Accessibility Guides Initiative

Description

VisitEngland (VE) plays a key role in facilitating an accessible and inclusive tourism industry.In support of the Government's ambition for the UK to become the most accessible tourism destination in Europe, VE wishes to improve the holiday planning experience for visitors with a wide range of accessibility requirements by advancing a two-part approach to enhancing accessibility information. Lot One concerns VE's longstanding Accessibility Guides initiative. VE is seeking to create a partnership with a third-party partner (or supplier) who provides an established and trusted Accessibility Guides service for tourism businesses in England, where VE (and likely key stakeholders including Local Visitor Economy Partnerships) would act as a lead generator for the partner. The co-association of both brands would derive mutual benefit and generate a specific financial, or other, advantage, which is applied for the benefit of both parties.In addition, VE may provide funding to the third-party partner (or supplier) to enhance the scope of the commercial arrangement, which would result in added value benefits for all.Lot Two concerns accessibility features data and search filters for tourism distributor websites.VE is interested in receiving expressions of interest from the market through this PIN process. Lot Lot 1: Lot 1 - Accessibility Guides Initiative 51% of adults in England who identify as disabled did not take a holiday in England in the last 12 months, compared to 40% of non-disabled people (Participation Survey 2021/22). Provision of accessibility information is a key barrier to disabled people participating in tourism:<br/>• 91% of disabled people look for accessibility information before visiting somewhere new and<br/>• 58% avoid visiting a venue if it has not shared its accessibility information, assuming it is inaccessible (Euan’s Guide Survey 2022).<br/><br/>In response to this barrier, VisitEngland (VE) created a standard approach for tourism venues to provide this information – Accessibility Guides (formerly Access Statements). An Accessibility Guide is a customer-facing marketing document that contains written and visual details of a venue’s accessibility, so that people with accessibility requirements can make an informed decision as to whether it will meet their individual requirements.<br/><br/>VE has made available a free template tool for tourism operators to use to produce their Accessibility Guides since 2007. The current tool, provided in-house (and in-partnership with VisitScotland (VS)) since 2017, is approaching end of life. <br/><br/>Research by VE in 2022 provides strong evidence that the disabled consumer supports the provision of Accessibility Guides. As the market continues to develop its services in this space, VE is gathering information to inform a potential shift from delivering an Accessibility Guide service directly to endorsing an established and trusted Accessibility Guide service/s provider, to reduce duplication and enhance the initiative.<br/><br/>Through the partnership VE seeks to deliver a measurable increase in the provision of quality, publicly available Accessibility Guides for tourism venues of all sizes across England. Of key relevance is that the English tourism industry is dominated by micro, small and medium sized businesses.<br/><br/>Whilst larger and more complex businesses may be suited to a professional on-site surveyor-assessment service, smaller and less complex businesses may benefit from a lighter touch, budget-friendly solution, such as a telephone assessment service or in absence of this a self-survey tool (akin to that currently provided by VE and VS at www.accessibilityguides.org). It is anticipated that a significant proportion of smaller and less complex businesses would be able to produce an Accessibility Guide at no cost. <br/><br/>The contracting authority specifically requires an established brand and platform that can bring the credibility, visibility and consistency needed by the consumer, reducing duplication by providing a whole-of-industry solution nationwide.<br/><br/>To that end it is expected that the partner will have well-established:<br/>• nationwide on-site surveyor-assessment service, in addition to a telephone assessment service and/or or self-survey assessment tool<br/>• digital platforms providing a strong consumer presence (offering all participating businesses a route to a significant audience), <br/>• direct links with disabled people to understand their evolving information needs (for ongoing dialogue and feedback to inform enhancements) and <br/>• quality assurance processes underpinned by a robust and comprehensive approach to accessibility data management (e.g. processes and quality procedures accredited to ISO9001 and annual independent audits) <br/>Whilst the expected default contract value with VE is nil; an indicative commercial value (assuming that smaller venues can receive a guide at no cost), is an estimated maximum of £185,115 for 3 years and £324,590 for 5 years Lot Lot 2: Lot 2 - Accessibility features question set VE is seeking feedback from the market on the requirements detailed under this Lot Two. Suppliers should note that VE consider this Lot to be an optional Lot and will review the responses to the PIN to determine whether Lot Two is procured alongside Lot One or procured as a separate requirement.<br/>Research by VE in 2022 found that trip-planning and booking behaviour is broadly similar for people with and without accessibility needs. Search is predominantly done online, with main search engines, online travel agents/aggregators and review sites and people are looking for information on accessibility features. However, accessibility features data and search filters on tourism distributor websites lack quality and consistency. <br/>Lot two of VE’s approach to enhancing accessibility information involves facilitating a more consistent approach to how online travel agents, Local Visitor Economy Partnerships and other distribution websites describe key venue accessibility information when promoting their products. VE requires a supplier to develop a new ‘top accessibility features’ question set for adoption by tourism product distributors to use on their websites. <br/>This question set is the first piece of the jigsaw to help people filter and identify lists of potentially suitable places to stay and visit. Accessibility Guides are the second piece of the information jigsaw, providing the full detailed access information needed by many to make the final choice of venue. There should be a question on the availability of an Accessibility Guide and a field for a link to an Accessibility Guide (if available) in the top accessibility features question set. <br/>Potential activities to deliver the requirement could include:<br/>• A review of different websites that list tourism products such as accommodation listing websites, OTAs for the presence of accessibility feature filters and information<br/>• Where possible, source and analyse data on the usage levels of accessibility feature filters and search terms<br/>• Identification of similar initiatives in Europe and abroad that have developed accessibility feature question sets<br/>• Liaison with organisations that represent people with impairments and accessibility requirements to understand the most important accessibility features to inform trip-taking (VE can utilise relations with the Government’s Disability Unit to make connections with the Disability Charities Consortium, Disabled People’s Organisations Forum, Regional Stakeholder Networks and The Richmond Group)<br/>• Identification of and liaison with tourism distributors that provide websites listing tourism products <br/>The estimated value for this option Lot Two service requirement is not expected to exceed £25,000 and be completed by March 2024.<br/>This approach to enhancing accessibility information would form a key action in support of the Government’s ambition to make the UK the most accessible tourism destination in Europe by 2025, by delivering a step change in how the industry tackles a key barrier to disabled people participating in tourism.