The villa holiday specialist launched its accessible programme in November 2022 to tailor customers’ holidays to Florida. The move, according to Ocean Florida, has since generated more than £8 million in sales.
Recent data shows that one in five people are living with a disability in the UK. The company, part of Ocean Holidays Group, recently carried out a survey which revealed more than half of respondents with a disability associate going on holiday with stress, while 36% link travel to frustration.
To help reduce disabled travellers’ stress, customers have access to trained specialists at the Ocean Holidays Group brand, who can tailor their trip to suit their individual needs.
Customers can book accommodation, travel and attraction itineraries best suited to them.
In addition, customers are now assigned a dedicated accessibility coordinator, who will reach out four to six weeks before departure, to ensure “a smooth journey”, Ocean Florida said.
Lindsey Brumby, accessibility co-ordinator at Ocean Florida, said: “As someone with a disability myself, I’m personally really proud of this initiative.
“Not only does it help all customers have the holiday of their dreams, it also puts the customer in complete control.”
She added: “This is particularly important because everyone’s experience with disability is different and unique to them, and everyone should be able to build a holiday specifically designed to them and their needs.”
Director of product and commercial at Ocean Florida, Anna-Maria Janssen, added: “We are thrilled to say we’ve helped over 3,500 people with unique requirements to book their dream holiday in the first year. We truly believe everyone deserves to travel comfortably and without stress, no matter what.”
She added that it was “crucial” for travel agents to “not be fearful of accessible bookings”.
“We invested in training our accessibility champions to ensure they have the skills necessary to give all customers the best experience possible,” she said.
“We’re thrilled with the success of this programme so far, and will continue to learn and develop the initiative as we help more and more customers book their dream Florida holiday.”
