Travel can be difficult for people living with disabilities, but Queensland wants to change that with accessibility upgrades and awareness-raising across the state's holiday destinations.
Key points:Tourism Tropical North Queensland CEO Mark Olsen says worldwide, 2.2 billion travellers live with a disabilityAs a former editor for Lonely Planet, travel was both his job and his passion.He said accessibility is now front of mind when he books a trip.
He said on a recent trip to London, hotel staff told him a bathroom was "accessible", when in reality, it was not. Their shared passion for ocean swimming has taken them around Australia and the world, including to Fiji three times, the Philippines, Indonesia and most recently to Heron Island in Central Queensland."Accessibility for us is more than just having the space in the room or no steps — it's really about the location of those rooms in relation to the resort itself," she said.
Mark Olsen, CEO of Tourism Tropical North Queensland, said one in eight people identify as living with a disability. The decision came after he saw a video of a quadruple amputee diving, inspiring Mr Stevens to re-qualify as a disability diving instructor."We want to make sure that it's accessible and equitable for anybody with any type of disability. We look at their abilities and then we tailor a program to their needs."
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