Disability Travel Survey Identifies
Most Popular American CitiesImagine
flying to Hawaii for the vacation of your dreams, taking
a moment to view the gorgeous Pacific waters and realizing,
unfortunately, that although you can see the water a
mere few hundred feet from you, you'd might as well
be miles away. This is the result of two inopportune
ideas: steps and wheelchairs.
Disabilities hinder the nomadic traveler instinct of
many. So, where do adults with disabilities commonly
travel for leisure or business within the continental
US? Until the recent study of U.S. adults with disabilities,
conducted by Harris Interactive for the Open Doors Organization
(ODO), there was really no answer to this key question.
Now American cities can gauge how popular they are among
this quickly growing travel segment, and make arrangements
to be sure that the city is at it's peak for disabled
travelers.
American
cities most traveled to by adults with disabilities:
New York City - 47%
Washington, DC - 45%
Chicago - 44%
Orlando, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles all tied at 42 percent
for fourth most traveled city by disabled adults. Rounding
out the top ten destinations, in order, were San Francisco,
Atlanta, Dallas, and San Diego.
General findings from this study, released in conjunction
with the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA),
not only identified which cities these travelers have
visited, but also explored their patterns of hotel,
restaurant and transportation use.
But are American cities in general doing enough to ensure
that this group of visitors also has a great travel
experience? "Often only a few minor steps can make
a city more attractive to first-time visitors with disabilities
and encourage repeat visits. Adapted transportation
continues to be an issue, getting to and from the airport
or just visiting local attractions. Having a website
that is both accessible in itself and has accessibility
information is another key component to serving this
market," says ODO Executive Director, Eric Lipp.
The survey, the second of two undertaken by ODO, was
carried out in response to the growing population of
adults with disabilities. It was conducted online and
by telephone among a national sample of 1,373 U.S. adults
with disabilities aged 18 or over.
Based in Chicago, ODO was delighted with the city's
third-place finish. "We are making great strides
in making Chicago one of the most accessible cities
in the nation," said Karen Tamley, Commissioner
of the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities.
"From popular tourist attractions such as the Lakefront
Festivals and Millennium Park to our 100% accessible
bus fleet, we believe Chicago offers a wide range of
accessible options for residents and visitors with disabilities,
making it one of the nation's top destinations."
For
mobility impaired traveler tips and advice, click here.
Read RTM's "Room
for Everyone: Diversity Travel"
(Source: ODO)
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