We are very close to launching the Travel For All Directory.
The directory will be the place for tourism operators to share detailed information about their properties, so that travellers with accessibility needs can make decisions about the best places for them to stay and the activities that suit them.
We will have two products available for tourism operators to purchase:
- The Travel For All Accessibility Toolkit
- The Travel For All Verified Accessibility Assessment
Both products will include access to our accessibility training, covering disability awareness training and accessible tourism. The training will also take them through the accessibility assessment process.
The other key part of both products is the Accessibility Assessment. In the toolkit, this is do-it-yourself with our tools. For the verified assessment, we visit the property and do it for you.
The Accessibility Assessment is about sharing information about what exists now for any particular tourism property. This will include features that are usually associated with accessibility such as ramps and accessible bathrooms, but also many more details that are not normally shared, such as measurements in standard and accessible accommodation rooms for space around the bed, location of light switches and power points, availability of amenities for ease of use for the vision impaired, and for the deaf and hard of hearing.
The Accessibility Assessment includes over 200 items that properties can select. Not everything is a tick box – we provide space for more information to be added, and many questions provide measurements, number of steps or a choice from options.
Travel For All will not be providing a rating for properties to illustrate their level of accessibility. To us, that is not reasonable or possible. What is accessible for one person, is not accessible for another. Every person with access needs knows what they need. We will provide the information so that the individual traveller can make that assessment based on having the information in front of them.
There is likely no property that is accessible for everyone. As travellers search on Travel For All, they will find that some properties suit them and some don't. What we are providing is a way for people to more easily find the ones that do suit, and exclude those that don't suit. We want to end the information gap and the need for travellers to be calling around for information every time they need to book accommodation or a tourism activity.
Read more on why the term “fully accessible” is not useful.
What types of listings will be included?
The directory will include listings for:
- accommodation
- activities: attractions, tours and journeys
- events
- food and drink
- travel planning and information
To give you a better idea of the scope of the Travel For All accessibility information, we have created a sample accommodation listing, which we share below.
Please note that the sample listing does not show every option for every question. It shows what may typically be selected by a tourism property of this type, which is a holiday house. We encourage you to take in the headings, sections and scope that will be included in listings, rather than the detail selected for this particular sample (i.e. made up!) listing.
What information is included in the listing?
Every listing in the Travel For All Directory includes the following sections:
- Contact information, including website, email and social media
- Profile: a text description of the tourism property
- Photos
- Property features
- Guest room facilities (for accommodation)
- Accessibility
- Map
- Reviews
Our sample listing is for Charlie's Beach House. Charlie is the seeing-eye dog for Dale Reardon, our founder and CEO. Charlie is our mascot and he loves the beach.
The short video below scrolls down the page of the sample listing, showing you the sections of the listing.
What information is included about accessibility?
The detailed accessibility information is divided into the following sections:
- Booking Process
- Arrival & Departure
- Assistance & Service Dogs
- Staff Training, Assistance & Policies
- Getting Around the Building and Gardens
- Exhibitions & Performances (Activities and Events only)
- Restaurants, Bars & Dining (Accommodation, Activities and Events only)
- Facilities, Tables & Seating (Food and Drink only)
- Accommodation Room Types (Accommodation only)
- Toilets & Bathrooms
- Location and Local Area Information
- Emergency Procedures
The information that relates to the accessibility of the property is provided and used in several ways.
- Some information is used in the advanced search feature
- Some information is presented on the main listing page
- All information is presented in a linked page that shows all the detail
- A PDF document can be downloaded that shows all accessibility information
Advanced Search
The advanced search allows travellers to more easily find tourism properties that meet their needs.
Filters can be added to the search to select required features for:
- Booking process
- Concessions and discounts
- Assistance and service dogs
- Getting around the building
- Restaurants, bars and dining
- Accessible parking
Tourism Property Listing Page
On the listing page for a property that has completed their accessibility assessment, there is a section titled Accessibility.Â
The two links shown will take you to the full details provided by the tourism property (see next section).
In addition, this section displays some of the key information that many people with accessibility needs will want to know. Note that there are some additional details in this section, beyond the screenshot.
Detailed Accessibility Statement Page
If you click on the link in the Accessibility section to go to the Travel For All Accessibility Statement, you will be taken to a new page with all the details that have been provided by the tourism operator.
This short video shows you the detail available in the accessibility detail page.
The image below shows the top of this page for the sample listing.
Detailed Accessibility Statement PDF
For anyone who would like to retain a copy of the accessibility details for a listing, you can view and download a PDF version.
You will be able to click on the link in the main listing to view and download, or click on the Download PDF link on the detailed accessibility listing page, as show in the screen shot above.
To view a PDF, click here to download the PDF for Charlie's Beach House.
Travel For All Directory: Coming Very Soon!
We can't wait to bring the directory and accessible tourism listings to you.
If you own or operate a tourism business, please sign up for your mailing list and we will make sure you are the first to know when we are set to go live.
When you sign up, you will also receive a free guide to inclusive and accessible tourism, to get you started.
Sign up to our email mailing list here.