ABTA launches new ‘Accessible and assisted travel guide’ for members

Members are encouraged to follow guidance to improve standards and unlock commercial opportunity

ABTA has launched a new ‘Accessible and assisted travel guide’ for its members to help disabled customers and companions when planning a holiday, travelling on business or visiting family and friends.

The new member guidance is the second phase of ABTA’s wider work to make travel more inclusive and complements its customer guidance and checklist which was published earlier this year.

ABTA is working closely with members, government, destinations and regulators to help improve accessible travel across the whole travel landscape, including different modes of transport and considering every touchpoint of the holiday experience.

To support members in their approach to accessibility and assisted travel, ABTA has produced this practical guidance to help them guide their customers and work with accommodation providers, cruise, transport providers and other stakeholders. The objective is to deliver holidays and travel arrangements that meet customers’ needs, whether they or someone they are travelling with, has reduced mobility, access requirements, a non-visible disability or neurodiversity.

Making travel accessible is about removing barriers to meeting this objective. These barriers can be many and may include, as examples, buildings or travel hubs without lifts, busy environments which lack quiet areas for neurodiverse people, or a lack of training for staff in understanding the accessibility needs of customers. Assisted travel is focused on providing support for customers across a range of areas, with examples including booking assistance, or support in physically moving around an airport.  

This guidance explores how members can support their customers and consider the whole experience or journey, from door-to-door, and back again, including transport, accommodation, access to facilities, resort areas and taking trips or excursions while they are away from home.

In addition, the guide provides insights on why accessibility should matter to businesses, as well as guidance to improve marketing, accessible websites and legal information and on the importance of working with suppliers throughout the supply chain to improve the entire customer experience.

For the next phase of this programme of work on accessibility ABTA is developing new guidance for suppliers in destinations, that members will be able to share with their hoteliers, transport providers and destination management companies. This guidance will also include health and safety advice for consideration as part of risk management processes.

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 for Jet2.com and Jet2holidays who collaborated with ABTA on the creation of its guidance said:

"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, every conversation is focused on creating a positive & accessible travel experience”.

The new member publication is available in the Member Zone on ABTA.com and the guidance for travellers launched earlier this year is available at Accessible travel | ABTA.

Notes to editors 

ABTA is a trade association for UK travel agents, tour operators and the wider travel industry. We’re the largest travel trade body, with over 3,500 travel brands in membership who have a combined annual UK turnover of over £41 billion. We work closely with our members to help raise and maintain standards and build a more sustainable travel industry, and provide travellers with advice, guidance and support.

Our members sign up to a code of conduct and commit to agreed service standards and fair trading. When you need clear travel information, and accurate and impartial advice relating to your trip, we’re here for you. When you book with an ABTA member, reliable advice comes as standard. This means that booking with our members brings peace of mind.

All this together means we help you travel with confidence. www.abta.com