Media Release
Despite the Federal Government implementing a National Disability Plan until 2031 to drive action at all levels of government to improve the lives of people with disability, state and territory governments generally work to their own disability plans, or even more alarmingly, are still developing plans1.
Without a national strategy to actively improve accessibility in tourism, Australians living with disability continue to face barriers when it comes to accessible travel. This also has a negative impact on Australia’s ability to be an attractive destination for international travellers with disability.
Ahead of summer and the peak travel season, and in line with International Day of People with Disability (3 December), there has never been a better time to critically look at accessible tourism across Australia and call for the Commonwealth Government to stimulate positive action across all states and territories.
Following the success of 2023 being named as Queensland’s Year of Accessible Tourism, leading disability advocates are urging the Australian Government to take the lead at a national level and nominate 2025 as the National Year of Accessible Tourism.
With over one-fifth (21.4%) of the country’s population living with disability, 5.5 million Australians are at the core of accessible tourism.2 In fact, the Australian tourism sector is one that consistently booms with domestic spend reaching $109.9 billion the past financial year.3
Mark Townend, Chief Executive Officer of Spinal Life Australia, questions why more isn’t being done to bring other states up to speed on their inclusion efforts.
“While we see other states continue to put a focus on their respective tourism industries, such as NSW adopting a more ambitious goal of $91 billion in annual visitor economy expenditure by 20354, or Victoria’s visitor economy being worth $21.7 billion5, what we don’t see, is a continued focus on ensuring this industry is accessible to all Australians, and international tourists alike,” he says.
With $6.8 billion of the spend attributed to those living with disability in Australia, the sheer demand for accessible tourism is clear6. With a further one in six people living with disability globally7, this further cements the sizeable market segment, and need for further resourcing and funding when it comes to accessible tourism.
As part of the Year of Accessible Tourism in Queensland, the Queensland Government allocated $12 million for 2023-2024 to enhance accessibility across the state’s tourism sector. In a recent survey of businesses who participated in Queensland’s Year of Accessible Tourism, 100% of businesses support the nomination of a National Year of Accessible Tourism.
Well qualified to comment on the effectiveness of the Year of Accessible Tourism is Fiona Donaldson of Supported Travel eXperiences (STX) – a specialist provider of travel experiences for people with disability.
“Our business aims to connect people with disability with exciting, interesting and fulfilling travel experiences across Australia and the world. We have struggled in the past to identify great options for our customers, living with disability and their travelling companions.
More than 200 businesses in Queensland were spurred into action by the Queensland Government’s funding of the Year of Accessible Tourism. Something similar on a national level is likely to stimulate significant improvements in accessibility in tourism businesses. Improvements in accessibility will lead to increased ease of travel for people with disability in Australia, but just as importantly, will help attract international tourists with disability – a market segment that represents a big new market for Australian tourism businesses.
With approximately 18.5 million trips being taken each year by people living with a disability; accounting for almost a quarter (23%) of all domestic trips, the need for a national approach to increased accessibility is crucial.
Ms Donaldson continues, emphasising this passion to promote inclusivity at a wider level; “We’ve seen firsthand the benefits of embracing accessibility, not just for travellers, but for our team and the wider community. Supporting a National Year of Accessible Tourism in 2025 would be a major step in ensuring Australia becomes a global leader in accessibility.”
Mr Townend says it’s time to ensure the tourism sector is pushed toward improved accessibility across Australia.
“Over the past few years, we have seen Queensland embrace accessibility within its tourism sector, achieving significant economic benefits and fostering a stronger sense of inclusion. Building on this success and designating 2025 as the National Year of Accessible Tourism offers an opportunity to create a more inclusive Australia for everyone and would demonstrate Australia’s commitment to driving collaborative action and lasting change,” Mr Townend concludes.
It’s important to continue the momentum for positive change in this sector and make tourism accessible for all so international and domestic visitors alike can experience Australia’s extraordinary attractions.
To find out more about our advocacy services, contact us.
- https://www.tourism.australia.com/en/about/industry-sectors/accessible-tourism.html ↩︎
- https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/disability/disability-ageing-and-carers-australia-summary-findings/latest-release ↩︎
- https://www.tra.gov.au/en/economic-analysis/tourism-satellite-accounts/national-tourism-satelliteaccount#:~:text=GDP%20from%20tourism%20was%20%2463,1.4%25%20in%202020%2D2 ↩︎
- https://www.nsw.gov.au/departments-and-agencies/dciths/ministerial-media-releases/tourism-to-become-91-billion-cornerstone-of-nsw-economy ↩︎
- https://liveinmelbourne.vic.gov.au/connect/victorian-industries/tourism-events-and-visitor-economy ↩︎
- https://www.tra.gov.au/en/economic-analysis/accessible-tourism-in-australia ↩︎
- https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/disability-and-health ↩︎
