Vancouver enjoys the reputation of being one of the most accessible cities in the world for travellers with special needs. And that’s in part because, over the past few years, many of the hotels, restaurants and tourism businesses in Vancouver have embraced the 2010 Legacies Now Accessible Tourism Strategy.

“The 2010 Winter Games are a catalyst for change of the very best kind,” says Bruce Dewar, CEO of 2010 Legacies Now, a not-for-profit society that partners with organizations, businesses and governments to develop sustainable legacies in sport and recreation, healthy living, arts, literacy, volunteerism and accessibility. “We are using the 2010 Winter Games as a driver to get people thinking about how to make this one of the most accessible places in the world.”

This is more than simply a feel-good proposition. In North America alone, travellers with disabilities spend more than $13 billion each year on travel and are one of the fastest growing market opportunities in the world. In the lead up to the 2010 Winter Games, Vancouver’s tourism businesses have begun positioning themselves to tap into that market with the help of 2010 Legacies Now and its partners.

Through the Accessible Tourism Strategy, accommodations, restaurants and attractions in BC are assessed on their capacity to serve people with disabilities. Businesses that fulfill certain criteria in the accessibility assessment earn the right the right to display icons that address their wheelchair accessibility, visual accessibility and hearing accessibility.

The goal is to provide clear and consistent information to disabled travelers. Visitors to the Tourism Vancouver website can now search for accessible accommodations (which includes visual, hearing and wheelchair access). In addition, a growing number of attractions listed on Tourism Vancouver’s website, such as the Vancouver Aquarium and the Museum of Vancouver, feature accessibility icons on their listing. “The part of this project that excites me the most is how tourism has embraced it,” says Dewar. “The 2010 Winter Games are the tipping point and things will carry on from here.” According to Tourism Vancouver’s Walt Judas "Thinking about how we can meet the needs of locals and travellers with disabilities is now embedded in the way we do business."
www.2010legaciesnow.com