Economic impact of disability travel reaches $58.7 billion


CHICAGO , Oct. 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — The Open Doors Organization (ODO) today released key findings from its 2020 market study on adult travelers with disabilities. The national survey was conducted by Harris Poll as a follow-up to previous surveys conducted by ODO in 2002, 2005 and 2015. The new data shows that the disability travel market is having a greater economic impact on the travel industry than ever before.

Over the past two years (2018-2019), more than 27 million travelers with disabilities took a total of 81 million trips, spending $58.7 billion on their own travel alone (up from $34.6 billion in 2015). “Because individuals with disabilities typically travel with one or more adults, the actual economic impact is even higher, in some cases double,” said Eric Lipp, executive director of ODO, speaking at the 2020 TTRA Marketing Outlook Forum.

The economic impact of the disability travel market continues to grow, with adults spending $58.7 billion on travel alone.

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Since the 2015 study, each industry segment has seen an increase in travel frequency and spending, with aviation showing the most growth. In the past two years, approximately 15 million people with disabilities took 29.6 million air trips, generating $11 billion in spending alone (up from $9 billion in 2015). Recognizing the importance of this market, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), with support from ODO, hosted its second Global Accessibility Symposium this week, with the aim of creating a more equitable and inclusive passenger experience post-pandemic.

In addition to revealing the general travel patterns, frequency and spending of American adults with disabilities, the ODO market study again provides details on air travel, cruise travel, ground transportation (including ride-sharing services), internet, mobile devices, assistive device use and the most popular destinations both domestically and internationally.

The survey also asked respondents about their travel plans after the COVID-19 crisis is over, including when they plan to travel again and how likely they are to take part in activities such as staying in a hotel, flying or visiting cultural sites.

The 2020 market study can be pre-ordered by visiting www.opendoorsnfp.org or by email. [email protected].

About the Research
The 2020 market research was commissioned by Open Doors Organization and conducted by Harris Poll online and by phone from June 1 to July 9, 2020 among 1,100 U.S. adults 18 and older with a disability defined as vision impairment, hearing impairment or a condition that significantly limits one or more basic physical activities such as walking, climbing stairs, reaching, lifting or carrying. Results were weighted by education, gender age, race/ethnicity, region, income, household size, marital status, disability type, phone status and online propensity to match actual population proportions.

The Open Doors organization is a non-profit organization established to teach businesses how to succeed in the disability market and make their products and services accessible to people with disabilities.

The Harris Poll is one of the longest running surveys tracking public opinion, motivations and social sentiment in the United States, since 1963, and is now part of Harris Insights & Analytics, a global consulting and market research firm providing social intelligence in transformative times. For more information, visit www.theharrispoll.com.

Contact: Eric Lipp
Open Doors Organization
773.388.8839
[email protected]

Source: Open Doors Organization

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http://www.opendoorsnfp.org



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