Helping travellers understand what to expect before they arrive

Accessibility can significantly influence whether someone can confidently plan, book and enjoy a trip. Yet finding clear and useful accessibility information is often difficult.

A hotel may describe itself as accessible because it has an accessible room. An attraction may have step-free entry but provide little information for visitors with hearing or vision requirements. A tour operator may be willing to assist guests but provide no information online about vehicle access or what physical demands the experience involves.

For travellers, the question is rarely as simple as “Is this business accessible?”

A more useful question is:

“What can I expect, and will this experience work for my individual needs?”

This is the principle behind the Smart Planner Accessibility Classification.

Smart Planner uses a consumer-facing framework designed to help travellers better understand the accessibility of tourism and hospitality experiences. It can be applied across accommodation providers, restaurants, attractions, activity providers and tour operators.

Rather than focusing only on wheelchair access, the framework considers four areas that influence the broader visitor journey: physical access and mobility, sensory and communication access, wayfinding and ease of use, and inclusive service and confidence.

The objective is not to certify businesses or replace professional accessibility audits. Instead, we want to make useful accessibility information easier for travellers to discover and understand.

Accessibility is about more than physical access

Accessibility is sometimes reduced to a checklist of physical features: Does the building have a ramp? Is there a lift? Is there an accessible toilet?

Those things are important, but they represent only one part of an accessible visitor experience.

A traveller might be able to physically enter an attraction but struggle to understand where to go. Someone with hearing loss may be able to enter a tour but not access important information delivered only verbally. A neurodivergent traveller may want to know about quiet areas or sensory conditions before deciding whether an experience is appropriate.

Accessibility can also matter to older travellers, families travelling with prams, and people experiencing temporary or situational access needs.

This broader perspective is reflected in recognised accessible-tourism and Universal Design principles. Accessibility can involve physical environments, information, communication, digital interactions, facilities, services and the overall journey a visitor experiences.

That is why Smart Planner does not classify accessibility based on physical infrastructure alone.

A guest-observable approach

One of the most important principles behind the Smart Planner framework is that the classification should be based on what a traveller can reasonably see, verify, use or experience.

We call this guest-observable accessibility.

For example, we may consider whether:

• there is step-free access or a clearly explained alternative route;

• accessible toilets are available where relevant;

• videos include captions or transcripts;

• menus and visitor information are easy to read;

• accessibility information can be found before booking;

• entrances and meeting points are clearly identified;

• alternative ways of participating are explained;

• staff can answer accessibility questions;

• known limitations are communicated openly.

By contrast, the classification is not intended to score internal policies, construction specifications, staff-training records or legal compliance documents unless those things translate into something meaningful and observable within the visitor experience.

This distinction is important because Smart Planner's purpose is to help travellers make better-informed decisions rather than conduct a technical building assessment.

The four accessibility criteria

Smart Planner assesses operators against four universal criteria. The same high-level criteria can be used across different tourism and hospitality sectors, while the evidence considered will naturally vary depending on the experience.

For example, physical accessibility at a hotel might involve accessible rooms and routes between facilities. At a restaurant, it might involve entrance, seating and toilets. For an activity provider, it might involve boarding equipment or alternative participation arrangements.

1. Physical access and mobility

The first criterion considers whether guests can arrive, enter, move around and participate in the core experience with reasonable space and physical effort.

Depending on the operator, Smart Planner may consider features such as step-free entrances, ramps or lifts, accessible toilets, manoeuvring space, seating and rest points, reachable service counters, safe surfaces and accessible transport or boarding arrangements.

Importantly, physical accessibility is considered in relation to the actual experience.

For accommodation, that may mean getting from the entrance to an accessible room and shared facilities. For an attraction, it could involve the accessibility of visitor routes. For a tour, it could involve vehicle boarding and the accessibility of stops included in the itinerary.

A ramp at the front door therefore does not automatically make the entire visitor experience highly accessible.

2. Sensory and communication access

The second criterion looks at whether information and experiences can be perceived through more than one sensory or communication mode.

