Accessible tourism comes to the fore
UNWTO has declared this year as the accessible travel year. According to reports, accessible tourism is a rapidly growing segment and Amadeus is pioneering this by supporting UNWTO. Svend Leirvaag, Vice President Industry Affairs, Amadeus IT Group, discus
Q Could you describe the importance of accessible tourism?
I think that we have come to realise that accessible travel and tourism is important for many reasons. Persons with disabilities or accessibility needs are an important market potential, and our research shows that almost 9 out of 10 disabled persons would travel more if the travel process was made more accessible, and the travel experience more seamless. We are convinced that travel technology will play a pivotal role in enabling this future.
The World Health Organisation states that 15 per cent of the total world population has at least one type of disability. It is also estimated that by 2050, 21.5 per cent of the world population will be 60+. Even today, seniors represent a very lucrative segment in many markets, and the ageing population will probably become an increasingly important market segment for the travel industry. What becomes important, of course, is to approach the challenge holistically – and to ensure that we consider all kinds of disabilities and accessibility needs, and how to address them in travel and tourism.
Q How can Amadeus play a role in this?
Current legislation in markets like the US and the EU obliges companies to ensure certain levels of accessibility e.g. when providing access to information for people with accessibility needs. For example, eRetail, one of our major booking engines for airlines, has been made accessible to –AA level (WCAG 2.0 universal guidelines), with 38 airlines already migrated to the new accessible solution.
This is just the beginning, and Amadeus wishes to create greater awareness within the global travel industry ecosystem about the potential value of accessible travel and tourism, as a driving force for inclusive growth. Enabling what we call “accessibility by design” can help improve the overall user experience.
We are currently working on a global research project to better understand the needs of this important and growing market segment, and how our customers are likely to respond to them. This ability to anticipate is of course key to remaining a global leader in travel technology. We will be very happy to share the findings of this research when the project finishes early next year.
Q What is the future of Global Distribution Systems?
Global Distribution Systems have played a key role in the success of e.g. Middle East airlines, giving instant access to travel buyers around the globe in a way and at a cost that would have been impossible to achieve through other means.
So as long as there is competition and choice between travel providers, travel buyers will continue to demand transparency and the ability to compare on an apple-to-apple basis, and transport providers who want their business will want to bring their product to this marketplace to be compared fairly with other competitors.
Q Will the role change for travel agents?
Driven by costs and technology, automation will continue to be a major factor, and all kinds of travel agencies will have to rethink how they shape their organisation, how they develop their value proposition, in order to remain competitive.
The travel industry is also inherently volume-incentivised, and we see how consolidation in happening everywhere. Smaller agencies are finding it more difficult to compete against big brands, and airlines and other travel providers will want to spend their time and money on travel agencies with larger volumes. So travel agents will also have to adapt to the changing times.
Enabling what we call ‘accessibility by design’ can help improve the overall user experience
Having said that, there are many opportunities out there and big is not always beautiful. Many niches and specialty segments are highly profitable. We at Amadeus are committed to continue guiding our travel agency partners helping them identify and adapt to the challenges ahead.