And 24 hours after learning of the inclusive travel boom in the State of Wisconsin what should appear but a press release about this new integration of universal design thought in Tasmania!
Early reports are that some very basic customer preferences were overlooked - such as no in-suite bathrooms but rather a shared restroom down a hallway in their hub facility.
As with all projects like this, a reliable evaluation needs floorplans, photos, and a firsthand visit by someone with a disability.
With that caveat in mind, readers of the Rolling Rains Report will recognize from the press release below that these developers have done their homework on inclusive travel.
Candy Harrington wrote on the economics of the US market following the release of the Open Doors Organization's study on the purchasing power of travelers with disabilities. To quote:
From Candy Harrington in Travel Age:
"Of course when you're talking about billions of dollars and millions of
trips, it's always a good idea to do the math. Using the ODO figures, a
simple mathematical calculation reveals that the average disabled traveler
spent approximately $429 per trip.
It's also important to note that 41% of the ODO poll respondents had an
annual income of less than $25,000. These economic figures fall in line with
a 1998 Harris disability poll (conducted for the National Organization on
Disability) which found that 34% of the respondents had an annual income of
less than $15,000.So what do these figures mean to travel agents? Travel agency owner and
disability travel specialist Connie George sheds some light on the financial
realties of working with disabled clients. "Disabled travelers aren't
necessarily rich," says Ms. George. "They aren't necessarily poor either;
but it does take more time to book a disabled client. Sometimes this
involves many additional hours of client consultation and research, and a
lot of extra long distance phone calls. Don't get me wrong, I love doing
what I'm doing, but it's not exactly easy money."
Press Release on Devil's Playground:
MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release10.30 am, Friday, May 7, 2004
TASMANIA TO LEAD THE NATION IN ‘BARRIER-FREE TOURISM’
A new tourism venture that will make Tasmania a national and international leader in catering for people with physical disabilities and mobility problems was launched in Launceston today.
The Devils Playground will create a ‘barrier free’ touring circuit of Tasmania providing self-catered accommodation and facilities for a range of visitors, but especially those with a physical disability or mobility challenge.
The brain-child of former NSW tourism developers, Kerry and Jane Winberg, The Devils Playground comprises new accommodation facilities at strategic locations around the State based on Tourism Tasmania’s touring routes.
The facilities are in Launceston, Boat Harbour, Queenstown, Westerway (near Mt Field), Oatlands and Branxholm.
Development of two other already purchased sites will further enhance The Devils Playground touring experience. Land purchased from the West Coast Council at Tullah, will be developed into a fully accessible lake-side lodge and motor home/caravan park complex while a 51ha bushland site near Nabowla, in the State’s north east, will be developed into an eco-tourism chalet park, again with a focus on full accessibility.
“The circuit allows guests, and particularly those with access and mobility problems, to tour the entire State with complete confidence that their accommodation needs are going to be fully met whereever they want travel,” Mr Winberg said.
The ‘barrier free’ concept was a first for Tasmania and possibly set an international precedent which would open up a huge new tourism market for the State, he said.
“We have been planning this project for several years now and came to Tasmania almost 12 months ago to the day to begin. We’re very excited that it’s all now starting to come to fruition.
“We researched extensively with the help of some of the country’s recognised experts in this field and can say with confidence that such a comprehensive touring holiday opportunity for people with access or mobility challenges simply does not exist anywhere else in the country.
“This is a massive group of people whose recreational and holiday needs have, until now, been almost totally ignored.
“Add the two family members and/or a support worker that statistics show typically travel with these people and you begin to see just how big this market really is.”
While catering for a wide range of interstate visitors, The Devils Playground will also cater for many Tasmanians, including:
· People with a physical disability who could only travel with the full-time help of a support worker;
· Families whose travel options were limited by a family member with a physical disability;
· Aged people with mobility problems, and;
· Rural families with disabled family members who found it difficult to visit Launceston on business or for overnight excursions.
A rare opportunity to acquire a former aged care home in the Launceston suburb of Prospect created the foundation for The Devils Playground.
The now 46-room, 120 guest facility was fully refurbished to prepare it for a new role as the central hub for the company’s state-wide tourism activities.
“To build a similar facility from scratch would be virtually impossible today, you simply couldn’t get a return on your investment, so we grabbed the opportunity with both hands when we saw it,” Mr Winberg said.
“The remainder of our facilities – with the notable exception of the Tullah and Nabowla properties – are former homes converted to provide similar standard accommodation and modified to allow complete access for our guests with access and mobility challenges.
“Every property will provide a ‘five-star backpacker’ level of accommodation and, critically, will allow all our guests to mix in all the areas of the motel – providing the type of interaction disabled people much prefer after being more used to isolation and ‘special’ treatment.”
Mr Winberg said the well-recognised features that already made Tasmania one of Australia’s most popular holiday destinations were precisely the features that would give the State a unique edge in attracting people with access or mobility problems.“The State’s compact size, variety of scenery and attractions, excellent roads and the increased interstate access offered by the ‘three Spirits’ will yet again prove to be a winning combination for this market,” he said.
“We believe that, properly developed, this new market will have a significant impact throughout the industry in this State and we’re hoping to connect with other operators who share our vision for developing it,” he said.
ENDS
MORE INFORMATION: Kerry Winberg 6343 3119 or Martin Buggy 0416 271 546.
Read a prereview in Hotels Magazine.
Posted by rollingrains at May 30, 2004 04:17 PM | TrackBack