2008-10-02

Express Travel World: Complete Access - India

Chetan Kapoor wraps up the three-article series on Inclusive Tourism for Express Travel World with Complete Access

"The sales point for hotels and brand India is Atiti Devo Bhava especially when guests are getting older. There is a need to understand this aspect and train hotel staff and make them realise that a wheelchair is part of the body (of the disabled) and that they need to observe, interact and understand their needs," said [Dr. Scott] Rains.

However, the crucial aspect missed by most planners at the designing stage is accessibility, and for [Craig] Grimes it is all about putting the person first and not their disability. He says, "I think it is probably a lack of information and culture for many. The disabled have been at home all this while and even hotels having facilities for the disabled aren't advertising enough."

Kapoor emphasizes the progress underway in India:

The travel and tourism industry is witnessing a turnaround. While on one hand there is a possibility of businesses shutting down, on the other there exists an opportunity to tap these businesses and look at newer niches in the market. While segments like adventure, women travel, gastronomy, archaeology and gay and lesbian tourism have caught up, travel for the disabled seems to be making itself heard.
The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) India Chapter organised a first of its kind seminar called 'Accessible Travel' that was held recently in the cities of New Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi and Chennai. Rajeev Kohli, its president, said, "We are hosting a series of training programmes for our members and judging by our last seminar in New Delhi where we had an audience of more than 100, including the secretary of tourism, proves the recognition this issue is getting."

For the full article:

http://expresstravelworld.com/20080831/management03.shtml

This post was originally posted by RollingRains @ Rolling Rains Report:.
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