About TFA
Tourism for All UK is a national charity dedicated to standards of world class tourism which are welcoming to all.
Tourism for All UK contains the knowledge gained over the past 30 years in providing information to the public, especially to older people and those with disabilities, on where their specific access needs can be met so that they can fully participate in travel and leisure. We receive up to 150,000 enquiries to our website or information helpline a year. We also champion the cause of accessible tourism with policy-makers in the UK and Europe. In prompting the visitor industry to cater for all needs, TFA has also developed an unrivalled knowledge and expertise to help businesses make changes that are practical and realistic.
Our latest campaign focusses on the opportunity represented by hosting the Olymics and Paralympics:
Go the Extra Mile….. for 2012!
The hosting of the Paralympics in the UK in 2012 represents the best opportunity to change attitudes to disability, once and for all, that we are ever likely to have.
It is essential that we create a warm welcome for all visitors, with or without disabilities, in 2012.
There is an unsurpassed opportunity to create a legacy of accessibility for all our citizens
Britain’s proud achievements in the Paralympics have already engaged the public’s hearts and minds. Our Paralympians have shown what it is to overcome obstacles. We need to match that spirit by ensuring that we too can GO THE EXTRA MILE to welcome the world to the UK in 2012.
The UK's commitment to action against disability discrimination, and our promise to deliver a fully accessible Games, were key elements in the success of our bid to host the Games. The price of failure would be high – and cannot be contemplated.
But to achieve success, it is not just a question of physical architecture. It is, more than anything, a matter of public attitudes and customer service. Britain is not even in the top ten nations when it comes to the quality of the welcome we give visitors. And any disabled person can recite examples of not only the help they have received when out and about, but also the unhelpfulness.
Improved customer service is something that would benefit everyone. To train staff in thinking through and solving the problems a person with a disability might face means that staff are able to put themselves ’in the shoes’ of others, disabled or not.
GO THE EXTRA MILE … for 2012 will encourage individuals and businesses who demonstrate a commitment to helpful service in the run up to 2012.
Tourism for All UK has been bridging the gaps for a number of years between disabled people and their champions, the public sector, both national and local authorities, and the hospitality industry. We co-host a Stakeholder Forum in Accessibility with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, which is working to ensure that there is a lasting legacy of accessibility that flows from 2012. Members of the Forum include EHRC, InterContinental Hotels, British Airways, BAA, the Regional Development Agencies, English Heritage, BALLPA, ALVA, VisitBritain, the RNIB, the RNID, Holidays for All and more. We are well placed to secure participation in this campaign.
The aims of GO THE EXTRA MILE … for 2012 will be to deliver on the following:
Information for all visitors which meets their access needs
Customer service that is disability-confident
Destinations that have thought through the needs of all visitors
A shift in public attitudes that buys in the enthusiasm of people young and old who are inspired by the achievements of our athletes and ready to work to make the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics the most friendly, accessible and inclusive games ever
Support our Campaign by joining Tourism for All now!
In support of “Winning: A Tourism Strategy for 2012 and beyond”
(Last Updated: 29-10-2008)