Accessible travel: How big is the opportunity?

AGENTS AND ACCESSIBLE TRAVEL

ARE AGENTS CONFIDENT IN SELLING ACCESSIBLE TRAVEL?

In terms of the regularity of selling travel to clients that require assistance for physical conditions, it’s a broad picture.

Half of our respondents (51%) sell this fairly regularly at least (though only 10% say this is a frequent occurrence in their business), while 49% concede they rarely or never do so. 

Confidence in this area is strong but there is some wavering. Among those that regularly sell accessible travel, while 63% felt confident doing so for clients with a range of conditions, a third told us they only felt confident in specific circumstances. At the other end of the scale, three in 10 of those with little experience of selling accessible travel said they simply “didn’t feel confident” doing so, while six in 10 felt they needed more training and understanding.

Don't be afraid of asking direct questions

In general, our agents agree that proactively asking clients if there is a need for assistance with physical conditions is good practice – with some noting they do so as a matter of routine, and others pointing out that this is a good idea as needs may not always be obvious on sight. It seems this line of inquiry also aids confidence. Those that report being confident selling accessible travel “in most or all circumstances” were notably less likely to not ask these questions of their clients (7%) than those that felt less or not at all confident (15%).

Accessible bookings are quick to convert

Our agent respondents that regularly sell to those with a need for accessibility considerations are quick to convert enquiries into bookings, indicating they know where to research to get the right trip for their clients.

More than three quarters report the average time from enquiry to booking as being less than three months (51% say less than a month). Home-based agents were more likely to report shorter conversion periods of within three months than high street agents (81% versus 72% respectively).

Where do agents go to book accessible travel?

While our agent respondents were clear that customers' needs ultimately determines the right supplier, when asked where they tended to book in the main, more than one in five (23%) say they look to specialists in accessible travel. Elsewhere, 42% tend to book with non-specialist suppliers, but were clear they had to be in direct contact to arrange special assistance, while 30% look to suppliers that also have options to hand. A handful say they prefer to dynamically package accessible travel-led holidays themselves.

Top three reasons for confidence in suppliers
No additional fees being imposed: 75%	Assistance offered in destination: 73%	Previous experience with supplier: 70%

Agents tend to feel more confident in booking accessible travel where the focus is on customer inclusivity, with those that don't impose additional charges or offer assistance in destination instilling the highest levels of reassurance. 

That said, a significant proportion also look to suppliers that have the systems and communication processes in place to work with agents to book. A great communications or aftersales portal is a confidence booster for 68% of agents, while suppliers that directly advertise options to cater for assistance or accessible travel is a pull for nearly two-thirds of respondents. Such high proportions across these various options highlight the many considerations agents look for to ensure a seamless booking, and the support they place on supplier partners to help them get this right.

This isn't surprising when agents across our survey revealed a desire for more training, more information and more options, regardless of whether they sold accessible travel on a regular basis or not.

Take to the beach or the seas for an easy booking  

When it comes to the types of holidays agents find it easiest to book when it comes to accessible travel, there are clear winners. More than eight in 10 rated beach holidays or ocean cruise as at least quite easy to book for clients requiring assistance or support for accessible travel. When it came to rating a sector as “very easy”, ocean cruise topped the ranks, with 38% considering this very easy, compared with 30% citing beach holidays as very easy to book. River cruise made up the last podium position for ease, though noticeably behind our top two placers according to our respondents. 

At the other end of the scale, adventure holidays and ski and snow were both considered the most difficult to book for accessible travel needs, and the least likely for agents to book at all – though these are sectors agents are perhaps less likely to book on a regular basis generally.  

Outside of the holiday types considered the most easy or difficult to book, we also asked agents which areas of the booking were most hassle-free and which were more thorny. Perhaps surprisingly, air travel topped the list for ease, cited by nearly nine in 10 respondents as being quite easy or very easy to book for clients, while excursions proved the trickiest of areas, with nearly two thirds of agents citing these as quite difficult or very difficult to book. 

Hotel bookings were easier to accommodate for accessible travel needs than other types of accommodation and though agents independently commented that rail travel is getting easier to book, partly owing to availability in the sector, it is still ranked less easy to book from the perspective of accessible travel than air. Just over four in 10 (44%) of agents that booked accessible travel told us rail was quite or very easy to book.

Where do agents experience problems? 

One fifth of agents that regularly sell accessible travel also reported regularly experiencing problems doing so. The main sticking points tended to be for accommodation, flying (both onboard and at the airport) and booking excursions. Slightly reassuringly, more than half of those reported such issues as being handled at least “reasonably well”, though there remains room for improvement, with a quarter reporting such issues as being handled “very poorly”.  

 

And finally...information overload is desired when it comes to accessible travel

There is definitely an appetite for doing so more often - but there is also a feeling that agents – regardless of their experience – need access to more training and relationship development with suppliers to feel confident/competent in this area. Among those that told us they rarely or never sell accessible travel:

• 91% said more training in this area would help them sell more accessible travel;
• 96% asked for more information from their main supplier partners about what was on offer; and
• 88% wanted to develop stronger relationships with specialist suppliers.

Themes included a lack of clear information upfront about what is available to clients with accessible travel needs from suppliers. One agent commented that it was “like a secret code”.

More experienced agents are also questioning the meaning of the term ‘accessible travel’, with acknowledgements that these needs are not always obvious. There were mentions of being afraid to ask “the wrong questions”. Making information available for accessible travel as “standard” at the point of enquiry or booking – rather than an extra having to be asked for was a common request.

As one respondent elegantly puts it: “Ultimately, accessibility should be treated with the same attention to detail as luxury or sustainability – not as an afterthought.”