Enhancing Accessible Tourism in NSW
Project Aim
The NSW Government is committed to improving the lives of people with disability and creating a fully inclusive society to ensure that all members of society have the same access to services and opportunities to reach their full potential and experience all that life has to offer. Access to tourist attractions and recreational activities is recognised as a fundamental human right, delivering important social benefits for individuals and the community, and economic and employment opportunities.
The NSW Department of Family and Community Services (FACS) has commissioned University of Technology Sydney Institute for Public Policy and Governance (UTS:IPPG) to bring together a range of stakeholders to identify ideas and actions that will enable people with disability and their carers to better access tourism opportunities and promote social inclusion; capitalising on the social benefits and economic opportunities associated with Accessible Tourism. This paper describes key issues and opportunities ahead of initial discussions during the stakeholder engagement meetings. Outlined below is our approach to this project.
Our Approach  
1.	Stakeholder engagement meetings: Stakeholders from across disability, ageing, tourism, information technology, marketing and government sectors will be brought together in three different locations to identify issues and talk about improving access to tourism and recreational activities at both a local and state level. Stakeholders will then be invited to participate in the subsequent Innovation Lab workshops. 
2.	Preparation Innovation Lab: The preparation Lab will build on initial discussions and introduce participants to the design-led innovation process that will be used to generate ideas and actions. The workshop will demonstrate how this approach will be used and will begin the innovation process.
3.	Final Innovation Lab: The final Lab will work through ideas, issues and opportunities discussed previously and utilise a design thinking approach to produce a number of actionable ideas that FACS and associated stakeholders can work together to implement.  
Rationale 
Accessible Tourism cuts across a number of different industry sectors including disability and ageing as well as tourism and marketing, and the media and communication sectors. In addition, all tiers of government play an important role in ensuring community and public spaces and transport are accessible for people with disability and facilitate tourism and recreational activities. Research on improving access to tourism and recreational activities have also emphasised the importance of collaboration, networking and connections between different industries and stakeholders involved in the tourism sector. Different stakeholders impact on the delivery of tourism and recreation activities through: 
•	provision and access to inclusive tourism information, marketing and advertising (i.e., brochures, websites, phone applications, digital media and engagement products);
•	access to physical infrastructure (i.e., parking, toilets, accommodation, food services, museums, theatres, cinemas, national parks); and
•	access to transport (i.e., hire cars, buses, trains, taxis, cruise ships, major highway rest stops).
Consideration must be given to both physical access issues and access to information that enables the organising and planning that is essential to enable participation in tourist and recreational activities. UTS:IPPG and FACS will bring together a range of stakeholders, industry figures and advocates who can consider the infrastructure (physical) as well as engagement and marketing (information) needs and generate ideas and actions that improve access to tourism and recreational activities in NSW. 
Defining Accessible Tourism
This project adapts Tourism Australia’s definition of Accessible Tourism as “the ongoing endeavour to ensure tourist destinations, products and services are accessible to all people, regardless of their physical limitations, disabilities or age”.
Accessible Tourism involves collaborative processes between stakeholders to enable people with access requirements, including mobility, vision, hearing and cognitive dimensions of access, to function independently and with equity and dignity through the delivery of universally designed products and services.  Products and services should be designed to ensure universal access to tourist attractions as well major or local events and festivals (i.e. cultural, religious, sporting, music and food).  In this project ensuring accessibility is viewed as central to the design and development of ideas and actions rather than an add-on for compliance reasons. 
Role of Government  
All tiers of government have undertaken a number of policy initiatives aimed at promoting and enhancing social inclusion; in particular improving the accessibility of services and public infrastructure for people with disability. Building codes and anti-discrimination legislation established by governments has resulted in accessible infrastructure being built.
Recently the NSW Government through FACS established the Disability Inclusion Act (2014) (DIA); Disability Inclusion Plan (2015) and the Ageing Strategy (2012) which further the NSW Government’s commitment to the inclusion of people with disability and older people in all aspects of society. Investment has been made to ensure transport, accommodation, community spaces are universally accessible; removing barriers to participation in everyday activities and enhancing access to tourist and recreation activities. 
The DIA and Disability Inclusion Plan also demonstrate the NSW Government’s commitment to meeting its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, ratified by the Australian Commonwealth Government in 2008. 
In 2013 the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) recommendations regarding the ‘right to accessible tourism for all’ was endorsed and approved by the United Nations General Assembly; demonstrating the global momentum for improving access to tourist and recreational activities for people with disability. 
