Travel Opportunity for All
Accessible tourism
travel agency research in Japan 2012
speaker : KIJI - Japan Accessible Tourism Center, Osaka Japan

Status and Purpose
What options and services are available
for the people with disability to travel around in Japan ?

8 barrier free

43 Travel agencies
may be more ?

tour centers
local government support
inbound tourism

few actions in big companies
many small companies
outbound tourism

4 volunteer
groupscharity baseResearch

period ： February 2012

method ： mail survey
target ： 55 organizations.
21 answer ( response 38% ）* It is very disappointing no answer from big travel agencies.

business styleabout the same

2 organizations

mainly inbound7 organizations

mainly outbound12 organizations* No answer from big agencies
Japanese travel agencies do business mainly outbound.
But accessible tourism is different. Inbound tourism is also important.

tour price
low price
as possible
20%

expensivesuper care
35%

validity of care
bit high price45%

It costs high because of pre research, helper, lift bus and good hotel.
Planning a group tour with friends is one of the way to travel low pricedestination

day tourdomestic

over sea

nearbyover night

over night

Day tour is the key of accessible tourism business for travel agency.

breakdown of day tour
full mark63 points

3 point : many customers
2 point : some customers
1 point : few customers
0 point : no customers

individualgroup

package tour

breakdown of domestic
full mark63 points

3 point : many customers
2 point : some customers
1 point : few customers
0 point : no customers

individualgroup

package tour

breakdown of over sea
full mark63 points

3 point : many customers
2 point : some customers
1 point : few customers
0 point : no customers

individualgroup

package tour

Customers disability
blind
low vision
deaf
intellectual

wheelchair
physically, can walkelectric wheelchairdialysis
ielderly needing careielderly needing support
illness
mental3 point : many customers
2 point : some customers
1 point : few customers
0 point : no customers

full mark63 points

Summary
Many organizations belongs to individual workers personality.
Accessible tour need detailed support
and customized planning adapted their disabilities.

It is not suitable for Japanese travel agency business stylewhich is high volume sales low profit margin.
Another problem is the quality of accessible tour
depends on worker’s ability and personality.

company fact 1
Company needs profit to continue their business.
Most of accessible tourism agencies focus elderly person.
The business target of accessible tourism
is not person with disabilities.
The main target is for people feel difficulty in wide sense.

company fact 2
Nursing homes day tours are stable incomeof individual accessible tourism agencies.
They catch the local needs.
Not only usual tourism for individual needs.
ex) visit a grave, wedding ceremony, support go out.
Agencies tend to hide the information
about good accessible destination.
This situation is not good for public.
People feel difficulty in travel, who always needhow to success
The organizations say that communicationis very important to make the travel real.

Travelers had better tell their needs clearly.
Communicating destination and finding
the reasonable accommodation is the key of successful travel.
When they open minds each other, the travel become happier.

how to successTravel is not a court ! not a war !
Not advocate the right only !
Make a concession each other !
Some facilities have trauma of disabled claimers.
Pay attention the way of telling the demands.

message to customers• Be brave to speak out your wish and desires.
• Think what you want to do in your travel first.
• Enjoy troubles.
• Bring rain gears.
• Ask as soon as possible.
• Tell your physical condition correctly.
• Attendant, enjoy your trip. Use local support in case.
• Pay a bid more, you may get much satisfaction.

requests to destinations• Don’t give up to change accessible because of high costand few customers. Try it one by one without expense.
• Accessible info is not open to public in many destinations,even though it is available. Disclose accessible info.
• Be flexible. Human support is an excellent alternative way.
It sometimes cover the lack of accessible facility.
• Find a solution together. Don’t refuse and exclude.
• Give more choices of facilities and services.
• Don’t be too much specialized. Be natural.

the way forward
Customers have complaints about the price.
There are various ways of accessible tourism in Japan,
arrange of the attendant in the destination,
inbound tourism and volunteers in the destination.
But these ways does not reach the people.
The relationship among travel agency,
accessible tourism center each city and volunteer groupis not good because their business way are different.
We should not compete the same pie.
We should make the pie more bigger.

Bon voyage !