The Accessible Group conducts curated Tourism Industry Workshops and Seminars, for tourism operators to capture a booming travel sector.
Kerry Williams, through her workshops, aims to help businesses in the tourism industry embrace accessibility and cater to a growing market of travellers with disabilities. Some of the key aspects of Kerry’s workshops include:
The Business Case for Accessible Tourism: Kerry highlights that making a business accessible can significantly increase revenue. With approximately 21% of Australians and 19% of the New Zealand population living with a disability, coupled with 16% of the over-65 market who currently or will need accessibility assistance in the future, there is a substantial market to tap into.
- Understanding Disability: etiquette and tools for a welcoming guest experience.
- Where to Start and How to Plan: Kerry offers practical guidance on initiating accessibility improvements, some of which can be implemented immediately at little or no cost.
- Aesthetics and Accessibility: Maximise occupancy by making accessibility seamless and beautiful for all guests.
- Easy Wins: Strategies and ideas for quick improvements that enhance accessibility.
- Marketing to People with Disabilities: What social media tools to use to attract travellers with access needs.
- Employing People with Disabilities: Why it’s good for business.
Additionally, the tourism industry at large recognizes the economic benefits of accessibility. Seminars like “Breaking Barriers” organized by the Victorian Tourism Industry Council and the City of Melbourne focus on how businesses can improve accessibility to grow their profits and reach a more diverse audience.
Kerry offers terrific insight and lived experience of accessible tourism. She is an engaging expert in the field of accessible accommodation and strategies to create inclusive experiences for visitors.
Dani Tyrrell – Victorian Government Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions
These workshops can work in tandem with our Inclusion Training Workshops and our Accessibility Consulting Service. Kerry can also present at your public speaking engagements.
In the last 12 months, the following tourism bodies and businesses engaged The Accessible Group in seminars:
- Great Ocean Road Tourism: Understanding Accessibility and Inclusion.
- VTIC (Victorian Tourism Industry Council) and The City of Melbourne: Breaking Barriers seminar on accessibility.
- Design Inn Symposium: Panellist on Advancing Accessible Design.
- Caravan Industry Association Of Australia Conference: Holiday Parks and Accessibility Conference, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
- Quest Apartment Hotels (The Ascott Group) curated workshops, consulting and in-person training.
- Tourism Greater Geelong And The Bellarine: Annual tourism seminar.
- Tourism Noosa: seminar on why accessibility is important for your business.
- Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions, Victoria: Tourism webinar series.
- Norfolk Island Regional Council: Accessible tourism and Norfolk Island.
- ASTRA “Here to Stay” Conference: Leveraging Current Trends in Styling, Accessibility, Sustainability and Agritourism.
- No Vacancy Expo: 2023, 2025 and 2025. Beauty and accessibility: Aligning aesthetics and inclusive design
- AITCAP (Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Conference) – Inclusion Training for Accommodation Providers.
- EV Strengthening Communities: Inclusive and Accessible Tourism Businesses - The Business Case
- Bendigo Tourism: creating an inclusive welcome.
- Tourism Northern Territory: how to create a truly inclusive welcome
- The City of Melbourne with VTIC: (Victorian Tourism Industry Council) - Breaking Barriers, Putting Accessibility Into Practice. 2025
Tourism Noosa Project
The tourism industry is a vibrant and ever-evolving sector that plays a significant role in the global economy. It encompasses a wide range of businesses, including hotels, restaurants, experiences, and wellness facilities. Kerry Williams, a leading figure in the accessible travel industry, presents curated workshops for the tourism industry, focusing on accessible tourism. In these workshops, Kerry emphasizes the importance of accessibility for businesses and provides practical insights into making accommodations and experiences more welcoming for individuals with disabilities.
Kerry tailored a half-day workshop for tourism businesses in our region to help them better understand accessibility and ways that they can provide a better experience for customers with disabilities. She was professional, thorough and gave practical tips on things that can be done to improve the guest experience for all. The session provided an open dialogue and safe space for questions, of which there were many.
We received many follow up emails and calls from businesses that attended thanking us and Kerry for the learning opportunity, and several businesses have already made changes to their procedures. These include running accessibility training for staff, changes to information published on their websites, and physical changes to make significant improvements to the accessibility of their venues.
Jo Birley – Great Ocean Road Tourism
As the Founder of two websites, Accessible Accommodation and Accessible Experiences, Kerry Williams is not only a passionate advocate for accessible tourism but also a sought-after speaker in the industry. Kerry’s presentations include topics such as, “Yes, accessibility can be beautiful and functional at the same time”, or the financial and social benefits such as her recent seminar, “Profit AND Purpose: The Dual Benefits of Accessible Tourism,” which underscores the idea that accessibility is not only morally right but also financially rewarding for businesses in the tourism sector.
To continue providing a home away from home experience for all our guests and to scale up our accessible offering, Quest needed to improve our accessibility standards by working with experts and people with lived experience.
This partnership (with The Accessible Group) is a perfect example of how Quest continues to be an inclusive brand that puts in the work required to authentically live our purpose of making guest stays effortless.
Anthea Dimitrakopoulos – The Ascott Limited
Accessible tourism is gaining momentum as businesses in the industry recognise its significance in terms of revenue growth and social responsibility. Kerry Williams’ curated workshops and seminars demonstrate the positive impact of accessibility on the tourism sector. Seminars often feature one of Accessible Accommodation’s 38,000 followers and subscribers, 11,000 Accessible Experiences, and other experts in the accessible tourism space.