Social and Economic Dimensions 
Improving access to tourism and recreational activities has both social and economic benefits. Through this project ideas and actions will be developed and implemented that consider both the associated economic opportunities, as well as the role these opportunities might play in enhancing social inclusion and outcomes for people with disability. 
Social Dimensions
Improving social inclusion has a number of benefits, both for individuals at greater risk of exclusion and broader society. Greater inclusion reduces disadvantage, isolation and discrimination and can positively impact people across all aspects of life, including health, welfare, education and employment. Enabling social connections, interactions and active participation in tourist and recreational activities is crucial in supporting the physical health and mental wellbeing of all individuals. 
Social exclusion has negative impacts on employment, health and educational outcomes.  People with disability experience fewer opportunities to engage with their community as a result of barriers in the built environment, transport, housing and local supports. In addition people with disability are also likely to have lower incomes compared  to people without disability making services and products harder to afford and access. Overcoming these barriers in terms of accessing tourist and recreational activities is a vital step in ensuring an improvement in social inclusion and health and wellbeing outcomes for people with disability. Improving social inclusion is not just about increasing physical accessibility; it also includes creating opportunities for social engagement, improving the quality of personal, social and business interactions, and the methods through which information can be accessed.
Economic Dimensions 
In Australia there is a growing market for travellers that require the physical environment as well as digital engagement and marketing material to be adapted to meet their needs. Research by the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) on Sustainable Tourism found that nearly 90 per cent of people with disability take a holiday each year.  In 2003, people with disability accounted for some 8.2 million overnight trips and spent $8 billion or 11 per cent of Australia’s overall tourism expenditure.   The average group size for people with disability is 2.8 for a domestic overnight trip and 3.4 for a day trip. In Australia almost one in five people (4.2 million people or 18.5% of Australians) reported having a disability in 2012. In NSW 1.3 million people reported having a disability. 
According to demographic forecasts there will be a huge increase in the proportion of older people. Combined with the prevalence of disability increasing with age (a person is 14 times more likely to have a disability at age 65 than they are as a four-year-old), this suggests that there will be sustained growth in the market and demand for accessible tourism and recreation activities. The graph below demonstrates the large projected growth of people aged 65 years and over in Australia in the next 20 to 50 years. 

Source: ABS Cat 3222.0, Population Projections, 2012 (Series C)  
With close to 40% of people nationally having some form of disability by the time they are 70 years old, forecasts based on population statistics of age acquired disabilities indicate that the total expenditure of this group in the tourism sector is likely to exceed 22% in ten years time. 
With a growing market for Accessible Tourism there are both short term and long term opportunities in making tourism and recreational activities universally accessible. 
Opportunities 
Outlined below are some key areas that have been identified as opportunities that could be discussed during stakeholder engagement meetings. 
Capitalising on increased investment, growing market and employment opportunities 
•	National reforms to the disability and ageing sector will dramatically expand the market creating significant opportunities for disability and ageing service providers as well as mainstream businesses that make their products more accessible and inclusive. 
•	The prevalence of disability increases with age and we are at a critical demographic turning point as baby boomer cohort, 5.5 million people born between 1946 and 1965, has begun to turn 65 years of age. The baby boomer generation cohort, are considered to be more time and cash rich and more technologically savvy than previous retired generations. 
•	Economic and employment opportunities combined with technological advancements can drive innovation and collaboration between communities, governments and businesses.  
•	People with disability will be key resources in transferring knowledge, providing support to tourism operators, and generating new specialised employment opportunities.  
Enabling technology and addressing information gaps 
•	Physical access issues have significantly decreased as a result of reforms to building codes and anti-discrimination legislation. However, Accessible Tourism advocates argue that there is a lack of publically available and accessible information. 
•	Planning and organisation is an important aspect of accessing and participating in tourist and recreational activities; technological developments over the last 5 years have led to huge advancements in the way information can be shared and communicated, making it easier to develop more inclusive information pathways.  
Harnessing existing resources and knowledge
•	The UNWTO, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada and other states and territories have developed recommendations on how to improve access to tourism services and products, Accessible Tourism Plans, web portals and information kits to provide greater information to both consumers and the tourist industry regarding accessible tourism.  
•	The Accessible Tourism market is competitive, and is establishing platforms and mechanisms for disability, and the tourism and recreational sector. Collaborating and working together will be crucial in capitalising on social and economic opportunities associated with Accessible Tourism. For further information contact

Institute for Public Policy and Governance, University of Technology Sydney
Researcher Ivan Pavkovic | 02 9514 4891 | ivan.pavkovic@uts.edu.au
NSW Department of Family and Community Services 
Graduate Officer Lee Huuskes | 02 87539336 | lee.huuskes@facs.nsw.gov.au