Update: We did it! Thanks to you, we'll be hosting the first Asia-Pacific Accessible Tourism Conference and Expo (APATCE) in late 2020. Go to https://www.getaboutable.com/apatce for more information.
Imagine if you didn’t know where to get ideas for places to go, things to see or things to do. Imagine if you couldn’t find accurate venue information online or by phone. Imagine that you or one of your travelling companions couldn’t use the shower at a hotel, or the toilet at a restaurant.
Unfortunately, these are the sorts of problems faced by people with a disability almost every time they want to go somewhere they don’t already know. People with disability want to get out and about with their families and friends, but often, it’s all just too hard and they end up staying at home to avoid the frustration.
[the getaboutable.com team at MS fun run/walk/wheel]
Who we are:
Getaboutable.com is a Canberra-based Australian social enterprise that promotes inclusivity in the travel & leisure sector to empower the 20% of the population with mobility, vision, hearing and other accessibility needs to participate in outings with their family and friends. Think of getaboutable.com like a Trip Advisor for people with accessibility needs.
The Project:
The inaugural Asia-Pacific Accessible Tourism Conference & Expo (#APATCE) will connect the huge under-served accessible tourism market with the travel & leisure sector to improve understanding that accessible tourism is a huge and growing market. Now is the time to increase the momentum, and for the Asia-Pacific region to catch up with the US and Europe on accessible tourism.
Reaching our goal with this crowdfunding campaign will mean that getaboutable.com will host #APATCE in late 2020 (probably in October or November) in Canberra, Australia. Your support will show potential sponsors the importance of the Asia-Pacific Accessible Tourism Conference & Expo to the community.
[various conference/expo scenes]
You don't need to be coming to the conference to show your support. For as little as $10 support, we'll thank you with a laptop sticker. For contributions of $50 or more, we'll thank you with a getaboutable t-shirt. You can also support the conference by contributing any level entry ticket or stall (from $20-$2000) to a person/organisation in need. (We'll contact ticket/stall purchasers following the campaign for ticket/stall-holder details, including how to "pay it forward" if desired.) We're also looking for corporate sponsors, with various sponsorship levels ranging from $750 to $5000.
Through #APATCE, tourism bodies and the travel & leisure sector will better understand the value of accessible tourism, and people with disability (PWD) and their carers will get ideas of really cool things to do and places to go.
[various accessible activities: touring in Malaysia, tandem biking, adaptive skiing, indoor skydiving, beach scene]
The conference will include both guest speakers and a tradeshow/expo. The conference and expo’s main purposes are to:
- Create awareness of the size of the accessible tourism market, for travel & leisure businesses, as well as local, federal and regional governments and tourism bodies.
- Give the accessible travel & leisure sector and accessibility-related infrastructure suppliers a forum to market themselves directly to their target customers.
- Give individuals with accessibility needs exposure to options for travel & leisure activities.
If successful, we anticipate that the conference would become an annual event, circulating to different host cities around Australia/Asia-Pacific each year.
You should contribute to this campaign if you think:
- people with disability should be able to participate in travel & leisure just like anyone else
- information about accessible travel & leisure activities should be just as easy to find as any other travel & leisure information
- the travel & leisure sector should welcome people with disability and see value in catering to their needs
[Rewards: Let's make a difference - graphic depiction of t-shirts, conference tickets and corporate sponsorship]
