'Spain won't avoid the hard questions when it comes to accessibility'

For this, we led discussions with experts on accessibility from across the British and Spanish travel industries to guide our first-ever Accessibility Findings Report.

Tomorrow (13 August), we release this report for all our travel industry to read. We thank everyone that has been involved in this journey so far, especially our advisory board members, and we welcome thoughts and feedback.

’We will continue to listen’

One challenge which came up time and time again in our discussions is the fear of getting accessibility wrong.

From both a destination and private perspective, none of us want to say or do the wrong thing when it comes to implementing strategies to cater to demographics which have, historically, not received the attention they deserve. 

But instead of avoiding these hard questions, at the Spanish Tourist Office, we found that by acknowledging accessibility can be a complex topic and that we may not have all the answers ourselves, we could face the challenge head on.

We have found immense success through humbly listening to experts, consultants, and those with lived experiences of disability from the UK and Spain, and we will continue to do so.

Around a quarter (24%) of the UK population is estimated to have a disability, according to government data, and at the Spanish Tourist Office, we are eager to become the number one destination for this demographic.
 
A major next step for Spain for All is to not only continue the advisory panel, but expand it to hear even more voices. We want to hear from people with accessibility requirements not currently represented in our panel.

Fundamentally, we want to hear from as many people as possible.

TV presenter and Paralympic medallist, Ade Adepitan, is an ambassador for the Spain for All campaign.

As well as our advisory board, we have surveyed the UK general public to understand their attitudes and perceptions around Spain as an accessible destination.

Last year, we found 86% of adult British holidaymakers consider Spain to be "very" or "quite" accessible. But we know we need to do better.

’Digital accessibility can’t be understated’

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from our study so far, one we want to explore further, is the importance of understanding accessible travel from a customer’s perspective at every stage of their journey.

Digital accessibility, from ensuring booking processes are screen reader friendly for those with visual impairments to providing clear online information on accessibility services, cannot be understated. We have learnt not to default to wheelchair users when talking about accessibility.

In many ways, Spain is already making leaps in terms of accessibility, and Spain for All is just one piece of the puzzle.

San Cristobal de La Laguna in Tenerife is the EU Access City Award 2024, and has been widely praised for the adaptation of public spaces for people with disabilities, including acoustic traffic lights to guide visually impaired people.

The first EU Access City Award was also granted to the Spanish cities of Avila, Castile and Leon, back in 2011.

Meanwhile, accessible metros in major hubs like Valencia and Barcelona make these cities some of the most accessible in the world.

But we recognise significantly more needs to be done, which is why we are so excited to be continuing the Spain for All campaign.

Manuel Butler is UK director of the Spanish Tourist Office.