Barrier-free tourism for all: the need for know-how

The economic significance of barrier-free tourism is on the increase however the awareness of the needs of elderly and disable people is frequently lacking. The potential market represented by travellers whose mobility is restricted has, in the past, been seriously neglected.

The German National Coordination Office for Tourism for All (NatKo) was created in 1999 to combine and coordinate the activities of a variety of self-help organisations working towards this end and thus help to improve travel facilities for disable people. NatKo is the central representative body for barrier-free tourism in Germany.

In 2003 the Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour (BMWA) in Germany made a study to check the importance of training to be able to meet the needs and wishes of this target group. This study showed that the potential market of disable people must be fast considerable. In Germany there are 6.7 million people who are registered as severely disable, representing more exactly 8.1% of the population. Half of them are over 65 years of age and the proportion of elderly people is on the rise, doing that in a few years the overall proportion people with restricted mobility will become between 30 and 35%.

The results of the study on travel and tourism showed clearly that the market offers hugest lacks on the services to people whose mobility is restricted:
(a) the proportion of such people travelling is lower than in the case of those mobility is not restricted – 54.3% against 75.3%;
(b) travel is largely undertaken regardless of season;
(c) the proportion of tours within Germany is high at 41.2% compared with 30.5% outside Germany;
(d) 37% of those questioned has already abandoned plans to travel because of a lack of barrier-free facilities;
(e) 48% would travel more often if the available offers were more plentiful.
(f) This study also made various recommendations – one important was the creation of a nation-wide training programme for those working in travel and tourism.

Currently net sales of holidays in this target group has real potential for growth of EUR 620 to EUR 1930 million, that, according to the BMWA, could mean up to 90 000 new full-time jobs.

One of the chief areas of NatKo was ensure that employees in a barrier-free tourism industry are professionally qualified. For this it has designed a training programme with training material prepared between people who work in tourism and representatives of organisations of disable people. This training material, highly practice-related with no essential aspects omitted, is focus on four groups of people with restricted mobility:
(a) people with walking difficulties and those who are confined to wheelchairs;
(b) the blind and visually handicapped;
(c) the deaf and those with impaired hearing;
(d) people with understanding difficulties.

Elderly people often come into these categories with difficulties in walking, seeing, hearing or understanding and therefore also need the benefits of barrier-free tourism.

A considerable amount of training on barrier-free tourism is being carried out in Germany. A number of tourism organizations run training courses:
· Lower Saxony has run a whole series in its various regions;
· Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has made the subject part of a training campaign;
· Rhine Hesse is actively working towards barrier-free tourism, offers training to all those employed in tourism in the region;
· The State of Brandenburg has a comprehensive programme of training.

All those taking part have understood that know-how is one key to success in barrier-free tourism for all.

Health tourism and trends

Ways to travel are varied in length, comfort and conditions – and also holiday types.  With a view to travelling as a “healthy” market, it is a growing one all over the world.

For the vast majority of tourists doing health holidays good food and a natural environment are most important. Furthermore areas for sports like swimming and consultancies by doctors and qualified staff are essential.  In addition to that rehabilitation stays have a very strong focus on medical competence. Consumers book various packages, treatments, massages etc.  and stay for at least 2 weeks. The idea of fitness holiday means a high level of doing sports while vacations. People preferring a quieter life, could look after a wellness stay. Health farms and spa hotels offer a wide range of treatments. This kind of holiday has similarity to a cure, but medical care and sports are marginal.

Travelers expect a comprehensive package of services like healthy food, comfortable accommodation, qualified healthcare, nice environment, well-developed infrastructure, clear communication, entertainment etc. 

Competition is very strong, that’s why companies have to monitor and review their service quality regularly. To consult guests and patients is a necessary way to improve the services and products constantly. Otherwise there is no way to maintain a good position in the market.

German health and wellness tourism targets Middle East

The Middle East is one of the largest potential source markets of patients due to the high costs of healthcare and limited facilities in some states. Some trade estimates suggest that one in five global medical tourists and a significant percentage of health and wellness travellers are from Gulf and Arab states. Patients from UAE alone account for $2bn in healthcare travel on an annual basis. As a result, many countries are targeting the region.

