• 91% of disabled people look for accessibility information before visiting somewhere new
• 58% avoid visiting a venue if it has not shared its accessibility information, assuming it is inaccessible
• 72% have found information on a venue’s website to be misleading, confusing or inaccurate (Euan’s Guide Survey 2022)

Almost 1 in 4 people in the UK have a disability - that's a lot of potential customers, and it makes good business sense to be accessible to as many people as possible.

There are a wide range of health conditions and impairments, many of which are not visible. Each person’s accessibility requirements are unique to them. As a result, giving detailed, trusted information is essential.

However, finding accurate accessibility information can often prove challenging and, ultimately, put people off staying at or visiting a venue. This puts businesses at risk of missing out on the 'Purple Pound', which represents the spending power of disabled people and their friends and family. This is worth an estimated £14.6 billion to England's tourism economy each year.

Venues require a Detailed Access Guide

Research shows that people with accessibility requirements want to view a Detailed Access Guide with factual descriptions of venue accessibility before making their final decision on where to visit.

Visit England have partnered with AccessAble to help tourism and hospitality businesses provide robust Detailed Access Guides which improve the planning experience for visitors with a wide range of accessibility requirements.

And there are discounts available for businesses in the tourism and hospitality sector to produce an accessibility guide (more details here and below).

How to get a Detailed Access Guide (and get it at a discount)

AccessAble’s user-facing website - www.accessable.co.uk - is used by 6 million+ disabled people each year. They have helped organisations publish 70,000+ Detailed Access Guides.

Tourism and hospitality businesses can use the new AccessAble portal to book and pay for an assessment with a professional surveyor that will produce a quality-assured Detailed Access Guide.

There are two types of assessments:

• On-site assessment
• Guided assessment

All guides will be published and searchable on AccessAble’s well-established website.

How to get the discount

Visit England and AccessAble are offering the following micro and small businesses the chance to book an assessment for a nominal fee of just £1 + VAT: 

• Shop or cafe - single floor or 1 to 2 rooms
• Restaurant or bar - single floor or 1 to 2 rooms
• Bed and breakfast or guest house with 1 to 3 bedrooms
• Self-catering unit with 1 to 3 bedrooms
• Visitor attraction - a single building without additional assets such as a cafe or shop, e.g. a small art gallery or museum.

If your business is eligible for the discounted price of £1 + VAT, email [email protected].

This offer is available on a first come, first served basis.

Other tourism and hospitality businesses in England are currently able to access discounts of between 50% - 75% for assessments, subject to availability.

To find out more about this great initiative and to get a Detailed Access Guide for your business, click here for all the information you'll need.

More news and information from the tourism sector

Dig into the data of the Buckinghamshire tourism sector

Read a deep-dive analysis of the local visitor economy carried out by Tomorrow's Tourism. The Buckinghamshire Visitor Economy Assets and Market Review can be found on the Buckinghamshire Economic Intelligence Observatory.

The Observatory is a treasure trove of data and analysis on all aspects of the local economy, including jobs and skills, productivity, innovation, population, and more.

VisitBritain Annual Performance Review

VisitBritain's latest annual review estimates that £32.5 billion will be spent by international visitors in the UK in 2024, up 5% on 2023, and up 14% on 2019.

Visits to the UK are forecast to be 38.7 million in 2024, up 2% on the 38 million seen in 2023, but still 5% short of 2019 levels.

Discover the numbers behind VisitBritain's work to add value to the UK's tourism industry.