British Columbia Accessible Tourism Strategy

The Province of British Columbia, Tourism BC, 2010 Legacies Now, the Hotel Association of Canada along with numerous tourism partners are working to further develop accessibility throughout the province, helping make British Columbia a premier travel destination for people with disabilities.

Together, the partner organizations developed the Accessible Tourism Strategy, created to provide information for consumers who require accessibility to all types of tourism businesses.  The strategy has multiple components, including accessibility assessments of accommodation and other tourism sector businesses to determine their level of accessibility for mobility, hearing and visually impaired guests. The Accessible Tourism Strategy aims to establish British Columbia as a global leader in accessible tourism.

Two key objectives of the strategy include:

• Providing consumers with information about accessibility of accommodation that will assist in their choice to visit British Columbia and,
• Assisting tourism businesses to evaluate the opportunity to attract more customers by providing more accessible facilities to seniors, families and customers with mobility, hearing and visual impairments.

Accessibility information will be integrated into existing consumer information such as travel publications and websites, including Tourism BC’s Approved Accommodation Guide and HelloBC.com.  Tourism BC’s Visitor Centre Network and Provincial Gateway Centre’s will also participate in the assessment process, providing up to date information to consumers about the range of accessible tourism related services throughout the province.

Tourism businesses can now determine how accessible they are by participating in an accessibility assessment. A set of assessment criteria has been developed to establish a baseline of accessibility: 

• Fully accessible for mobility
• Partially accessible for mobility
• Accessible for hearing impaired
• Accessible for visually impaired

No tourism business will receive a “not accessible” rating.  Businesses who do not meet the minimum standards do not receive a rating.

Assessments have already been completed for over 500 accommodation businesses in the Lower Mainland and Whistler corridor, including all VANOC contracted accommodation businesses in Olympic venue communities. Another 800 accommodation businesses have been assessed throughout the province.  Plans are in place to have the remaining accommodation and other tourism sector businesses assessed by the end of 2009.

For more information on the Accessible Tourism Strategy, please contact Mike Prescott, Manager Accessible Tourism 2010 Legacies Now, at 778-327-5128 or mprescott@2010LegaciesNow.com.

Accessible Tourism Strategy Partners:

Tourism BC’s Wine and Food Campaign NBC Olympics Online Campaign         Nominate an Outstanding Tourism Business Today Tourism British Columbia Enhances HelloBC.com Community Tourism Foundations® Update Sport Facility Image Partnering Project SuperHost® Programs - Ambassador Workshop

For Your Information: The Honourable Bill Bennett, Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts British Columbia Wins at 2008 Condé Nast Readers’ Choice Awards British Columbia Accessible Tourism Strategy New Destination-Focused Website Highlights 2010 Experience Destination 2010 Tourism Consortium Holds Industry Forums On Spectator Accommodation Haida Heritage Centre Opens With Great Celebration Employer Guide to Hiring Foreign Workers Save the Date – 16th Annual BC Tourism Industry Conference BC Mountain Bike Tourism Symposium and a Pre-Symposium Trail Development Workshop

Tourism Research Information Tourism BC Industry Programs Travel Media Relations www.HelloBC.com For more information on the business of tourism in British Columbia, marketing research and Tourism British Columbia's programs, visit www.tourismbc.com.