Germany has long been a popular destination for those from the Middle East. Brenner’s Park-Hotel & Spa, in the Black Forest in Baden-Baden, offers a natural medical spa experience as part of the Oetker Hotel Collection - a European luxury hotel group. Brenner's Park is a luxurious hotel and medical spa where specialist doctors offer advanced diagnostic techniques in aesthetic dentistry, dermatology, naturopathic detoxification and elimination therapy, in addition to nutrition coaching, weight-loss programmes and beauty packages. Samir Daqqaq of Oetker Hotel Collection explains,
"The Middle East is one of the most important markets for us. Over the past few years, there has been a rapid increase in the number of GCC tourists to Germany.” Hans-Peter Veit, at Brenner's Park-Hotel & Spa, adds, "We are happy to invite Middle East tourists to enjoy the world-renowned natural and holistic medical care on offer at Brenner's - a hotel with an international reputation for over 135 years that has been a medical spa for over 25 years. We guarantee a unique experience for our guests - healthcare for the body, mind and soul and a medical spa like no other. With 20 treatment rooms and customized spa programs, our guests enjoy a comprehensive therapeutic care in comfort."

Statistics by the German Federal Statistics Office show that the number of overnight stays by GCC nationals in Germany during the first five months of 2010 was 243,759 nights - an increase of 16.4% compared to the same period in 2009. When compared to the same period in 2008, the number of GCC visitors to Germany rose by 30.3% - among the highest from any region in the world, making Germany the preferred destination for travellers and medical tourists from Gulf states.

Health and wellness holidays are one of the main marketing themes for Germany in 2011. The campaign features three key themes: spas/health resorts, wellness/beauty hotels and medical tourism, showcasing the modern and cutting-edge medical facilities, luxury hotels, spas and spa-towns. More than 400,000 tourists already visit Germany for health-oriented vacations, as do 70,000 medical tourists, and these numbers are growing. The German National Tourist Office markets “Wellness &Beauty” with a cross-media concept that centres on hotels and is supported by the independent hotel sector and wellness tourism brands.

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A beautiful landscape is not enough to become a Health and Well-being destination!

WelDest Health and Well-Being in Tourism Destination ask for the components of what makes a region a health and well-being region. Team in 5 countries are working together to answer these questions.

You'll find the whole article here: http://www.spacamp.net/2013/09/was-macht-gesundheitsdestination-aus-weldest/

or at the website of the FH JOANNEUM University of Applied Science: http://www.fh-joanneum.at/gmt

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RELAXATION FROM NATURE, SAUNA AND POOLS

Finland is a sparsely populated country with 5.5 million inhabitants. Around 65 per cent of Finland's total land area is covered by forest and 10 per cent by lakes. The on-going WelDest consumer research in Finland has got 2,177 respondents so far. Almost 80% of the respondents are female aged between 40 and 60 years.

According to preliminary results, the most important factors which influenced the latest choice of a health and well-being destination of the Finnish respondents were in order of importance: possibility to relax, opportunities for outdoor and indoor sport activities, spa treatments available, nature, and nice scenery. Sauna and pool offerings are also highly valued.  When choosing a health and well-being destination, the Finns seem to rely on their earlier positive experiences in a destination. The Internet is the second most important source affecting the choice of a health and well-being destination.

The Finns seem to take nature almost for granted. The WelDest survey in Finland didn’t have any foreign respondents, but according to earlier tourism surveys conducted for foreign tourists in Finland, nature is the most important pull factor of the country. Forests seem to be an immense source of health, which could be productised to larger extent in Finland. According to research carried out in Finland, Japan and the Netherlands, e.g. green surroundings, silence of the forest, hiking and other activities in the nature have several positive effects on health including recovering from stress, positive effects on blood pressure, pulse rate as well as immune functions.

If you want to dig deeper in the preventive health-related effects of nature and forest, you can read the scientific article Nature Therapy and Preventive Medicine  (link)