Nanette Milne, Scottish Conservative MSP for the North East and Shadow Minister for Public Health speaking in the Scottish Government Debate on Accessible Tourism has backed calls for Scotland to be most accessible tourist destination in Europe.
Nanette Milne, Scottish Conservative MSP for the North East and Shadow Minister for Public Health said:
“We all know that tourism is a major contributor to Scotland’s economy, but I confess I was not aware until preparing for the debate of the very considerable contribution of accessible tourism within that. This amounted to more than £325 million as far back as 2009, a figure which has the potential to grow very significantly with improved infrastructure, services and attitudes towards travellers with special access needs, because the accessible tourism market encompasses not only people with permanent disabilities, but also families with young children and an increasing number of senior travellers.
“The ongoing Accessible Tourism Project, in which Capability Scotland is a key partner with VisitScotland and the Scottish Government, is doing very important work in identifying the barriers faced by disabled holidaymakers in Scotland, and in raising awareness within the tourism industry of the business benefits of accessible tourism. There is still a long way to go if Scotland is to become the most accessible tourist destination in Europe, but the recognition of training needs within tourism businesses, and the efforts being made to ensure that the industry recognises the all- round benefits to businesses and their customers from maximising accessibility, are significant steps in the right direction.
“This summer’s Commonwealth Games, which featured para-sports alongside all the others, was the most disabled friendly Games in its history, and Glasgow ably rose to the challenge of accessibility for more than 350 disabled athletes and over 10,000 spectators with specific access needs over the two weeks of the Games. This, possibly more than anything else, has helped to raise awareness of the general need for accessible tourism in Scotland.
“The consultation events with disabled people and impairment groups carried out as part of the Accessible Tourism Project highlighted a number of common themes, such as the need for accurate and up to date information on how accessible venues are, and the often poor customer service and staff attitudes, probably due to inadequate training on disability equality and awareness.
“Ahead of this debate I was invited along to see an excellent facility in my own region, and I want to focus the rest of my speech on my experience there.
“Crathie Opportunity Holidays was developed around 10 years ago as a self-catering holiday destination suitable for disabled people and their families. Funded entirely as a charity, Crathie Holidays, situated right next to Balmoral Castle in the beautiful scenery of Upper Deeside, was the brainchild of the wife of the then Minister of Crathie Kirk. A trained social worker, she was acutely aware of the lack of suitable accommodation in the area for disabled tourists, and saw the dilapidated stable block next to the manse as ripe for development into a disabled friendly venue.
“A year or so of intensive fundraising resulted in a courtyard development of high quality units equipped to cater for many differing needs - for example they have state of the art wet rooms, hoists, combined wash basins and mirrors which raise and lower as a unit, and wheelchair accessible kitchen worktops and cookers.
“Other specialist equipment can be obtained as required, but there are sometimes difficulties here. I was told that equipment which comes from the NHS is readily available, but on occasion that which comes via the Council’s Social Work Department is withheld for health and safety reasons, even though the client is well versed in the use of such equipment. Hopefully this sort of difficulty can be solved with the integration of health and social care.
“Another problem faced by staff at Crathie Holidays is the difficulty in accessing carers locally, to help with getting clients dressed or ready for bed, for example, and I wonder if this could be solved by training social science or nursing students to do this as a work placement during their course, a suggestion which I intend to explore with the University in Aberdeen.
“For disabled visitors without such highly specialised needs, Crathie Holidays has Radar keys which they can give to residents to allow them access to locked facilities when they are out and about.
“This debate has opened my eyes to many of the problems encountered by tourists who require special and accessible facilities, and I am glad that individual tourism businesses are increasingly becoming aware of the more specific needs of many of their customers, and hopefully training their staff to treat all their clients with respect and understanding. To be the most accessible tourist destination in Europe is a very worthy aspiration – I hope we can achieve it.”