ABTA has unveiled a new Accessible and Assisted Travel Guide for its members, providing practical advice to help travel businesses better support disabled customers and their companions throughout every stage of their journey.
The new publication is the second phase of ABTA’s wider accessibility programme and builds on the consumer-facing guidance and travel checklist launched earlier this year. It is designed to help travel companies improve the planning, booking and delivery of holidays, business trips and visits to family and friends for customers with a wide range of accessibility needs.
The guide encourages members to take a door-to-door approach to accessible travel, covering everything from transport and accommodation to excursions, resort facilities and customer service. It also offers guidance on working with hotels, cruise operators, transport providers and other suppliers to ensure travel arrangements meet the needs of people with reduced mobility, non-visible disabilities, neurodiverse conditions and other access requirements.
ABTA said the initiative forms part of its ongoing collaboration with members, government, destinations and regulators to improve accessibility across the travel sector and remove barriers that can prevent people from travelling with confidence. Examples include improving physical access at transport hubs and accommodation, creating quieter spaces for neurodiverse travellers and ensuring staff receive appropriate accessibility training.
Alongside operational guidance, the publication highlights the commercial benefits of investing in accessible travel, with advice on inclusive marketing, accessible websites, legal responsibilities and building stronger partnerships across the travel supply chain to improve the customer experience.
Looking ahead, ABTA is developing additional guidance for suppliers in destinations, including hotels, transport providers and destination management companies. The new resource will also feature health and safety advice to support risk management and accessible service delivery.
Susan Deer, Director of Industry Relations at ABTA – The Travel Association, said: “We want everyone to be able to travel with confidence, and making travel accessible for all is not only the right thing to do, and a matter of legal compliance, it also makes strong business sense. It can create new commercial opportunities, encourage recommendations, and increase repeat business.
“Clear information and informed conversations can make a real difference to how trips are created, booked and experienced. This new guide is designed to support members, providing practical advice to give them the confidence to deliver great customer service at every stage of the journey.”
Steve Wilson, Accessibility & Assisted Travel Manager at Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, who collaborated with ABTA on the guidance, added: “Accessibility is not about doing something extra for a few people, it’s about ensuring everyone has the same opportunity to travel with confidence, independence, and dignity. By removing barriers and listening to the voices of those with lived experience, we create journeys that are truly inclusive.
“The new guidance from ABTA will support members by ensuring every interaction and every conversation is focused on creating a positive and accessible travel experience.”
The new Accessible and Assisted Travel Guide is available to ABTA members via the association’s Member Zone, while the consumer-facing accessible travel guidance remains available on the ABTA website.
Earlier this year, ABTA released accessibility guidance for travellers.
