Two thirds of UK families with accessibility requirements fear they can't travel this summer

67% identified the booking process as a major barrier

New research has revealed that two thirds of families with someone who has accessibility requirements fear that they will not go on a summer holiday abroad due to accessibility concerns. 

The study, commissioned by Transreport, of people in the UK with an accessibility need themselves or within their family, found that 64% said they may not travel abroad this summer. Nearly half (42%) reported avoiding travelling abroad over the past year due to accessibility concerns across airports, airlines, and hotels.

According to The Purple Pound, 20% of the UK population have an accessibility need, while Transreport’s research suggests 42% of these people have not travelled abroad in the last year due to accessibility concerns. 

With UK families taking an average of 1.7 holidays per year at an average cost of £4,692 – this puts a staggering projected loss to the global travel economy at over £45 billion a year from UK consumers due to inadequate accessibility.

The findings indicate a travel crisis impacting millions, with nearly half (47%) of Disabled people opting to stay at home this summer – not because of choice, but because of accessibility concerns around air travel, transport links, and accommodation abroad. 

Of those surveyed, 58% said the main reason for not going on holiday abroad this summer was because rooms with accessibility provisions remain too expensive, with 52% stating that they cannot rely on transport links at their destination.

Data suggests this has led to an emotional strain on Disabled people and their families when planning their summer holidays, with over half (52%) of respondents stating that travelling abroad is simply too stressful.

A key theme emerging from the data was the consensus that booking travel for people with accessibility requirements – from flights to transport to hotels - remains challenging. 

Over two thirds (67%) of respondents identified the booking process as a major barrier to their travel plans.

Additionally, over half (52%) of respondents said that finding hotels with adequate accessibility provisions is a challenge when trying to book a holiday. 

This underlines the need for a single source of truth when it comes to accessibility information, to provide a more seamless booking experience.

Research indicates disabled passengers and their families do not feel adequately supported, with 40% of those surveyed having avoided flying over the past year.

Over half (56%) agreed that airlines are not well-equipped to support disabled passengers, while a further 58% agreed that international airports are not equipped to do so. 

Long delays at the airport remain a significant problem for people and/or families with accessibility requirements. 51% of survey respondents cited this as their main concern when travelling abroad.

This underscores the findings from Transreport’s recently published aviation whitepaper, which found that 48% of Disabled passengers had to wait for over 30 minutes for assistance when disembarking from an aircraft, and almost 1 in 5 (17%) said they often wait for over an hour. 

Concerns over finding adequate accommodation continue to limit travel plans for Disabled people and their families, with almost half (47%) of respondents reporting that they have avoided staying in a hotel over the past 12 months due to accessibility concerns. 

Over half of respondents (52%) said that finding accommodation with adequate accessibility is too difficult and 54% do not believe that hotels are properly equipped.

Jay Shen, CEO of Transreport, said: “These findings underline the real-world challenges people with access needs experience when travelling. As the summer holidays begin, we need to remember that these challenges begin for many before they even leave home. 

"This includes additional planning and admin to ensure that assistance and accommodations are in place... action across the board is needed to drive lasting, meaningful change and ensure that everyone is able to travel safely and confidently no matter their destination.”