We want disabled travellers!!

At Disabled Travel Guide (www.disabledtravelguide.co.uk), we work hard to keep up to date with any news that affects disabled travellers.

Last week, the Philippines said it would court disabled tourists by offering discounts on fares, hotels, and leisure establishments to a potentially huge and under-served market segment..............US!

The government called on tourism businesses to apply a 20 percent discount, already guaranteed by law to disabled Filipinos, to all visitors with disabilities, that would cover accommodation, admission to amusement venues, and transportation for those with disabilities.

"The trend is not to have separate services for PWDs, but for full integration in our hospitality industry," the Filipino Tourism Secretary said.

"This entails making our products suitable for persons with particular needs so that they may enjoy travel equally with everyone else."

President Benigno Aquino has singled out tourism as a key driver of economic growth.

But the Philippines lags many of its Asian neighbours even though arrivals surged 16.68 percent to an all-time high 3.52 million visitors last year.

Lim had said poor facilities particularly in transportation and too few hotel beds, as well as bad press and isolated security problems, were key hurdles.

The statement quoted a Filipino expert as saying moving into "barrier-free" tourism would open up many of the tropical southeast Asian nation's main draws to the disabled who make up about 10 percent of the world's population.

It said the government was committed to reducing their transportation constraints by making toilets, bathrooms and doors easier to use for the wheelchair-bound, and putting up ramps, handrails, and non-skid floors.

Tourism Undersecretary Maria Victoria Jasmin said the government was offering incentives to tourism establishments that renovate their facilities to make them more friendly to the disabled.

"The time is right to commence more concerted action on this issue," she said in the statement.

Ticket to the Philippines anybody :)

If you have any personal experience of the Philippines, or any other destination, please tell us all about it at www.disabledtravelguide.co.uk

Up in the USAir

Welcome back to Access All Areas, the weekly blog for Disabled Travel Guide (www.disabledtravelguide.co.uk).


This week, because I'm busy planning a trip to Las Vegas, San Francisco, and a coast to coast rail journey from California to New York, I've been reminding myself of different American laws and regulations that affect disabled visitors and travellers.
One issue that doesn't affect my own travel, but that I was sure would be of interest to some of our regular readers, are the laws pertaining to service animals when flying to, and within, the US.
It’s important to note, that the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) covers air travel on US-based airlines, as well as on foreign carriers on flights to and from the US. 

And so........with that in mind, here’s a quick ovrview about your rights and obligations under the 2008 revision of the ACAA — as they pertain to flying with a service animal.

• Under the ACAA, US airlines must allow service animals to accompany any qualified person with a disability on board the aircraft. This does not include service animals in training who are traveling with a non-disabled person; although some airlines may allow this exception.

• No advance notice is needed to travel with a service animal, unless the flight is expected to be longer than eight hours.

• People who travel with a service animal are entitled to bulkhead seating if they desire, however they are not required to sit in the bulkhead section.

• The service animal must not obstruct the aisle or any other area that is required by FAA safety rules to remain unobstructed. If the service animal cannot be accommodated at the original seat, the airline must allow the passenger to move to another seat where the animal can be accommodated.

• Airlines cannot charge damage fees, deposits or surcharges to people traveling with a service animal; unless those same fees apply to other passengers.

• Under the ACAA, US carriers are responsible for working with local airports to provide relief areas for service animals. Foreign carriers are only required to provide relief areas in terminal facilities for flights to or from the US.

• Airlines can require documentation that a service animal will not need to relieve itself on flights over eight hours, or that it can relieve itself in a way that will not create a health or sanitation issue.

• US airlines are not required to accept unusual or exotic service animals such as miniature horses, pigs or monkeys, if they determine that they are too large or heavy to be safely carried in the cabin, or if they would pose a direct threat to the safety of the other passengers.

• US airlines are never required to accept snakes, other reptiles, ferrets, rodents or spiders as service animals.

• Foreign air carriers are only required to accept dogs as service animals, and that only applies to flights to and from the US.

• US air carriers are required to carry an emotional support or psychiatric service animal if the passenger presents the required documentation. This includes a letter from a mental health professional stating that the passenger has a mental health-related disability. The letter must be less than one year old, and be from a mental health professional who is currently treating the passenger.

