Need and Opportunity: Accessible Tourism in India The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) along with the MoT and Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality (SATH) has opened up avenues for Accessible Tourism. Khushboo Sahrawat in the first of the two-part series takes you through the potential and challenges of tapping into this segment

Have you ever had a sprained ankle and found it impossible to climb the stairs? Ever had an aged parent and wanted to go on a holiday but changed plans due to lack of facilities? Ever had a disabled sibling who wanted to dine at a fancy restaurant but could not due to lack of infrastructure? If you have faced any of the situations mentioned above then you have been discriminated through design. This discrimination is not intentional, it happens due to negligence of needs of people, who are too less in number to be considered. But today, this number, which also includes people with disabilities and elderly people is growing and smart entrepreneurs in the industry have noticed the need of Accessible Tourism. Accessible Tourism is about making travel and tourism easy for all people (irrespective of their age, gender or physical status). It is a set of services and facilities for individuals with specific needs that may include the disabled, elderly people, pregnant women, parents with children, or people with temporary disabilities. Different people have different needs, which need to be catered to through adoption of ‘Universal Design’- a way to ensure that all environments and products are usable by all with comfort. “People travel for relaxation but it becomes difficult for the disabled and family members as there are no proper services provided by airlines, hotels or the tourist destinations,” said a source with a disability who attended a seminar on `Inclusive Tourism’ organised by American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) India in association with Ministry of Tourism (MoT) in Mumbai recently. The government of India is focussing on increased revenue growth through tourism to strengthen its economy. Inbound tourism figures for India last year were 4.97 million and 150 million for domestic tourism. These figures can see further growth if the country starts catering to PwD (People with Disabilities), which constitutes 20 per cent of the population. Current situation in India Travelling and taking tours is supposed to be a luxury for a person with disability in India. The nation might be witnessing a construction boom but it fails to make buildings accessible to all. While the government is trying to increase revenue growth mostly through inbound tourism, international tourists are getting more concerned about accessibility for PwD and others who are part of the Accessible Tourism segment, within the country. This is also a major concern in most developed countries like US, UK, Europe, Japan and Germany, which have a large ageing population. These relatively prosperous travellers want to explore different parts of the world over long vacations, which are far away from their home. The same group of people, irrespective of where they come from are also likely to have reduced mobility, impaired vision or hearing. Their demand is for required assistance and efficient services at the desired destination. The Indian government must focus on this segment for ensuring growth in terms of revenue in the tourism sector where service, quality and accessibility will play a major role in improving the image of the country as a favourable tourist destination. As per reports from the Department of Tourism along with growth in the number of foreign tourists, there has been great growth in the number of domestic tourists over the years, with the majority of them travelling long distances by rail. Indian families with disabled relatives have been demanding access to national heritage sites and accessible transportation for long. Hence, there is a combined demand for Accessible Tourism from within and outside India. The country may also find Accessible Tourism to be an effective means for implementing the Persons with Disabilities Act of 1995. Commenting on the travel services available in the country, Prof. Ketan L Mehta, Founder, Nina Foundation said, “Only major airports in the country provide for services for people with disabilities, railway stations and trains are not accessible, there are a fleet of low floor buses but awareness about the bus timings and stops is unavailable.” In the current scenario there are no provisions for disabled friendly vehicles on hire or mobility, aids for the physically challenged and elderly at places of tourist interest like beaches, religious sites, heritage sites, etc. The major obstacles in using the existing modes of transportation includes movement between levels (bus depots, railway stations, airports and harbours), procedures (ticketing, immigration, check-in, transit, and baggage), information displays, services (passenger assistance, retail outlets, money exchanges) and toilet access. Even the most desired destination in the country ‘Taj Mahal’ is inaccessible for many. State tourism boards are investing in luxury trains like ‘Palace on Wheels’ to attract foreign visitors but due to its limited services it fails to maximise its reach. Accessibility improving business Accessible Tourism will provide for a larger pool of potential customers. The travel and tourism industry will gain all the economic benefits by promoting itself as a ‘fully inclusive’ destination at a national, as well as international level. It will help in creating a positive image of the country as a destination, hence attracting repeat customers. Many disabled people are keen to travel to India, but often get discouraged by negative word of mouth publicity. “Do not look at our disability, look at our wallets. We want the travel industry to understand our preferences and purchase decisions,” stated Craig Grimes, AccessibleBarcelona-UK at the seminar. Adding to it, Rajeev Kohli, President, ASTA India Chapter said, “We shouldn’t rely on government for everything. The aim is not to preach that please build this, that, etc. We want people to know that this is a business opportunity for the industry. It makes good business sense.” The question asked is, how do we improve accessibility? The common problems faced are difficulty in physical movement, lack of understanding of the disabled, different staff attitude and unfavourable organisational policies or procedures. The airlines, hotels, travel agents need to train their staff in communication etiquettes and how to provide services to the disabled. Initially, the industry needs to identify key tourist sites for both domestic and international tourists, which will provide for accessible features to start with. Similarly, tourism boards at state and regional level can do the same. Nilesh Singit, Co-ordinator of Disability Rights Initiative, Bombay at India Centre for Human Rights and Law said, “Incorporating access features at the planning phase costs only an additional two per cent of the entire project cost.” Solutions offered in the ‘Inclusive Tourism’ seminar in Mumbai are: disabilities component should be added in tourism courses, tour operators should encourage tour packages for this segment, government should give concessions and incentives to encourage disabled tourists and PwDs’ should be allowed employment in the tourism industry. Also, the websites of travel agents should show that they cater to people with disabilities. “Half of those who travel (51 per cent) use the internet to book their trips. Almost half (43 per cent) of travellers say that they search the Internet for accessible facilities to support their disability-related travel needs. They surf the Internet for finding and booking accessible hotels, finding accessibility information about airlines and finding accessible activities, tours and attractions at their destination. A good agent must assess each client’s needs correctly, understand what tools are required and know what challenges each destination will have” said Jani Nayar, Executive Co-ordinator, Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality (SATH). The future of Indian travel industry depends on the strategies and designs it initiates today. There is a need of high degree of awareness and will to implement `Universal Design’ features. It can be done by training designers and architectures to improve the implementation process. Though the model of accessibility and barrier free environments has begun to take shape, the development of `Universal Design’ from a conceptual idea to a regular practise in India is yet to take place.