HM GOVERNMENT OF GIBRALTAR
PRESS RELEASE No: 119/2014
Date: 17th March 2014
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 Commercial Affairs, Public Transport and the Port Neil Costa MP 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.