• You must give US airlines, 48 hours advance notice if you intend to travel with an emotional support animal.

• Foreign airlines are not required to carry emotional support animals.

• Last but certainly not least, remember that some countries impose strict quarantines on incoming animals, and many of these quarantines do not exclude service animals. Be sure to inquire in advance about any restrictions, so you have the required paperwork for importing an animal at your destination.

Have a great flight!!

Room at the Inn?

I was thinking about what to focus on in this weeks blog and..............between cups of coffee...........back to back episodes of Judge Judy..........and playing with Waggy Maggie (my 7 month old Tibetan Terrier - sooo cute :)...I'll be honest, I couldn't think of a focus.
Thankfully an interesting e mail landed in the inbox at Disabled Travel Guide that started me thinking.
The e mail was describing a new Spanish project that aims to provided accessible holiday accommodation along side a number of assisted living apartments, and a fully equipped hospital facility. All in the warmth of the beautiful Spanish sunshine.
Firstly, I should point out that this 'complex' has not yet been built, and is at the very early stages of development (no doubt when the facility is completed, the lovely staff at Disabled Travel Guide will do some detailed fact finding, and post the details on www.disabledtravelguide.co.uk).
Secondly, I should also point out that I'm not a great fan of specialised accommodation.  I'm well aware that there are some fabulous providers out there, but having lived with a condition since 1999, and relying on crutches and a wheelchair, I believe that there are some very simple solutions that allow those of us have basic     mobility issues or disabilities to enjoy mainstream accommodation alongside our 'able bodied' counterparts, rather than tucking us away neatly so that we aren't an inconvenience to anyone.
Personally, I think that consideration and equality should not be at the cost of inclusion.
The e mail about the development started me thinking about different forms of holiday accommodation; hotels, bed and breakfast, apartments, and house rentals.
I have some great experience of house rentals, and usually spend at least one or two weeks in a house or cottage every summer.  Many people offering these house rentals clearly advertise that their property is 'disabled friendly' or 'easy access'.  At the very least, details regarding downstairs bathrooms and ground floor bedrooms are readily available, even if the property is not specifically marketed as disabled friendly.
That's prety good I think; being able to find out quickly and easily whether a particular property is suitable.
A quick search will bring back the information that there are many many villas that are also advertised along with details about accessibility.
And so........to the point.
Most house rentals are owned by individuals who have one or two properties that they rent out privately or through a suitable agent.  The owners of overseas villas are often very similar, owning a holiday villa, enjoying 4 - 6 weeks themselves throughout the year, and renting the villa out for the remainder. These businesses are not always huge multi million pound enterprises, but they often provide a well considered amount of disabled related information.
In comparison, large hotel companies often forget that basic information about parking, access, ground floor rooms and bathing facilities are actually quite important to disabled, elderly or infirm guests.  Don't get me wrong, I'm as interested as the next person in the beautifully manicured gardens, the approximate distance to the 'just around the corner' historic attraction, or the soft furnishings provided by the trendy TV designer but come on guys............I want to know I can get in the building first!!
Of course, it would cost a small fortune for the companies themselves to include an extra paragraph in their brochure, or to add a page to their website explaining accessibility and disabled suitable facilities (if you didn't already realise.........that was sarcasm!), and what with some larger companies turning over tens of millions of pounds in revenue, and paying industry professionals high end salaries to effectively market their hotel chains, it starts to feel like the only reason why the information isn't already openly available is because the people calling the shots, either don't WANT to provide the information, or simply can't be bothered.
Thankfully, a new scheme is encouraging all UK hotels to join up and make their disabled friendly information available.  The Blue Star Scheme (www.bluestarscheme.co:.uk) lists features such as level entry, lift facilities, and ground floor rooms, as well as providing links to a hotels own website, contact numbers, and Google map details.
The Blue Star Scheme can be accessed through the Disabled Travel Guide website (www.disabledtravelguide.co.uk) and, as their site explains:
"Every hotel in the UK is eligible to join the scheme, so if there is a hotel near you that is not making their information available, please ask them why".
Until hotels and temporary accommodation providers are required to provide disability related information, leave your reviews and expert knowledge here to help other disabled travellers find the accommodation that meets their own needs and requirements.