Travel agents could unlock a fast-growing and high-spend accessible travel market with relatively small changes to how they communicate with clients and present information.
Experts on a panel discussing accessibility at WTM Africa, held in Cape Town this week, said simple improvements in information sharing, channels and customer engagement could help agents better serve travellers with disabilities and neurodivergent needs – a segment they said remained widely underserved in South Africa.
Market potential
Due to specialised transport, mobility and communication needs, travellers with disabilities often have higher travel spending patterns than the general market.
In South Africa, about 2,5 million people live with disabilities, making up almost 10% of the population, according to Statistics South Africa’s 2022 Census. However, this number has likely grown since then.
According to international market research firm, Dataintelo, the global accessible travel market, including the elderly and persons with disabilities, was valued at over US$1 trillion (R16,4 trillion) in 2025 and is projected to reach $1,9 trillion (R31,2 trillion) in the next decade.
“We are willing to pay for full service but then they (suppliers) need to understand how to accommodate our particular needs,” said Jabaar Mohammed, Cape Town TV Presenter and deaf solo traveller.
Communication is key
Mohammed explained that one of the key changes that agents and suppliers could make to capture disabled travellers’ attention was to ensure that information was communicated through various mediums.
He explained that very often deaf travellers had to rely on email and slower forms of written communication, even in time-sensitive situations, such as travel disruptions. This made instant messaging capabilities between travellers, their travel agents and suppliers a stand-out feature for deaf travellers.
Niche segments, such as adventure travel, had a higher reliance on providing verbal instructions for participation in specific activities such as snorkelling, added Mohammed. For a disabled traveller, pre-organised written instructions for these types of excursions and activities make a big difference to their experience and improve their safety.
Mohammed explained that content on websites should always include captions and a variety of audio and visual cues to accommodate all types of disabled travellers.
“Pictures, information videos and even video tours of facilities or accommodations can be extremely helpful for people navigating with limited mobility,” said Diedre Gower, Founder and Director of Warriors on Wheels,
However, it is not only the way in which information is provided, it is also the amount of detail provided.
Special considerations
Gower pointed out that essential information was often left off suppliers’ websites and agents often did not know what to look for.
Mohammed explained that often disabled travellers had to make payment on their booking before they received access to details that played a critical role in a disabled traveller’s experience and safety. For example, whether there are light signals for their room’s telephones for fire alarms and emergency drills.
Gower listed just some of the most relevant considerations for a traveller with a wheelchair: “The first things I wonder about when I look at an accommodation is: Are there slopes? Are the slopes at a reasonable angle for me to move my son’s wheelchair by myself or are they very steep? Does the room have a bath or shower and are they big enough? What is the size of the suite doorway and will the wheelchair fit?”
Asking about these unique considerations and being able to collect and communicate information on these accessibility features is what can set an agent apart, agreed the panel.
Avoid assumptions
The panel emphasised that they didn’t expect their travel agent or supplier to know exactly what they needed, but they did appreciate when they asked them without making assumptions.
Mohammed said very often when he notified an airline, for example, that he was disabled, they automatically greeted him with a wheelchair. He explained that there was need for more education and awareness to be created about the different disabilities, so that people did not make assumptions about services that did not necessarily meet their needs.
For example, Adrian Lange, CEO and Founder of Tourism That Cares, who was speaking on behalf of neurodivergent travellers, explained that something as simple as room cleaning could upset a traveller with autism or OCD, who prefers that their belongings are not moved.
Whether it is accommodating a traveller with a neurodivergency or another disability, Lange explained that agents and suppliers should continuously check-in on their traveller and ask them as many questions as possible throughout their journey, to ensure they are having their needs met.
“For neurodivergent travellers, you do not need to change everything. But small changes like fast-track at the airport, lounge access and even booking them during quieter seasons makes a big difference,” said Lange.
The panel noted that it was the small considerations, communication, information and the attentiveness from their travel advisers that disabled and neurodivergent travellers appreciated the most.
