New research carried out by the brand revealed more than half (51%) of people with disabilities find holidays stressful, and a third (36%) find them frustrating to plan and book.
As a result, Ocean Holidays unveiled the new scheme, which offers a service and resource hub dedicated to increasing accessible holidays options.
The programme covers mobility, visual and hearing impairment through to cognitive challenges with support accessibility champions in all areas of the business.
The study showed that negative experiences have impacted 65% of disabled people’s attitudes toward travelling, with 1 in 10 going as far as avoiding leisure travel due to not being confident their additional needs could be met.
The data highlighted how holiday stress for disabled people begins before they depart, with nine in 10 (90%) experiencing problems when booking a trip.
Difficulties during the booking process often include finding affordable and suitable accommodation (32%), lack of information on websites about support available (31%), staff’s lack of knowledge (26%) and hidden fees (25%).
The lack of help or facilities at the airport (33%), and getting to the airport in the first place (22%), were among the concerns disabled people felt towards travelling.
Almost half (49%) of all disabled people surveyed stated they had made a complaint relating to accessibility while on holiday, and in the case of more than two in five (43%), nothing was actioned as a result.
"These findings underline the opportunity the travel industry has to make travel a better experience for the one in five individuals with disabilities in the UK," said Harry Hastings, co-chief executive and co-founder of Ocean Holidays.
"It’s great to see niche holiday operators serving the needs of so many but we also believe that it’s time that more mainstream travel companies step up with a more inclusive approach to supporting people with disabilities, and their families."
