TRAVEL operators need to stop using accessibility as part of a temporary sales campaigns if they have no plans to maintain their efforts and the sentiments throughout the year.
Speaking at Travel Daily’s Travel24 event in Sydney yesterday, diversity advocate and TEDX speaker Azure Antoinette (pictured) suggested that if businesses are serious about accessibility, their initiatives need to remain consistent beyond calendar events.
“The key in DEI isn’t campaign strategy, it’s not signage, it’s not ticking boxes,” said Antoinette, who lives with multiple sclerosis.
According to Antoinette, who works with corporate brands on their DEI policies, society in general – much less the travel industry – has failed to notice the significant challenges people with disabilities face.
“I don’t expect a massive corporation with thousands of moving parts to say ‘everything will be accessible in six months’, [as] it’s not possible and it is not a sustainable thing.”
Cancel culture is now a problem plenty of brands face and if a brand is called out by its consumers, Antoinette suggests quickly facing the issue head-on.
“The best thing [a tourism business] can do if a mistake or an infraction has been made, or something has been brought to your attention…own that.
“And then say ‘we’re going to work on it’ and get the people in the room who will help you understand what [it] is, whether it’s sensory overload, neurodivergence, whether that’s visible disability… it doesn’t have to be as polarising as it is now.”
Antoinette also advised tourism businesses to set themselves realistic parameters when it comes to executing accessible initiatives that can be maintained.
A recent appraisal of Tourism Data Warehouse listings found only 30% of Australia’s tourism businesses rate themselves as being accessibility-friendly.
Antoinette said a big problem with the adoption of accessibility is that often, key decision-makers do not have a personal interest in it, which can lead to delays and confusion over what their business needs.
“Acknowledgement is going to be the first step in your protocol, & a lot of times, it’s the step that is missed,” Antoinette said. ML
