In News, travel

Concessionary pricing and admission for disabled visitors and / or those who are accompanying them to provide them with support can be a challenging and emotive area for the leisure and tourism industry. It is an issue that creates overlap between legal duties, commercial realities and, most importantly, the lived experiences of visitors with impairments and access needs.

From Tourism for All’s own research among tourism businesses and individuals, we know that for many visitors with impairments, particularly those who need to be accompanied by a companion to provide them with support, pricing and admission concessions are very important, making the difference between the visit being affordable and not . And while the majority feel that it is reasonable to be asked to show formal evidence of their impairment / need for support, many reflected on how having to provide evidence, explain personal circumstances or negotiate with businesses can ruin the otherwise positive experience of a day out for visitors with impairments - and in some cases even deter them altogether from travelling and having days out.

Matters are not helped by inconsistency in the types of evidence that venues ask for – one respondent in our research said “I don’t mind showing evidence, but it’s frustrating that venues all ask for different types of evidence” – or the differing perceptions of what the legal position is on pricing and admission concessions for disabled visitors and those who are accompanying them to provide them with support. While the Equality Act of 2010 outlines certain adjustments for visitors with disabilities, it does not set out any framework or regulatory guidance for disability related concessions.

At Tourism for All, we believe that embracing accessibility in tourism creates better outcomes for everyone, and we really welcome the reissue by VisitEngland of its Concessions, incentives and feedback guidance, as part of its Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Toolkit for Businesses.

Drawing on the experience and feedback of Nimbus Disability (who created The Access Card), and highlighting attractions whose policies represent good practice, the updated and reissued guidance encourages tourism and leisure businesses to consider their pricing as part of their wider accessibility objectives. Concessionary and companion pricing should be considered not as an isolated concept, but as a reasonable adjustment to make visitor experiences more equitable. The guidance advocates for inclusive pricing to be a key part of improving accessibility.

It is important to note that clear concessionary pricing and admission policies benefit not only visitors but the businesses themselves. When disabled visitors and those who are accompanying them to provide them with support feel welcome and included in tourism and leisure experiences, they will want to come back. Smoother interactions and stronger customer relationships will only boost revenue for the industry.

You can take a closer look at VisitEngland’s updated Concessions, incentives and feedback guidance here.

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