Accessible travel

Why every business in the visitor economy should care

When we think about the future of travel, we often focus on sustainability, new technology, or emerging destinations. But one of the most significant forces reshaping the visitor economy is already here: accessible travel.

Accessible travel isn’t just about ramps at airports or accessible bathrooms in hotels. It’s about creating journeys where people with disability, and their families, friends, and carers, can move confidently through every stage, from booking and boarding to shopping, dining, and exploring. And the numbers show it’s not just the right thing to do – it’s one of the smartest business opportunities in tourism today.

The market opportunity

In Australia, travellers with accessibility needs and their companions made more than 70 million trips in 2024, accounting for 22% of all tourism activity. Their direct spend exceeded $29.2 billion, which represents 17% of total tourism expenditure (Tourism Research Australia, 2024).

Globally, the accessible travel market is estimated to be worth more than $100 billion annually. With ageing populations and growing awareness of disability inclusion, demand for accessible experiences will only increase. Families and travelling groups often make decisions based on the needs of one member, meaning that investing in accessibility doesn’t just serve one individual, it can unlock entire customer segments.

Barriers that still exist

Despite this scale, barriers remain across the travel ecosystem:

Booking and planning: Accessibility details are often missing or hard to find on websites and booking platforms.
Staff confidence: Airline crews, hotel staff, and tour operators are not always trained to support travellers with disability, leading to inconsistent experiences.
Physical environments: Gaps in signage, step-free routes, seating, and sensory spaces create friction along the journey.
Retail and hospitality: Shops, cafes, and attractions sometimes overlook the role of accessible service in customer loyalty.

Each barrier represents not only a poor experience, but also lost revenue and reputational risk.

Examples of progress

Queensland’s year of accessible tourism

The Queensland Government launched the Year of Accessible Tourism, backed by a $12 million funding commitment to improve infrastructure, business capability, and visitor experiences. Of this, $9 million was distributed as grants to operators across the state, enabling upgrades in physical spaces, digital accessibility, and staff training.

The impact was significant:

More than 279 projects across Queensland were supported.
In Tropical North Queensland, 46 new initiatives were delivered, from an accessible rainforest canopy walkway to adaptive equipment for reef and river tours.
Businesses such as Cobbold Gorge Tours introduced all-terrain wheelchairs, modified buses, and accessible kayak launch points, while Etty Bay Cabins & Caravan Park refurbished cabins into accessible family units.

These projects show that accessibility can be embedded across diverse attractions, from adventure tourism to regional accommodation. They also prove that targeted investment delivers immediate outcomes for travellers and long-term benefits for operators.

As part of this initiative, GSA delivered Senior Leaders’ Immersive Experience workshops. These sessions gave participants the knowledge and insight to make better decisions about accessibility in their organisations. Led by team members with lived experience of disability, the workshops included simulations of workplace challenges, using wheelchairs, mobility aids, and low-vision glasses, to shift perspectives and build genuine understanding.

Melbourne Airport

Airports are another critical part of the travel chain. Melbourne Airport recently introduced permanent mobility hubs, staffed by Travellers Aid, alongside an online planning hub to help people map their journey before arrival. These initiatives reduce stress and improve predictability for travellers who might otherwise face barriers moving between car parks, check-in, and departure gates.

In addition to infrastructure, Melbourne Airport has published a series of Accessible Journey videos, created with people with lived experience. These short guides walk travellers through key touchpoints, from drop-off zones and accessible parking to check-in, security, and terminal navigation, helping people see what to expect before they travel. These videos are integrated into the Online Mobility Hub, which also includes interactive maps, sensory guides, and resources such as social stories to support a smoother, more confident journey.

As Melbourne’s Airport Assist / Mobility Hubs become a permanent feature, these visual tools ensure travellers have clarity and confidence at every stage. The design and implementation of these hubs have involved GSA in consultation, embedding lived experience into practical solutions.

Check out one of the Accessible Journey videos below or for the full series, visit the page here: Melbourne Airport Accessible Journey Videos.

This is just one part of the work that Melbourne Airport and GSA have partnered on, showing what’s possible when accessibility is treated as a business priority, not a side project.

Why businesses should act

Accessible travel delivers benefits that reach far beyond compliance:

Customer loyalty: Travellers with disability are more likely to return to businesses and destinations where they feel welcomed.
Revenue growth: Capturing part of a market worth $29.2 billion in Australia alone can directly lift bottom lines.
Reputation and brand leadership: Inclusivity builds trust and attracts positive attention from media and partners.
Strategic alignment: Accessible tourism is recognised nationally under Austrade’s Thrive 2030 strategy, creating further opportunities for alignment and funding.

Accessible travel is good for people, good for business, and good for the economy.

Practical steps for organisations

Every business in the visitor economy has a role to play. Practical actions include:

Invest in staff training: build disability confidence so teams know how to respond appropriately and respectfully.
Co-design with lived experience: engage travellers with disability to inform service and infrastructure design.
Improve accessibility of information: make sure websites, booking platforms, and customer communications are clear and transparent.
Think end-to-end: design seamless journeys from the car park to the check-in desk, from the attraction entrance to the gift shop.
Start small, scale quickly: pilot initiatives, track impact, and replicate successes across operations.

The bigger picture

Accessible travel is not an add-on or a compliance box to tick. It’s about reshaping the visitor economy so that every journey is seamless, equitable, and commercially sustainable.

At Get Skilled Access, we work with airports, airlines, councils, retailers, and tourism operators to embed accessibility into every stage of the travel experience. Whether it’s through staff training, infrastructure planning, or strategic consultation, our goal is to ensure that people with disability can just be, wherever their journey takes them.

Accessible travel is already here. The question is not if, but when your business will make it a priority, and when you’ll create the conditions for every traveller to just be.