Accessible tourism: A priority in Tropical North Queensland
TTNQ applauded for promoting accessible tourism on its Cairns & Great Barrier Reef destination website
The decision by Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) to add an Accessibility Hub to its website has been applauded by specialised organisations, the move praised for being the right thing to do and making commercial sense.
Following consultation with specialised organisations, TTNQ has added an Accessibility Hub to the Cairns & Great Barrier Reef destination website to assist travellers with mobility impairment to select activities and itineraries for their Tropical North Queensland holiday.
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TTNQ Chief Executive Officer, Mark Olsen said the team had worked closely with Spinal Life Australia and Cairns-based Out There Travel Care to put together content showcasing experiences and accommodation accessible to all travellers.
He said: “It has been an informative exercise discovering wheelchair-friendly beaches, Quicksilver’s water-powered lift to lower people into the water so they can snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef, and which rainforest boardwalks are best suited to wheelchairs.
“People needing to consider accessibility can now easily find accommodation options from specialised providers like Spinal Life’s Healthy Living Centre which has personal support workers to traditional hotels with accessible rooms such as the Cairns Novotel Oasis Resort.”
The accommodation and tours have already been put to the test by disabled Mission Beach journalist Imogen Kars who has written a series of blogs on travel options in Cairns, Palm Cove, the Cassowary Coast, Port Douglas and the Atherton Tablelands.
“It’s encouraging to see our operators attending to learn about the opportunities in the accessible tourism market, understand case studies from businesses that have successfully entered the market, and hear from people with physical disabilities about what they are looking for in a destination,” Mr Olsen said.”
Spinal Life Australia Senior Advisor Access and Advocacy, Dane Cross said the accessible tourism market represented a largely untapped opportunity for tourism operators.
“It’s been great to work with Tourism Tropical North Queensland on this project, and in our view, this is the best accessibility information available for any region in Australia,” he said.
“Often, tourism operators don’t know where to begin on their journey towards better accessibility.
“This workshop enables people to ask simple questions and find out more about where to begin. We’d love to help tourism operators understand how to be more accessible and to secure a larger part of this market.”
Mr Olsen said accessible tourism had enormous potential and could be woven into many existing tourism offerings.
“Research by Tourism Australia has shown that accessible tourism can be a game changer for destinations that will assist with post-pandemic recovery by building industry resilience,” he said.
“Treating accessibility as a competitive advantage that improves customer service and enhances quality of life for all is the key to tapping into the ageing, but still adventurous, Baby Boomers who have the time and resources to travel.”
Roundly applauding the move, Accessible Accommodation Founder & Director, Kerry Williams, who has been campaigning for a more accessible Australian accommodation and tourism industry, said this is great news for people with disabilities.
“Not only is it the right thing to do, but it makes commercial sense for accommodation providers to embrace Accessible Tourism,” she said.
“Accessible Accommodation has over 40 fantastic, well qualified Queensland accessible places to stay and it is a credit to Tropical North Queensland Tourism to spotlight the many fantastic accessible places to see, stay and do.”
Launched at the Making Tourism More Accessible Workshop at the Spinal Life Healthy Living Centre, in Cairns, the Accessibility Hub can be viewed at www.tropicalnorthqueensland.org.au/plan-your-trip/accessible-travel.
Mike Parker-Brown is a UK-trained and qualified journalist and an award-winning travel communicator with more than 30 years experience.
Since 2002, Mike has worked as a freelance writer and PR consultant providing his services to major organisations in Australia and internationally in the tourism, aviation, hospitality, recruitment and export marketing sectors.
