As a secondary school student at Queen’s College, Yaba, I was asked by some students to volunteer to read to blind students. I agreed although I recall with embarrassment, my initial shock at being so close to so many blind people which led to my running out of the reading room. Prior to this, I had not seen a blind person before, at least not in such proximity. On reflection, I felt so bad, and apologised and volunteered to assist, I went on to read to them regularly, so they could take notes in braille for revision. I can excuse my initial behaviour as being an 11-year-old student. Yet, I look around as I engage in tourism development activities and wonder where people with disabilities are, around us and how reflective we are of the society we truly are, and how are we planning for all, including those with disabilities.
One area I still find missing in the development conversation, particularly within the hospitality, travel and tourism industry is how to make tourism more accessible to people with physical and mental disabilities. Navigating cities in West Africa, I am amazed by how little provision is made for those with physical disabilities, to go about day-to-day activities. One reason is perhaps that we tend not to see them in our typical situations. Anyone that has tried to go into a bank branch, will understand that wheelchair access is not considered, even in the security access, where for those with no disabilities, entry is already restricted. I am sure there are provisions for those who, for example, will need to use a wheelchair. The question is, how come these provisions are the exception rather than the rule?
How accessible are our airports, hotels and attractions for persons with disabilities?
Whilst working on the updated Lagos Tourism Masterplan, accessibility and inclusiveness were two guiding principles. Simply because tourism and its offerings of relaxation and restoration cannot simply be available only to a certain demographic. That is almost to say, leisure activities should be the purview of those in the middle and upper middle class alone. That cannot work, and will not contribute to a functioning tourism system, or result in sustainable tourism or even sustainable development.
Our airports, hotels, attractions and other spaces need to be accessible by all. This is the first, basic stage, accessibility. Accessibility is a simple yet powerful term with synonyms including user-friendliness, approachability and convenience. These are keywords that should guide every hospitality, travel and tourism offering. How do we make sure our spaces are truly user-friendly?
Now in terms of starting, it might be a tall order to start with all, but I would say we can start with making provision for physical disabilities, and this entails working with CSOs that are dedicated to advocating for the case of people with disabilities. Then, we will need to look at how to get the industry to also be accessible for people with disabilities to work within because diversity can only strengthen us, which is one of the fundamental goals of tourism development, a solidifying a sense of pride, sense of place, and sense of identity.
Our designs and practices must integrate people with disabilities to be truly inclusive
Therefore, for me, rethinking tourism needs to be much more than restarting tourism, it has to be about making tourism more inclusive, both for visitors and for tourism workers. It needs to be about connecting with the restorative power of tourism activity, and it needs to start with how we design our spaces. Who are we designing for?
How do we design spaces and attractions for those with visual or hearing impairments? How are we designing for those with mobility difficulties? What about those with mental disabilities and blind people?
For Red Clay, rethinking tourism needs to start with any of the below, simply because starting from one of these will connect to the others too.
- Rethinking tourism must include making tourism more inclusive and accessible for people with physical and mental disabilities.
- Rethinking tourism must show that tourism is not a luxury product. Destinations should have provisions for budget and economy travellers too.
- Rethinking tourism must have strong pathways to include the host communities at the tourism planning stage.
- Rethinking tourism requires a serious commitment to sustainability and ESG (environment, social and governance).
- Rethinking tourism requires us to keep track of how far we have come and where we need to go. We need to monitor and report the impact of development activity.
Can we think of how you/your organization can be a part of this campaign? It can be as part of your organization’s community engagement activities, or perhaps an aspect of your sustainability initiatives. There is so much to do.
If you would like to discuss any of the above further, then please connect with us at tourism@redclayadvisory.com
Adun