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Early Bird registration for the Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Conference in Australia is now open, aiming to enhance the $13.5 billion accessible tourism industry.
Early Bird registration is now open for the Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Conference (AITCAP) – Australia’s premier event dedicated to the accessible tourism sector. This year at Melbourne’s Convention and Exhibition Centre, AITCAP provides the tourism and leisure industry with the knowledge, skills and valuable connections to improve business leadership on accessible and inclusive tourism in Australia, a $13.5 billion and growing tourism industry*.
Now in its fourth year, AITCAP is an annual event organised and delivered by GetAboutAble – an Australian social enterprise founded by Dr Yasmine Gray, focused on supporting travel and leisure businesses to improve their access and inclusion for people with disability.
Currently in Australia, around 18% of the population (or 4.4 million people) have a disability. An additional 22% (or 5.5 million) have a long-term health condition (Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, ‘People with Disability in Australia’ web report, last updated 5 July 2022).
Accessibility not only affects those with a disability, though also the growing ageing population and families who may make use of items like prams and strollers and require ease of access at tourism and leisure facilities.
AITCAP provides the opportunity for attendees to hear from a line-up of experts in this space and businesses who are leading the way within a largely developing industry, and to form valuable connections with those that are putting accessibility on their business agenda. Supporting this year’s event are key event partners including The Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC), the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre as this year’s venue, and City of Melbourne.
Yasmine Gray, GetAboutAble’s founder and AITCAP creator, says: “The accessible and inclusive tourism market is both far bigger and easier to attract than many imagine. With the industry looking at ways to attract new income streams into the future, I urge everybody to consider the simple fact that 20% of people travel with some form of disability.”
“AITCAP was first introduced in 2021 to address the needs of our accessible population, and to empower tourism operators with the knowledge and skills on making their businesses more accessible and inclusive now and into the future. With 1 in 5 people having some form of accessibility need, it’s an opportunity for businesses to address that market and tap into its powerful tourism dollar.”
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
