Economic aspects of Accessible Tourism Svayam- Global Centre for Accessible Tourism
Sminu Jindal-Founder of Svayam Svayam - an Initiative of Sminu Jindal Charitable Trust has been working towards providing independence and dignity to people with reduced mobility. Svayam aspires to make India barrier free and provide universal access to all. Svayam has taken the lead to make the public places universally accessible and barrier free to all and focuses on Public Infrastructure, Transportation Systems & Tourism Products & Services for people with reduced mobility. 2
Tourism as a driver of economic growth Today tourism is the largest service industry in India, with a contribution of 6.23% to the national GDP and providing 8.78% of the total employment.
A Growing Demand For Tourism World Economic Forum has ranked Indian travel and tourism industry 5th in the long-term (10 year) growth Travel & Tourism is expected to be a second largest employer in the world by 2019. India ranks 9 th in terms of international tourist arrivals. Ministry of Tourism targets inflow of foreign tourists from 6.5 million to 25 million in next 10 years. 4
Tourism Statistics - Growing Demand Source: India Tourism Statistics 2013, Government of India.
Age wise break up of FTAs indicating demand for Access The proportion of FTAs aged 55 or above show an increase from 11.5% in 1996 to about 21.7% in 2013, indicating the demand of accessibility as old age mimics most disabilities: Source: Statistics from India Tourism 2011, 2013
Accessible Tourism : a significant & untapped business opportunity Globally, over 1 billion people are estimated to live with some form of disability. People with reduced mobility are becoming a growing group of consumers of travel and other leisure-oriented services. Elderly and disabled share the common need of accessibility, which currently remains unaddressed to a large extent. Access improvements not only benefit these groups but families with young children who are also becoming an important segment of the growing tourist market.
Svayam facilitated first ever research on Accessible Tourism with Govt. of India (2010) titled Problem & Prospects of Accessible Tourism in India Study brought out following Issues faced by Tourists with reduced mobility 8
9 Problems during tour booking
10 Problems at place of Stay
11 Problems at Attractions (Heritage)
Factors to influence travel plans 12
Demand for equitable access Access to leisure and holidaying is everybody s birth right. Elderly and persons with disabilities have the same motivations to travel as rest of the population. They have the wherewithal and time to enjoy leisure. FTA data reveals close to 22% travelers are age 55 and above. Barriers in access dissuades elderly and people with reduced mobility from visiting a tourist attraction a market opportunity that remained untapped.
World Demographics : Silver Innings The proportion of people over 60 years is growing faster than any other age group. World Over 1 in 10 people are over 60 years old. By 2050 the figure will be higher than 1 in 5 The increase is pegged from 673 million in 2005 to 2 billion.
Common Misconceptions Only wheelchairs users need an accessible environment! Any place can be made accessible by merely making a ramp at the entrance! Providing accessibility is an expensive affair!
Ground Reality!! Accessibility is often low on the priority list of policy makers and local authorities. Accessibility is considered as an optional requirement & not a necessity. Low awareness levels, lack of trained manpower in the field and absence of monitoring & implementation further add to the woes. Despite guidelines from Min. of Tourism, the hospitality players are yet to explore this untapped market and except for 5 star hotels & some Heritage attractions, accessibility remains a concern.
Medical Tourism & Access Indian Medical tourism sector is expected to experience an annual growth rate of 30%, making it a $2 billion industry by 2015. As medical treatment costs in the developed world balloon - with the United States leading the way - more and more Westerners are finding the prospect of international travel for medical care increasingly appealing.
