UK hospitality needs to do more for disabled and elderly guests

The UK’s tourism industry must do more to meet the needs of disabled and elderly people in the country, according to tourist body VisitBritain.

VisitBritain claims disabled people in the UK have a combined spending power of £50b, while over 65s traditionally take an additional 10 overnight holiday trips a year.

Together these lucrative, and largely untapped areas of the market, consist of 20 million consumers.

In a bid to address this VisitBritain has produced a guide - Britain’s accessible places to stay - for those with sensory or mobility impairments, which lists all the quality-assessed properties in the UK.

Tom Wright, the tourist body’s chief executive, said: “We know at least 2.5 million disabled people travel regularly, but that many more feel unable to do so because of a lack of facilities. Accommodation providers could reap significant benefits if they adapt their business to the special requirements of the guests”.

Only 2% of known accommodation in the UK has been assessed as acceptable under the scheme and VisitBritain wants more properties to register.

Instead of a star rating, different symbols indicate that the property has been thoroughly assessed against stringent criteria.

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By Alix Young

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