TRAVELLERS with disabilities and their families represent a strong and growing trend that can be captured by travel properties and service providers.
PhotoAbility, a new niche stock image site, can help companies demonstrate a commitment to their customers with a disability through disability-inclusive imagery incorporated into their websites, advertising and marketing materials.
PhotoAbility.net specialises in travel-related images featuring persons with disabilities enjoying travel all around the world with their families and friends. Incorporating these types of positive inclusive images within the travel sector will give those with disabilities the inspiration and confidence that they too can enjoy the opportunity to experience new destinations that can accommodate their accessibility needs.
The stock image gallery features rights-managed and royalty-free photos and can be searched by destination by travel operators, companies, advertisers, marketers, publishers, creatives, and designers whose role is to cater to the travel consumer.
Says Bill Forrester, owner of PhotoAbility: “Customers who have specific access needs are part of every tourism ‘segment’.
“Their interests are as wide as any other group of people. They may be looking for mountain adventures, concert performances or a honeymoon hotel. In business terms, they are simply ‘customers’ but they need good access – otherwise, they will choose to go elsewhere. They also travel with family and friends so you could not just be losing one customer but potentially many more. It is about gaining market share.”
Money spent in structural modification of a property, but not followed up with inclusive imagery that demonstrates this accessibility, is a missed opportunity. It is also a relatively economical way of increasing market share.
PhotoAbility.net has images from as low as $20 to $350.
Says Deborah Davis, wheelchair user and co-owner of PhotoAbility.net: “When we, as consumers with a disability, log onto a resort website, see an advertisement in a magazine, or a brochure promoting a tour, and see an image that represents us, we will more than likely want to patronise that provider.
“If the experience is a positive one, we will likely return again. Loyalty is an important aspect of this market as well, as a good experience will be shared among various disability oriented social networks”
Forrester and Davis also operate the website, Travability.travel.
‘Inclusive tourism’ should be treated the same as any other destination marketing. Accessible facilities are one thing, but the right imagery sends a powerful message that ‘we want your business’.
It is no longer about ‘accommodating’ travellers with a disability, but actually about competing to attract this very valuable market.
ENDS
PhotoAbility was established in March 2012 by Bill Forrester and Deborah Davis with the goal of providing high-quality, unique, non-medically-oriented imagery of persons with disabilities – for purchase by the advertising, marketing and media sectors. The commercial stock image library specialises in positive and ‘inclusive’ images of people with a disability in leisure, lifestyle and travel settings.
The 2,000+ inclusive images depicted in the PhotoAbility gallery are designed to impact attitudinal bias, change perception and provide motivation to eliminate and reduce social, structural and professional barriers. A wave of change reflected in popular media and advertising can make an impact on laws and attitudes around the globe, and on how many with differing abilities view themselves.
For more information and to view PhotoAbility.net’s positive, inclusive stock images, please visit http://www.PhotoAbility.net
PRESS RELEASE issued by PhotoAbility. You too can post your story ideas for journalists (aka press or media releases), on allmediascotland.com. Email info@allmediascotland.com for more information.
Contact: Bill Forrester
Email: bill@photoability.net
Website: http://www.photoability.net
