Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Part One of the National Disability Strategy, published 28 July 2021, what recent steps her Department has taken to work with VisitBritain, VisitEngland and other stakeholders in the tourism sector to promote the importance of accessible tourism in the media and to businesses.

The Tourism Recovery Plan, published in June 2021, included the government’s commitment to recruit a new Disability and Access Ambassador for Tourism. Following an open recruitment process in 2021, Ross Calladine (Head of Business Support for VisitEngland), was appointed as the Tourism Ambassador in January 2022. The Ambassador role will drive improvement in tourism accessibility and quality of services in facilities for disabled people in the tourism Industry, and help to ensure businesses are doing all they can to support disabled customers.

The Government introduced new building regulations in January 2021, which made ‘Changing Places’ toilets a requirement in all new hotels as well as other public buildings, such as zoos and theme parks with a capacity of over 2000 people and museums. This is a positive step to promote the importance of accessibility in businesses that serve tourists. The Government invited unitary and district local authorities to opt-in to its £30 million Changing Places Fund to increase the provision of Changing Places toilets in toilet buildings.

VisitEngland has developed a dedicated web portal providing tailored business advice to tourism businesses, including guidance on how to welcome guests with different access needs. It has also ensured that its promotional and marketing activities are inclusive. For example, its Escape the Everyday campaign worked in partnership with Channel 4 to launch the Mission: Accessible series, which showcases accessible places to visit across the UK.