There are 55 million potential tourists in the U.S., and another 180 million around the world, that many in the travel industry are not actively and specifically marketing to. Who are they? They are people with disabilities who, in the United States, according to a Harris Poll (conducted with the Open Doors Organization, in conjunction with the US Travel Association), have a combined income of $175 billion, took 32 million trips and spent more than $13.6 billion on travel ($4.2 billion on hotels; $3.3 billion on airfare; $2.7 billion on food and beverage; and $3.4 billion on retail, transportation and other activities) in 2002. Today’s numbers can be expected to be even greater.
“This study suggested that these travelers would double their spending if some minor amenities were made available. Meet and greet programs at airports, preferred seating on airplanes, hotel rooms closer to amenities, and employees who go out of their way to accommodate guests with disabilities topped the list,” wrote Craig Kennedy, of CK Consulting, a published adaptive travel author and accessibility consultant.
Destinations, hotels, restaurants, shops and attractions that are best prepared for welcoming and accommodating travelers with disabilities, often with their accompanying friends and family, will find loyal, often life-long customers who return again and again. People with disabilities, plus the “gray wave” of aging Baby Boomers (one-fourth of the U.S. population) and many returning wounded warriors may represent the greatest growing group of potential travelers. It’s imperative that travel marketers become fluent in the needs of these travelers so that their needs and their expectations can be addressed.
Howard County Efforts
After attending a keynote presentation at the Mid-Atlantic Tourism Public Relations Alliance (MATPRA) by Craig Kennedy, the Howard County Tourism Team began exploring which existing county offerings could be modified for people with disabilities. With guidance from the county Department of Citizen Services, they debuted ghost tours available with an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter — with glow-in-the-dark gloves — to make “Ye Haunted History of Olde Ellicott City” accessible to the deaf community.
Howard County is home to the Maryland School for the Deaf and close to Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. “We’re delighted to share Ellicott City’s ‘haunted history’ with the deaf community; offering the ASL interpreter tours is a win-win for our whole community,” said Edward Lilley, the Welcome Center and Tours manager.
The Tourism Team is mindful when planning events to be sure that persons of every kind of ability can be accommodated. Its award-winning “Wildlife Driving Tour” brochure clearly marks which outdoor viewing locations are accessible. Tourism also authored and published the Patapsco Valley’s Grist Mill trail brochure that highlights the new wheelchair and stroller-friendly suspension bridge that connects this top eco-tourism attraction with a bike trail to the county’s top historical attraction, Ellicott City.
‘Room at the Inn’
At the recommendation of the Maryland Office of Tourism’s Connie Yingling, the Columbia Inn (formerly the Inn at Peralynna Manor) hosted Candy Harrington, known as the guru of accessible travel, as she researched her book, There Is Room at the Inn; Inns and B&Bs for Wheelers and Slow Walkers, the first guidebook devoted entirely to accessible inns and Bed & Breakfasts.
“My goal is to describe access so travelers can make appropriate choices. My readers are a varied lot, from slow walkers to wheelchair-users,” said Harrington. The grotto shower in the honeymoon suite at the Columbia Inn doubles as a roll-in shower, demonstrating Cynthia and David Lynn’s (the inn’s owners) penchant for making universal design beautiful.
Additionally, the Tourism Team participates in regular programming offered by the Howard County Department of Citizens Services to be well-informed about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and its impact on the Tourism industry and especially their workplace, the Welcome Center.
Lessons learned from these programs enhance customer care for persons with a variety of disabilities, not just mobility. According to Joyce Leher, the county’s ADA/Disabilities Services coordinator, simply using images in the published visitors guide and other marketing materials of persons with disabilities would be well-received.
She added that Tourism’s partners are welcome to attend free programs offered by the Department of Citizens Services, such as “The Americans with Disabilities Act and Small Business: A Disability Friendly Business is Beneficial for Business. Learn strategies capitalizing on the $175 billion in discretionary spending power of people with disabilities!” These programs are listed on Howard County Tourism’s web site, www.VisitHowardCounty.com.
Rachelina Bonacci is the executive director of Howard County Tourism & Promotion. She can be reached at 410-313-1900 or online at www.VisitHowardCounty.com.
