Market Issue: Travelers with Disabilities

A significant market opportunity exists with travelers with disabilities. Estimates of the size of people with disabilities ranges from 31 to 48 million people, depending on definition. Regardless, this population is growing as projections suggest by the year 2030 nearly 24% of the total US population will have a disability (15% of those severe). Understanding the travel patterns and desires of travelers with disabilities can enhance their travel experiences as well as increase industry revenue. In fact, just a few experiences that service providers can control can significantly increase traveler satisfaction and revenue. A brief summary of the recent Harris Poll serves as a foundation to this understanding.

Background

A 2002 Harris Poll, commissioned by the Open Doors Organization, determined travel behavior and service opportunities to enhance travel for travelers with disabilities. Disability was defined as having a blindness, deafness, or a condition that substantially limits one or more basic physical activities such as walking, climbing stairs, reaching, lifting or carrying. Interviews with 1,037 adults with disabilities were conducted September-October 2002. Each interview lasted about 21 minutes.

Highlights

General population & travel information:

  •  15% of the US adult population, 31 million people, can be defined as having a disability
  •  71% of this 31 million has traveled at least once in the past 2 years
  •  Average trip expenditure for an adult with a disability is $430 that results in $27 billion of spending over the course of 2 years
  •  55% of adults with disabilities have stayed in hotels, motels or inns in the past 2 years and spend $241 per visit
  •  33% book travel on the internet, 20% use a travel agent


Traveler with disability profile:

  •  55% male
  •  56% married, 14% single never married, 12% divorced
  •  30% 50-64 years old, 29% 65+years
  •  Majority white, not of Hispanic origin
  •  74% no children in the household
  •  46% high school or less, 25% some college, 20% college degree+
  •  46% retired, 24% employed
  •  91% physical mobility impairment

Typical trip characteristics:

  •  66% of 63 million trips are for pleasure
  •  5 nights away from home with one companion
  •  Spend $430: $241 on accommodations, $105 on food and beverage, $100 on entertainment
  •  1 of 5 adults with disabilities have taken 6+ trips in the past 2 years
    Travelers with disabilities who use hotels:
  •  34.5 million visits every two years, with stay two times every two years
  •  $241 spent per visit
  •  Heavy hotel users stay 3+ times every two years, 22% of all adults with disabilities

Features to encourage more frequent hotel stays:

  •  Rooms close to the entrance, restaurant and transportation
  •  Accommodating & dedicated staff

If these needs are met, the typical traveler would stay in hotels 2 more times per
year and therefore the hotel industry could double their revenue from this group.

For information on accessible areas in Minnesota, see Access for All. For information on general accessible travel and hospitality, see The Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality. For more information about this trend, contact Ingrid Schneider at ingridss@umn.edu, 612-624-2250.