1. The (untapped) potential
of inclusive tourism
Words: Anne-Marie Callus and Gordon C. Cardona
Inclusive tourism, also termed ‘barrierfree’ or ‘accessible’ tourism, is a form of
tourism that aspires to ensure holiday
destinations, and related products and
services, are inclusive of everybody regardless of impairment.
Accessibility very often brings to mind
physical access. Of course, this is a
crucial part of inclusive tourism. The
importance of ensuring that hotels
and restaurants, transport services,
tourist attractions and other related
services and facilities are physically
accessible, cannot be emphasised
enough. Unfortunately, as many
people with mobility impairments
know, lack of access can make what
was planned to be an enjoyable day
out an unpleasant venture.
This is even more so for wheelchair
users. For this reason, when disabled
people are planning a holiday,
they choose with care and go for
those destinations which can offer
them the maximum amount of
accessibility. Like every other tourist,
disabled people are more likely to
visit a country or destination where
they know they will enjoy their
holidays than one where the level
of accessibility and inclusion is
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uncertain and which may leave them
disappointed with their holiday.
The United Nations estimates
that there are over 10 million
disabled people in the world. With
advancement in medicine and
health care, people are living longer.
However, longer life expectancy does
not necessarily mean an impairmentfree life, with the number of disabled
people, especially among senior
citizens, set to rise. There is therefore
a lot of untapped potential in making
holidays accessible to all, even more so
when one considers that most people
don’t holiday on their own.
Catering for a disabled tourist
therefore means increasing one’s
business not just by one person but
also by the sum of the other persons
travelling with that person. And of
course, disabled tourists who are
satisfied with their stay in Malta are
bound to tell their friends, disabled or
not, and encourage them to visit.
Beyond physical access, inclusive
tourism also needs to meet the
requirements of other disabled people
with different impairments, such as
people with sensory or intellectual
impairments. Here, it is essential
to note that information should be
provided in accessible or
alternative formats.
Besides that, staff and personnel
directly or indirectly involved in
providing tourists with a service need
to have basic training in how to relate
and conduct themselves to be able
to provide their disabled clients with
a good service that effectively meets
their wishes and expectations. In
addition, providing information on the
company website about the level of
accessibility of the service or facility is
a useful way of attracting more clients,
as disabled people are more likely to
then choose that service or facility.
Providing an inclusive tourism
product is therefore not just about
abiding by the requirements of the
Equal Opportunities Act, which has
been in effect in Malta since 2000. Or
only about following the requirements
of the United Nations Convention
on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities, which Malta ratified in
2012. It is also about diversifying the
tourist market, widening the type of
clientele, and thus
increasing profitability.
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2. Promoting inclusive tourism in
Malta is becoming increasingly more
possible as accessibility, in its various
forms, is becoming more and more of
a reality. The public transport service
is much more physically accessible
than it ever was and is also much more
user-friendly for people with sensory
impairments. The ferry service is also
accessible, and there are also physically
accessible taxi cabs. Heritage sites and
tourist attractions are also becoming
more accessible, as are hotels,
restaurants, beaches, and other services
and amenities which are essential to
the tourism industry.
Given that Malta’s economy remains
dependent on tourism, those involved
in hospitality simply cannot afford to
neglect the great positive impact that
inclusive tourism can have on this
sector. In order to achieve the goals
set out by inclusive tourism, those
working in the field need to support
efforts to make Malta more accessible
to all. Besides historic and cultural
sites which need to provide disabled
people with equal access to sites and
to information, it is equally important
that disabled tourists have a pleasant
experience when they use public
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transport and when they go shopping
or to the beach.
The Malta Tourism Authority, in
conjunction with the National
Commission Persons with Disability,
recently concluded an EU-funded
project ‘Accessible Culture for All’.
As a direct result of this project,
a new website http://www.
accessibletourismmalta.eu/ has been
launched. The aim of this website is to
provide operators with an opportunity
to provide information about the level
of accessibility of their services and
facilities, thus also advertising them.
Providing this information in one
website will enable disabled tourists
to make informed decisions. The more
inclusive Malta’s tourism product
is, the more attractive it will be for
disabled persons and their families
and friends, and the more profitable
for operators in the tourism industry
- a virtuous cycle from which we all
stand to gain.
Those working
in the field
need to
support efforts
to make
Malta more
accessible
to all
Anne-Marie Callus and Gordon C.
Cardona, National Commission,
Persons with Disability
Special Edition 2013
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