- New Zealand Hoteliers Urged to Entice the 'Silver Surfers'
- New Travel Shows in 2005 to Keep Up with Emerging Market Demand
- Beyond Boundaries Airs on BBC
- A Little Less Conversation...
- Rebuilding after Katrina: Where's the Access?
Travelocity says hotels should step up their Internet distribution or be in danger of losing their share of international markets. Boomers are net savvy and studies in the US showed that this group had more spending power, more free time and more inclination to travel further. Each year the proportion of Boomers with disabilities grows.
A press release on two new Inclusive Travel events. The first is in the zuK in Octboer 2005.The second is in the US December 2005.
Eleven extreme adventurers trek 200 miles across Nicaragua, from the Altantic to the Pacific Ocean. BBC airs a four-part mini-series bringing Inclusive Travel from its niche status to the general television audience.
Public attitudes towards travellers with disabilities can sometimes be off-putting; this writer personally remembers the stares on the flight home, and in particular the man who pointed and laughed at the fibreglass cast, then smirked, "You're getting down last, right? I don't want to wait."
The "Bring Back New Orleans Commission" has been named -- one Latino and the remaining sixteen slots equally divided black and white. Yet, even though the community of people with disabilities were affected disproportionately by Katrina, the commission does not include a representative. Neither does it include an advocate of Inclusive Destination Development from the tourism industry. That could turn out to be quite an expensive oversight as aging Boomers - travelers extraordinaire - surge into their Gray Nomad years becoming disabled but remaining economically active. Who will be there to champion the "Curb Cut Effect?" - positive benefits rippling out to all stakeholders in society that always flow from the human-centered approach of Universal Design's recognition that we come in different shapes, sizes, and stamina levels. The "Silver Tsunami" of travel-savvy Baby Boomers could be the silver lining following Katrina - but only if both residents and visitors find an accessibly livable and Visitable city.
