shows.

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AccessIndex�Will Wright

Visit Isle of Wight – Ryde, Isle of Wight

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AccessIndex

An online tool that enables businesses to complete VisitEngland’s Key Accessibility Features questionnaire quickly and consistently

Developed by DestinationCore

Website provider for the Suffolk & Norfolk LVEP

Fully integrated with the LVEP website

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AccessIndex

Two simple ways to complete your survey:

Via the AccessIndex website – via email invite
Via the LVEP websites – when updating your business profile

Either way, it’s quick and straightforward

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AccessIndex

Completing via the AccessIndex Website

Email invite from Suffolk & Norfolk team
Linked to your sector survey (check/change if needed)
Tick only the questions you can answer “yes”
On submit: data saved, confirmation email, 6-month reminder

When you complete your survey via the AccessIndex website, you’ll get an email from the Suffolk & Norfolk team with a direct link to your survey.

You’ll already be assigned to a sector category, and you can change it if needed.

Just tick the questions you can answer ‘yes’ to.

When you submit, your data is saved to your business profile on the Suffolk & Norfolk websites.

You’ll also receive a confirmation email. That email includes the suggested wording you can use to describe your accessibility features.

This wording is important - it’s designed to keep descriptions of accessibility consistent across the internet.

On the LVEP websites the data is pulled through automatically, but if you’d like your own business website to reflect the same information, you’ll need to manually copy this suggested wording across.

Finally, you’ll get a reminder email every six months to check your answers are still correct - but you can log in and update your survey at any time.

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AccessIndex

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AccessIndex

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AccessIndex

Completing via the LVEP Websites

Log in and edit your business profile
Go to the Accessibility tab
Click “Complete AccessIndex Survey”
Same process: data saved, confirmation email, 6-month reminder

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AccessIndex

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AccessIndex

What This Means on the Website

Visitors can filter content by accessibility features
Dedicated Accessibility Finder Tool on main landing page
43 features, each with its own landing page
More visibility and discovery opportunities for your business

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6. Get an AccessAble Detailed Access Guide

Describes all areas of a venue

100s of pieces of accessibility information,
Includes measurements and photographs.

Created by a professional access surveyor

Removes the burden and responsibility of collecting information that can be technical

Add link to guide on your website

Published and searchable on AccessAble’s website, used by around six million people a year

Use the Norfolk & Suffolk AccessAble booking portal – await discounts!

Many people also require more detailed information to decide where to stay or visit. So, in addition to outlining your key accessibility features, you are encouraged to provide an Accessibility Guide.

An Accessibility Guide describes and visually shows the layout of each area of the business, following the route a visitor will typically take from arrival, entering and getting around. 

The recommended format is an AccessAble Detailed Access Guide, which describes all areas of a venue, giving 100s of pieces of accessibility information, including measurements and photographs.

You can use the AccessAble Your Accessibility Guide Portal to book and pay for either a Guided Assessment or On Site Assessment of your venue, where a professional access surveyor will create a quality-assured Detailed Access Guide. This approach removes the burden and responsibility of collecting information that can be technical, greatly reducing the risk of incomplete and inaccurate information.

For more information, go to visiteastofengland.youraccessibilityguide.co.uk. Await launch of new discounts shortly.

Example - Holkham Hall

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Seven secrets of inclusive hospitality

HospitableMe

Be open

Build understanding

Reject preconceptions

Accommodate differences

Honour autonomy

Craft connections

Drive change

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voco® Manchester - City Centre (was Hotel Brooklyn)

Accessible facilities = £217,000 additional revenue

in its first full trading year

Formerly Hotel Brooklyn

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Pledge one specific action to take in the next 30 days

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“Fear of saying the wrong thing, doing the wrong action, making a mistake. I say let’s get brave. Let’s act. Let’s get some things wrong. Let’s make a positive difference to disabled people and create an inclusive world”��

Martyn Sibley, Co-founder and CEO of Purple Goat Agency

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Audience Q&A

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For practical guidance, case studies and top tips on Accessible & Inclusive Tourism visit:

visitengland.org/access; @VisitEnglandBiz

�Get in touch:

Ross.Calladine@visitengland.org

@RossCalladine