VisitEngland’s Top Tips to Improve Access Ahead of London 2012 Paralympic Games
25 August 2011: Monday 29th August marks one year to go before the start of the London 2012 Paralympic Games. With International Paralympic Day also just around the corner on the 8 September there’s no better time to highlight ways in which the tourism industry can improve accessibility.
Overnight trips made by people who either have or are accompanied by someone with a health condition or impairment contribute over £2bn to the English visitor economy annually, highlighting the economic importance of this sector to the industry.
VisitEngland provides a number of tools and resources to help tourism operators accommodate people with access needs and has recently published its top five tips for industry to improve access for visitors.
Top 5 Tips for improving accessibility
At Your Service
Understand the business case for improving accessibility with this handy 14-page booklet explaining how improving accessibility can benefit your bottom line.
www.visitengland.org/access
Access Statements
Create your own access statement using VisitEngland’s free, new and improved online tool.
An access statement is a clear and honest description of the facilities and services you offer and contains invaluable information for customers with accessibility needs.
www.visitengland.org/accessstatements
Profiting through Accessible Tourism
A new video in the Profiting through Accessible Tourism series is now available.
www.visitengland.org/access
Easy Does it
Find no-cost business improvements you can action in the next 30 days.
www.visitengland.com/easydoesit
Customer service training
Banish the fear factor and gain disability confidence through training.
www.visitengland.org/access
James Berresford, VisitEngland’s Chief Executive commented:
“Tourism businesses should view accessibility in its broadest sense, as fundamentally it is about understanding and catering for the individual needs of all visitors and in doing so providing a high quality and memorable experience which in turn will generate repeat bookings and visitor loyalty. The London 2012 Paralympic Games will certainly help to focus the industry on continuing to improve in this important area.”
All of this information and more is available at www.visitengland.org/access and much of the information is helpful and applicable to businesses throughout the UK.
More information on maximising the benefit for tourism of London 2012 can be found on www.tourism2012games.org
Ends
For more information contact:
Sarah Long, Head of Corporate Communications Tel: 020 7578 1452, Mob: 07500555651, Email: sarah.long@visitengland.org www.visitengland.org
About VisitEngland
• VisitEngland is the strategic leadership body representing the public and private sector stakeholders of English Tourism. It works in partnership creating national tourism strategy, optimising marketing investment, and developing the visitor experience across England
• VisitEngland uses its Enjoy England consumer brand in the domestic market and markets England under the VisitEngland brand in international markets
• For corporate information see www.visitengland.org, for consumer information see www.enjoyengland.comThe research was conducted by Strategic Marketing on behalf of VisitEngland.
About VisitEngland’s Accessibility Agenda
• VisitEngland coordinated the inclusion of a question concerning health conditions and impairments into the 2009 United Kingdom Tourism Survey (UKTS). VisitEngland was the key sponsor with support from Visit Wales, South West Regional Development Agency, North West Regional Development Agency, Advantage West Midlands and London Development Agency. A question was also added to the International Passenger Survey (IPS) in 2010.
• VisitEngland provides tourism information for people with physical and sensory needs at www.enjoyengland.com/access
• VisitEngland provides a number of tools and resources to help tourism operators accommodate people with access needs at www.visitengland.org/access.