Word is spreading about what the Moreton Bay Region can offer the accessible travel market, with a prominent travel website (queensland.com) showcasing a range of local providers, destinations, galleries, museums, experiences and natural attractions.
It is no surprise to Spinal Life Australia Access, Advocacy and Grants Senior Advisor Dane Cross.
Dane says the Moreton Bay Region has traditionally been home to a large seniors community and “naturally gravitated towards catering to those with mobility issues and other physical factors that affect people as they age”.
“I guess in response to that, Moreton Bay Regional Council also has also developed a strong Disability Access and Inclusion Plan for the Region,” Dane says.
He says the region has also worked hard to ensure information about its accessible features is readily available on the Visit Moreton Bay Region Access for All website and a Spinal Life Australia accessible tourism review of the Moreton Bay Region last year placed a greater emphasis on how operators could tap into the market’s potential.
“One of the key messages that we, as advocates in the space, try and portray to operators is that, rather than labelling something as ‘accessible’ or ‘inaccessible’, provide clear, easy to access information about your facility, about what’s there, and allow the end-user (the customer) to decide whether it meets their level of ability,” Dane says.
“Obviously, the more accessible and/or inclusive you can be, the more people are going to be able to participate in your offering, so there’s still that impetus to want to work towards achieving better access.
“But providing information in the interim is one way of reducing the risk of complaint and/or disappointment from a customer’s point of view.”
Dane says while the region has plenty of accessible options for travellers with disabilities, operators with an ‘inclusive’ and ‘can-do’ attitude could also cater to the market.
“Some of the ‘stars’ of the region therefore aren’t going to be those that are currently completely accessible by Australian Standards but are ‘stars’ because of their attitude and awareness to say, ‘if you’re willing to try, we’re willing to accommodate or to assist, to the best of our ability, in making that happen’,” he said.
When asked to identify some of the stars, he came up with the following:
To find more accessible tourism options in the Moreton Bay Region, head to the website
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