Accessible Travel and Tourism

ABTA’s Accessible Travel and Tourism seminar will provide guidance and insights into how you can ensure your business, services and products are accessible to all. Hear from speakers across the travel supply chain on how to embrace all customer needs, and enhance customer service and revenue by doing so.

Whether physical disabilities, invisible disabilities, temporary illnesses, older age or those with partial sight loss or hearing difficulties, accessibility can mean different things to everyone. Attend this one day practical event and explore how to set and achieve accessibility standards as part of your ongoing responsible tourism strategy.

Hear from experts on topics such as your legal responsibilities, tour design inspiration, providing clear information about the accessibility of your products, inclusive customer service and marketing accessible travel. Listen to inspirational case studies from travel businesses, destinations and suppliers on how they have created exceptional accessible products and processes.

Accessible travel should be a key part of any business’ responsible tourism strategy, but also provides often untapped business opportunities and potential for a broader target market. Moderated by ABTA, this event will provide up-to-date guidance and insights into this important and continuously expanding sector.

• An update on the accessible travel market; business case, changing needs and shifting the mindset of travel companies
• Panel discussion: catering to different accessibility requirements and disabilities
• Ensure you're meeting your digital accessibility requirements across your marketing and website 
• Hear case studies from agents, operators and market leaders
• Understand the key transport and accommodation factors for accessible travel
• Improving equal access as a destination
• Marketing and selling accessible travel 
• Understanding and meeting the needs of neurodivergent travellers
• Defining your responsibilities and understanding regulation.

Moderator: Carol Rose, Head of Sustainability, ABTA

Under ABTA’s ‘Tourism for Good’ framework, Carol’s role is to deliver ABTA’s strategy for sustainable travel and tourism, across the areas of environment and climate change, destination management and local impact, human rights, and animal welfare.  Carol comes from the Fashion and Textile industry and has travelled extensively around the globe, working strategically with diverse supply chains to refine design and production techniques. Additionally, Carol was the Technical Advisor to Defra’s Sustainable Clothing Action Plan (SCAP) at WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme), delivering on the objectives for the fashion industry to reduce the carbon, water, and waste footprint of clothing on the environment. Carol has also worked as a Principal Net Zero Consultant guiding businesses to develop and implement their sustainability/net-zero strategies. Carol brings a multisectoral approach to the travel and tourism sector, where she believes the lessons learned on her journey will help to supporting ABTA Members to bring positive change to the industry. 

• Susan Deer, Director of Industry Relations, ABTA
• Ben Kirby, Chief Executive Officer, Enable Holidays
• Jon Fletcher, Chief Executive Officer, The Wheelie Good Travel Company
• Marina Snellenberg, PRM & Accessibility Manager, TUI
• Eleni Skarveli, Director, Greece National Tourism Organisation
• Hayley Collier, Safety & Risk Data Analyst, Tui and Member, Heathrow Passenger Forum
• James Sterry, South Regional Manager, Disability Snowsport UK
• Pete Bricknell, Chief Product Officer, Hassell Inclusion
• Tina Sargeant, Accessible Travel Executive and DEI Employee Network Lead, TUI
• Dean Eales, Head of Partnerships, AccessAble
• Dominique Smith, Barrister, Deka Chambers
• Fara Muneer MA IAAP, Head of Business Development, Centre for Accessible Environments 
• Claire Farley, Managing Director, 2by2 Holidays
• Anna Nelson, Chief Executive, AccessAble 
• Stephen Roby, Sales Manager - UK Leisure, Eurostar
• Danny Waine, Head of Membership, ABTA

• Understand the breadth of customers who benefit from accessible tourism
• Learn how different accessibility needs can be catered for 
• Explore the potential target market for accessible travel and how to demonstrate the business case
• Understand how to embed accessibility within your organisation and make it a mainstream aspect of your travel products and services
• Ensure the products and services you offer are accessible to all, from the first contact to the post-trip review
• Learn from best-in-class case studies from other companies offering accessible travel products
• Get inspired on how to incorporate quality and design with accessible travel products.

The event is ideal for anyone working in the travel industry including large, medium and small firms in travel and tourism. 

ABTA Member/ABTA Partner* rate – £259 plus VAT 
Non-Member rate – £399 plus VAT 

Discounts

Book three places and get 50% off the third place.
^{(This discount will be automatically applied when you book online.)}

If you are looking to book for a larger group please contact events@abta.co.uk for a bespoke discount.

Please note discounts cannot be combined.

Other information

Non-Members are welcome to attend. For information about becoming a Member click here.

View our booking terms and conditions here.

Make payment by credit or debit card. UK VAT will be applied. ABTA Members can also request an invoice.

^{*To qualify for the ABTA Member/Partner discount you must have a current ABTA Member/Partner number or your application must be in progress when the event takes place.}

Event partner

The Greek National Tourism Organisation UK & Ireland Office is responsible for the promotion of tourism in Greece. Its main mission is to develop and promote the Greek tourism product through the implementation of marketing and PR campaigns in the UK and Ireland. By participating in trade shows, exhibitions, webinars and workshops, spanning across the country, alongside organizing press and fam trips, GNTO’s goal is to increase awareness and visibility of the country's diverse tourism portfolio. Every year, the GNTO office is running joint marketing campaigns with trade partners and educating initiatives in order to keep all our partners up to date with all the relevant developments in Greece. Finally, with sustainability being a central pillar of our strategy, the GNTO UK & Ireland Office will introduce the Sustainable Greece online platform in order to give our trade partners the opportunity to learn and engage with all the Greek projects and initiatives that target the "green" traveller.

At Hassell Inclusion we're passionate about removing barriers in digital technology, making it accessible to everyone. We work with clients all over the globe to activate and embed digital accessibility into their policies, processes, and digital products (such as websites, mobile apps, and digital workplace tools), to help them meet their business and inclusion goals.

For information on sponsorship opportunities please contact Sara Dolan on 07766 517 611 or email sdolan@abta.co.uk.