Mar 17 - UK Tour Operator Includes Gibraltar As An Accessible Holiday Destination
Birmingham-based tour operator ‘Enable Holidays’, which specialises in organising tailor-made vacations to meet the specific travel and accommodation requirements of persons with disabilities, has included Gibraltar in its latest online business brochure.
The catalogue features an extensive number of destinations in Spain, Portugal and other locations in Europe, Africa and Asia, all of which have undergone a stringent 150 point auditing process, covering a full range of accessibility criteria, wheelchair manoeuvrability and grade accommodation.
Enable experts carried out detailed assessments of adapted hotel rooms in Gibraltar, looking at features such as door width, bed height, ramp gradients, floor surfaces, wheel-in showers, pool hoists and other facilities suitable for travellers with mobility impairments, both in the accommodation and around the resort.
Blands Travel made contact with Enable Holidays during the GTB Birmingham roadshow last April and worked closely with them during the assessment process which found local hotels up to standard in terms of meeting the required accessibility criteria for inclusion.
“We invited Lusia Depa, the company’s product manager to come to Gibraltar afterwards, to view and approve local facilities, including transport, accommodation and sites,” said a Blands spokesman.
Enable also take care of airports, flights and adapted transfers to and from the destination.
Minister for Tourism, Neil Costa, said he was delighted at Gibraltar’s addition as a holiday resort for persons with disabilities and noted progress made in assisting persons with hearing aids and impaired vision.
He added: “This once again shows the progressive nature of this administration and is recognition of our efforts to remove physical obstacles to ensure that persons with mobility problems, whether local or tourists, can travel to Gibraltar and enjoy our wonderful destination like other able bodied tourists. We are encouraged by the success of our improvements at our beaches and tourist attractions to make them user friendly for the whole community, and are particularly proud of our new accessibility features, the refurbishment and provision of toilet facilities and improved access at St Michael’s Cave, including, a specialised lift at the new entrance to enable guests to view the Cave from the first landing.”
A spokesman for Enable Holidays said: “We offer a range of over 250 accessible hotels to suit varying levels of mobility – for disabled people with limited mobility, and provide detailed information to help people find the right accommodation to meet their specific needs.”
