South African Tourism aims to continuously improve universal access in all its tourism offerings and has urged all tourism stakeholders to be aware of universal accessibility.

This follows the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3 and the Disability Rights Awareness month that ran from November 3 to December 3.

Universal access gives everyone, regardless of their social class, ethnicity, ancestry or physical disabilities, equal opportunities and access to services.

Darryl Erasmus, Chief Quality Assurance Officer of the Tourism Grading Council of SA, said the International Day of Persons with Disabilities allowed South Africa to establish the degree to which people with disabilities were catered for and how well these tourists were treated.

“As a sector, we have a responsibility to continuously advocate for universal accessibility in tourism products to ensure that we achieve the necessary levels of inclusivity,” added Sthembiso Dlamini, Acting CEO of South African Tourism.

“It is prudent for tourism service providers to consider the merits of accelerating measures to address the needs of this sector, based on the predicted demand, which exceeds the current availability of universally accessible accommodation, services and facilities.”

Dlamini, therefore, advocated that tourism role players should make universal access a priority by ensuring that all tourist attractions and establishments were graded.

“This will not only elevate South Africa’s competitiveness as a tourism destination, but also afford the same access opportunities and standardised experiences for everyone,” she said.