VisitAberdeenshire is hosting two tourism industry events
this week to highlight the growing potential of the ’purple pound’ – the
inclusive tourism market made up of visitors with visible and non-visible
disabilities.
Estimated to be worth £15.3billion expenditure per annum to the UK visitor economy,
inclusive tourism is identified in the Destination Strategy as a significant
opportunity for development in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
The seminar on Wednesday, March 29 will highlight how
implementing inclusive practices can benefit businesses’ bottom line, pinpoint
how businesses can access the inclusive tourism market and how to develop an
inclusive customer experience. Tourism businesses are invited to attend the
session at P&J Live from 9.30am to 12pm, with keynote speaker Mike Adams,
OBE, Chief Executive of Purple beaming in to share his experiences and to
inform the audience of the ‘Purple Tuesday’ movement.
Attendees will also hear market insights from Deirdre
O'Donnell, VisitAberdeenshire’s Insights and Evaluation Manager and Marina
DiDuca, Inclusive Tourism Manager at VisitScotland.
A second session on Friday, March 31 from 9.00am to 4.30pm
at the Leonardo Hotel and Conference Venue Aberdeen Airport and delivered by
training provider Welcome to Excellence, is designed to assist businesses with
creating a welcoming environment, and will also advise on legal obligations,
discrimination and communication styles to identify customer needs.
Chris Foy, CEO, VisitAberdeenshire said: “Being accessible
to a wide range of people with disabilities, visible or non-visible, goes
beyond a legislative requirement to become a business opportunity to develop
and improve visitor experiences to attract new audiences.
“This doesn't necessarily mean investment in infrastructure
or facilities. There are many actions businesses can implement at little or no
cost to appeal to this market segment, known for its high level of customer
loyalty.”
Details of how to register for both sessions are available
at VisitAberdeenshire’s website,
https://industry.visitabdn.com/event-listing/