North York Moors Tourism Network logo North York Moors Tourism Network logo






Photo credit: Chris Park NYMNPA

Accessible tourism - are you missing out on an important market?

Accessible tourism or inclusive tourism = Visits enjoyed by people with physical, sensory and cognitive impairments and others with accessibility requirements. 

Accessible tourism is a huge market. There are aspirations to make the UK the most accessible tourism destination in Europe by 2025. The opportunity for growth is significant. Disabled visitors stay longer and spend more than other visitors.

Purple full chart

Two simple actions you can take right now

Easier than you might think

The tourism and hospitality industry is all about welcoming and helping people enjoy our beautiful area. This means making it as easy as possible for everyone.  You might need to make some small changes to become more inclusive. The  investment is worthwhile, not just because it's the right thing to do, but because there's a huge market you might otherwise be ignoring. 

The law requires you to make 'reasonable adjustments'. Not all improvements need to be physical or expensive. One of the most important things you can do is create and publish an accessibility guide so anyone with an impairment can make their own decisions about whether to visit. 

92% of disabled people don't feel confident about visiting new places. 93% will try to find accessibility information about a place before they visit, and over half won't bother visiting if they can't find it. The good news is that 87% will return to places with good accessibility. 

Plenty of help and support available

The VisitBritain/VisitEngland advice hub is a good place to start. 

Quick, cheap and easy ways to improve your accessibility:

Top 10 tips for inclusive tourism:     

How to welcome people with dementia:

Guidance on welcoming people with hearing loss:

Supporting people with sight loss:

Practical tips on how to welcome people with autism

A comprehensive guide on how to promote your accessibility:

Create and publish your own accessibility guide

Communicating with disabled people:

Euan's Guide

Euan's Guide is a disabled access charity best known for EuansGuide.com, the disabled access review website. They also run the UK"s largest Access Survey, offer other useful information and have some excellent blogs.