APPLYING INCLUSIVE TOURISM PRINCIPLES
ACROSS COMMUNITY INITIATIVES, WITHIN COUNCIL, ACROSS
VISITOR SERVICES, EVENTS, ADVOCACY AND PLANNING
Who are we…
• Shoalhaven is one of the largest LG area in NSW with 170km of
coastline
• 49 towns and villages
• Estimated 3.2 million visitors per year
• $730mill + into the local economy yearly
• Estimated around 6000 local jobs.
To be considered…
Who am I?
• Coralie Bell
• Tourism Manager, Shoalhaven City Council
What is ‘Inclusive Tourism’?
The term diversity, when used to describe people or communities, indicates that a group of people is
made up of individuals who are different from each other in some way.
For example, diversity may relate to differences in:
• Culture and/or language
• Gender
• Appearance
• Lifestyle
• Social and economic circumstances
• Family structure
• Abilities, e.g. physical, social, creative, intellectual
• Values and beliefs.
In describing the provision of a service, the term inclusive practice refers to the principle that a service
must be responsive to the needs of all users and that diversity will be acknowledged and respected.
Inclusive practice means the service will not discriminate against people or treat them unfairly on the
basis of these differences, and that negative stereotypes will be challenged.
http://www.responseability.org/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/4864/Diversity-and-Inclusive-Practice.pdf
What is ‘Inclusive Tourism’?
Here is what it’s not
• Accessibility is not “inclusive tourism”
• ‘disability’ is not one group
• It’s more than infrastructure
• Its not wheelchairs.
Principles?
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It is cultural, ability based. It’s a mindset
It’s a practice
It’s putting yourself in someone else's shoes
It’s the way you think and do things
It’s about education
It’s advocacy
It’s about dignity in being considered
It’s awareness
It’s fairness
It’s how you talk to people.
It’s basic humanity
To be considered…
What Jackie says? It’s Heaven
Inclusive tourism is so much more than accessibility and physical spaces.
Inclusive tourism considers
• Physical access as required by
legislation.
• Functionality - Does it actually work
for your customers?
• Social – Do the customers feel
welcome and valued? If customers
do not feel welcome and valued
then they wont return regardless of
how good the physical access is.
Role of LG Tourism?
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Education
Advocacy
Training
Lead by example
Inclusive and considered marketing
Why bother?
It’s basic humanity, but if that’s not enough…
When you consider families with prams, elderly and aging, people
with mixed ability and everyone with a broken leg… the inclusive
market is BIG.
And it’s growing.
For tourism businesses it isn’t only about complying with access
regulations, it simply makes darn good business sense to cater to such
a large, and currently under-serviced segment of the tourism market.
… but where do I start?
It doesn’t have to cost more money
It doesn’t have to take more time.
Talk to people. Understand mixed abilities.
Spend 10 min on Google…
• Travability
• It’s heaven
• Countless papers and stats available
• Spend 20 min attending an access committee
meeting and listen!
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Ideas? VIS Spaces
To be considered…
What we did… Nowra VIS
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Brochure stands lower height
Touch screen navigation in the centre
Accessible counter and entries
Space to move around
Access to relevant information
Still to come…
• Staff training on how to talk to people of all abilities
• Ongoing improvement
• Adding to the knowledge base of staff and volunteers
• Cultural Training
Case Study: Nowra VIS
Ideas? Marketing
To be considered…
Case Study: Marketing
• Partnered with It’s Heaven and audited facilities to provide additional information
for mixed abilities
• Search terms on websites
• Accessibility standards for websites (WCAG 2.0)
• Commissioned a photographer for professional images featuring mixed abilities to
be integrated in all marketing
• Integrated information for people with all abilities in all brochures and publications
eg visitors guide
• Changed our mindset to always consider mixed abilities and how we create
information
• Auditing facilities to assess accessibility by utilising student interns (boat ramps,
accommodation)
• Creating google maps itineraries
Case Study: Marketing
Ideas? Events
To be considered…
Case Study: Events
• Require written evidence about
how ‘accessibility guests’ have
been considered from event
organisers
• Have info packs available to help
event organisers
• Require accessibility is met before
funding is committed
• Have training available for
community event groups
To be considered…
Basic human rights; toilets and food.
Where can someone sit?
Where can someone park?
Is there room to get through the doorway or
fence?
• Is there a ramp to get on stage?
• What is there for people who cant see/hear?
• Is there a space you can create to get away
from crowds?
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To be considered…
Case Study: Events
Winter Wine Festival
Communication
• Promotional information has no mention of accessibility on brochure or website. Only access info is from the
downloaded and printed wine trail brochure which has very small, difficult to read icons.
• Possible Solution - imbed accessible information in all information. Additionally prepare an “easy read” brochure
using reasonable sized font.
• Website and brochures should have contact name and phone number of someone who is knowledgeable of
access issues.
Parking
• Is accessible parking available at participating wineries? How is this information given to the public?
• Path of travel - surface, distance to cellar door
• Provide photographs of venues online so people with access issues know what to expect and make informed
choices of where best for them to visit.
Transport
• Are the hop on hop off buses accessible? If not, are Community Transport buses available.
• Include access transport in WWF downloadable timetable.
Questions?