[Chris G Veitch]

I understand what you say about the growth in any industry is measured by economic value, but the reality for government should also to be the understanding of the social impact and what wider value do you place on that if you make goods and services available more inclusively what is the benefit to individuals and businesses? You can improve the quality of life for local people as well as the enhanced experience of those visiting through improved accessibility.

For me the focus of this whole debate is around the customer experience, do we want all visitors to feel ‘wow’ that was amazing, they really know me, they understand me and they have anticipated my needs, if you don’t take into account personal accessibility requirements you fall short of the high standard of customer service and experience which can potentially be offered to everyone.

Clearly the budget allocated is very small but based on research here in the UK that money would be best directed at Staff training, the number one barrier for disabled people is the lack of welcome they receive, the second is encouraging businesses to provide better information about their offer to cover things which can make a difference for people e.g. an accessibility guide https://www.visitbritain.org/business-advice/make-your-business-accessible/create-accessibility-guide as this is a the 2nd identified barrier for disabled people, the lack of appropriate up to date information about accessibility and lastly promote low cost no cost facilities that can make a difference.

That said, to be effective clearly you would need to be able to monitor the impact of each of these initiatives, but at least you would have a simplified framework around which you could work to understand the impact and difference made through customer service from staff who are trained and better informed (this is probably the biggest element that makes a difference, improved information and facilities made available.