Access in Tourism

The Benefit to Business

To invest time or money in improving a business, an understanding of what will be the return on investment is essential.

What are the benefits of making access improvements?

In terms of improving accessibility that’s quite simple – a business becomes ‘open’ to a much wider audience. From providing a more accessible website that search engines love and potential visitors find easy to use, to the visitor who told all her friends about the B&B owner who recorded the breakfast menu onto an i-pod for her visually-impaired mother. The power of word of mouth!

It makes businesses stand out from the crowd

Showing a commitment to quality and accessibility will give a business an advantage over others. Visitors spend twice as long searching and planning a holiday or short break than they do when considering a mortgage! Businesses with advertised access statements and an official endorsement such as VisitBritain’s National Accessible Scheme standard are more likely to be found first.

The potential spending power is fact

Research tells us that the spending power of disabled people is estimated at £80 billion, and that’s not all. Consumer spending amongst UK people aged between 50-69 currently runs at £300bn. The baby boomers are getting older, people are living longer. By 2025 a third of the UK's population will be over 55. Businesses ignore this market at their peril and they could lose customers just by standing still.

RECOMMENDED READ

• Easy does it
  An excellent introductory business guide to accessibility packed full of ideas that are simple and low-cost. Produced by VisitBritain.
  

60 SECONDS ON...

• Potential visitors
• Disabled customers’ experiences