Data of tourism inflow on medical tourism Confederation of Indian Industry reported that 150,000 medical tourists came to India in 2005, based on feedback from the organization's member hospitals. The number grew to 200,000 by 2008. A separate study by ASSOCHAM reported that the year 2011 saw 850,000 medical tourists in India and projected that by 2015 this number would rise to 3,200,000. Most estimates claim treatment costs in India start at around a tenth of the price of comparable treatment in America or Britain. The most popular treatments sought in India by medical tourists are alternative medicine, bone-marrow transplant, cardiac bypass, eye surgery and hip replacement. India is known in particular for heart surgery, hip resurfacing and other areas of advanced medicine. Lower treatment cost does not necessarily mean lower healthcare standards. There are 21 JCI accredited hospitals in India and growing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/medical_tourism_in_india
Two segments of Medical Tourism Medical tourism or travel for health comprises of two different segments. (1) people who travel to other countries for rejuvenation; (luxury) (2)people who travel for curative care that is not available in their country (economy) Estimated at $78.6 billion as of 2012, the sector has emerged as one of the largest sectors in India and is poised to grow at an annual rate of 15 per cent to reach about USD 158.2 billion by 2017,
Top 10 Countries of FTA in India & Medical tourism as purpose
Linkages between Medical Tourism & Accessibility People visiting for medical tourism do greatly benefit from accessibility as they need : Accessible transport/ para transport Accessible & economical stay options as they often have to stay longer for follow ups. Access in hospitals/ toilets Nearby tourist attractions, Markets do tend to loose out on this potential group.
Heritage Tourism & Access
Elderly and disabled facing difficulties in negotiating steps at Humayun s Tomb, Delhi
Daulatabad Fort, Aurangabad Sikendra Akbar s Tomb, Agra
Wheelchair users generally had to be manually lifted in absence of ramp at Taj Mahal, Agra
Inaccessible Jetty at Dal Lake, Srinagar
Lack of alternative modes of access make heritage sites difficult to reach at Ellora Caves, Aurangabad
Inaccessible ticket counter due to stepped entry Bibi ka Maqbara, Aurangabad Deeg Palace, Jaipur
Inaccessible drinking water facility Hazratbal Mosque, Srinagar
Sunk in toilets without any ramp entry at Ellora Caves, Aurangabad
Bridging the Divide at World Heritage Sites To provide equitable access in all spheres of socio-economic & cultural life, Svayam joined hands with ASI as Access Consultants to assist them in making the World Heritage Sites in India accessible to all visitors alike. Svayam undertook access audits with actively handholding the process of implementing access solutions for providing accessibility at heritage sites.
Qutub Minar in New Delhi and Fatehpur Sikri in Agra are among several World Heritage Sites that Svayam & Archaeological Survey of India have made accessible to all including the elderly and disabled.
Impact of Access Audit Taj Mahal, Agra Pre-audit scenario Post audit scenario
Impact of Access Audit - Qutub Minar, New Delhi Pre-audit scenario Post audit scenario
Impact of Access Audit Fatehpur Sikri, Agra Pre-audit scenario Post audit scenario
Impact of Access Audit- Red Fort, Delhi Pre-audit scenario Post audit scenario
Impact of Access Improvements at Qutub Minar Recent reports suggest that after the Qutub Minar was made accessible, footfall of visitors has increased substantially. For the year 2009, the revenue earned through ticket sales at the Qutub Minar stood at Rs 10.41 crore, much higher than that collected for the Red Fort (Rs 5.5 crore) and Humayun s Tomb (Rs 4.8 crore). Source: Mail Today
Awards & Recognition National Tourism Award for making Qutub Minar, Delhi accessible. National Tourism Award for making Fatehpur Sikri Group of Monuments, Agra accessible.
Potential benefits accessible tourism infrastructure Enhanced visitors experience and satisfaction. Increase in footfall and likelihood of repeat visits. Provides equality of recreation opportunities. Mainstreaming of marginalized groups/social inclusion. Economic empowerment of local population / tourism industry due to revenue generation.
Sectors that Govt. is now working on
National Flagship Campaign Accessible India Campaign 2015 by Govt. of India Covers all major sectors Institutional Physical Economic Tourism Medical Care Web access & ICT
Conclusion the way forward An accessible environment is key to inclusion. Accessibility at heritage & tourism sites allows disabled and non-disabled visitors to enjoy the experience together. Need for affirmative policies, sensitive infrastructure planning based on universal design standards, effective implementation & enforcement. Given the rising numbers of elders with sufficient disposable income & abundant time to travel places & spend on tourism services & products particularly in off season, its imperative that Industry took note of it & start aligning now in their own interests.
Svayam, works very closely with policy makers and the governments with Govt. to help India encash upon the economic opportunities that is offered by silver hair globe trotters