Advocates, business and tourism specialists, Sparrowly Group, have today, on this International Day of People with Disability, released the third edition of their internationally acclaimed paper – Creating Real Inclusion – A call to arms to the tourism industry in support of people with disability.The paper features over 30 Australian accessible tourism experiences, products and organisations thanks to nominations received from the industry and visitors alike.
“Since we first released this paper in 2018, it has been heartening to see more accessible tourism businesses established and we’ve met some incredible people along the way,” co-author and Managing Director of Sparrowly Group, Giovanna Lever said.
“However, there is still a gap in serving this important segment and I know we as an industry can do so much better.
“We need to celebrate and showcase the range of accessible tourism products and experiences available to educate and encourage the industry including the travel media to do better, be more inclusive and showcase the incredible businesses who are catering to this important market.
“We know that this sector is worth more than the Chinese inbound market ($10.8billion vs $10.4billion) and with the advent of COVID-19 and border closures, even more so. It should be enough of a message to the industry that this important sector should not be ignored,” Giovanna said.
This independent paper is part of Sparrowly Group’s commitment to giving back to the industry by providing an objective perspective on an important and necessary sector of tourism. This paper was inspired by Giovanna Lever as a carer of a child with a hidden disability when faced with a significant lack of provisions to support her daughter’s needs when travelling both domestically and internationally.
“Since being released, we’ve been fortunate enough to continue the discussion about accessibility and inclusion in tourism by presenting to Members of Parliament and conferences in Australia and New Zealand. But most importantly though, is that we’ve been advocates for the people who need their voice heard most…People with Disability.
“What has been wonderful to see is that in the last couple of years, the collective voices of advocates like us and others including Have Wheelchair WIll Travel, Wheeleasy, Getaboutable, Travability and Briometrix, along with a genuine focus on Disability and Inclusion Action Plans across the country have seen a number of new and incredible inclusive experiences launched into market,” she said.
The paper is available here.
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