Accessible Tourism

Part of the debate – in the Scottish Parliament at on 25 September 2014.

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Photo of Graeme Dey Graeme Dey Scottish National Party

Expenditure by tourists with disabilities in Scotland totalled almost £400 million last year. In financial terms, that makes it an important contributor to the tourism sector and indeed the wider economy. However, I think that we would all agree that this is not a subject to be considered largely in terms of pounds and pence. Regardless of the financial value of accessible tourism, it is, as the minister indicated, incumbent on all of us to render, or at least to try to render, Scotland as accessible as possible not only to visitors to our country but, just as important, to our own people who are seeking to explore what Scotland has to offer, because it is the right thing to do.

While appreciating the practical challenges, some of which simply cannot be overcome, we have to make the experience of visiting our attractions for people with disabilities close to the experience for the able bodied among us. There is no denying that significant progress has been made in that regard. In recent years, many tourism destinations have become more wheelchair friendly, with installations of disabled toilets and ramps and a general attitudinal change.

Unfortunately, however, it appears that the better understanding of the needs of wheelchair users is not being accompanied by tourism destinations being made suitable for people with other disabilities—or, at least, not to the same degree. Although it is welcome that so many organisations and companies are making their attractions, museums and hotels wheelchair accessible, more needs to be done to make those sites accommodating to, say, hearing-impaired people.

Since being elected, I have struck up a good working relationship with Tayside deaf links in Dundee, and through that I have gained an understanding of some of the everyday, avoidable difficulties that deaf people encounter. In preparing for this debate and on a recent visit to the Tayside deaf hub, I raised the subject of accessing tourism facilities with some of the folk there. The general view was that their needs are far less understood than those of others whose disabilities are more obvious. Harsh? Perhaps, but it is worth noting that only 29 per cent of people with a disability have a disability that is immediately visible, and if deaf people feel that they are not being catered for, that must give us food for thought.

Ahead of the debate, I also asked some leading heritage tourism attractions in Tayside how they cater for visitors who have a hearing impairment or are profoundly deaf. Historic Scotland runs Arbroath abbey and proactively advertises a full functional hearing loop there, but that is as far as it goes.

The needs of the deaf community are even less well catered for at Glamis castle. I mention that to highlight the issue, rather than to make a particular criticism. In response to my querying what provision it has for deaf visitors, I was told that deaf people are catered for in the same way as wheelchair users who, of course, could not manage up and down the stairs of an ancient building. They are provided with an excellent visual presentation that is complemented by subtitles, but of course many deaf people cannot read English—sign language is how they communicate. Glamis castle was not switched on to that. It is now. I hope that we will see change, because we absolutely need to better consider the requirements of all sectors of our community when it comes to tourism.

Is not it bizarre that many leading museum and historic sites provide headsets with an audio tour, which is usually available in multiple languages, yet nothing like as much attention is paid to the needs of the hearing impaired from the domestic or wider English-speaking market? Let us remember that one person in six in our population is reckoned to be suffering from some degree of hearing loss, and that is set to increase to one in five by 2031, as people begin to encounter hearing problems at a younger age.

There are exemplars. The royal yacht Britannia, which the minister mentioned, offers BSL tablet tours, with induction loops installed throughout the ship. Visitor services here in the Scottish Parliament—which, apart from the important work that is done in the building, is a significant tourism attraction—provide BSL signed tours. There is a BSL signer in the public gallery today, and members may have noticed a signer there on Tuesday relaying the entire debate to members of the public. The service can also be made available on request for First Minister’s questions.