Examples can include captions or transcripts, readable and high-contrast information, large-print or digital menus, plain-language descriptions, audio or visual alternatives, sensory maps, quiet areas, low-sensory options, and hearing-loop or equivalent support where relevant.

The specific evidence depends on the experience.

At a restaurant, it may relate to menus. At a museum, it could include interpretation panels, videos or guided experiences. For an adventure activity, safety briefings and instructions become particularly important.

The central question is whether important information and the core experience are available and understandable to people with different sensory and communication requirements.

3. Wayfinding and ease of use

Accessibility also means being able to understand where to go, what to do and how to participate without unnecessary complexity.

This begins before the traveller arrives.

Smart Planner may consider whether an operator's website clearly explains accessibility, whether entrances and meeting points are identified, whether maps are available, whether booking steps are understandable, and whether instructions and signs are clear and consistent.

During the visit, this could include labelled entrances, predictable layouts, pictograms, visible support information and understandable instructions.

This criterion recognises something that can easily be overlooked: uncertainty itself can be a barrier.

If travellers cannot determine where an accessible entrance is, where a tour departs from or what assistance is available until they arrive, they may decide not to book at all.

Good accessibility therefore begins with good information.

4. Inclusive service and confidence

The final criterion considers the human side of accessibility.

Smart Planner looks at whether the service experience helps guests feel welcomed, respected, informed and supported.

Observable indicators can include staff responding respectfully, accessibility questions being answered accurately, assistance being offered appropriately, service animals being welcomed where applicable, contact information being easy to find, alternatives being offered when barriers exist and, importantly, limitations being communicated transparently.

An operator does not necessarily need to accommodate every possible requirement to demonstrate inclusive service.

Sometimes one of the most useful things a business can do is clearly explain what it cannot provide and help the traveller understand available alternatives.

That transparency allows people to make their own informed decisions.

How the Smart Planner accessibility rating works

Each of the four criteria is assessed using a 1-to-5 scale based on observable evidence.

A score of 1 indicates there is no meaningful observable support for that criterion. A 2 represents limited or isolated support where travellers may need significant effort to determine suitability. A 3 means basic support is visible and usable, although coverage remains incomplete. A 4 indicates strong and reliable support across most of the visitor journey, while a 5 represents comprehensive, integrated and clearly communicated support.

The four scores are then combined to produce the overall accessibility classification:

The detailed definitions behind these levels recognise that accessibility progresses from isolated features towards an integrated visitor experience.

Why we don't simply calculate an average

Smart Planner begins with an equal-weighted average of the four criteria, but the framework includes safeguards.

This matters because a serious accessibility barrier should not disappear inside a good average.

For example, an operator might provide excellent customer service, good signage and detailed information but have a major physical barrier preventing many travellers from participating in its core experience.

Simply averaging the scores could make the operator appear more accessible than the actual experience suggests.

For this reason, the framework applies four safeguards:

1. If any criterion scores 1, the overall classification cannot exceed 3 – Medium.

2. If two or more criteria score 2 or below, the classification cannot exceed 3 – Medium.

3. A 5 – Very High classification requires every criterion to score either 4 or 5, together with clear public accessibility information.

4. If accessibility information is not publicly available or is materially outdated, the classification cannot exceed 4 – High.

This helps ensure that a strong result in one area cannot completely compensate for a major barrier somewhere else in the traveller journey.

Where does the information come from?

Smart Planner's accessibility assessment can draw on different forms of observable evidence.

This may include an operator's website, booking journey, accessibility or access guides, photographs, videos, visitor information, staff responses, on-site observations and relevant guest feedback.

Where possible, stronger classifications should be supported by clear evidence rather than broad statements such as “we are accessible.”

Useful evidence might include recent photographs showing entrances and routes, information about accessible rooms or toilets, details about vehicle access, descriptions of sensory conditions, accessibility FAQs and clearly identified contact channels.

Just as importantly, information should explain limitations as well as accessible features. The framework recommends public access information, recent visual evidence, clear descriptions of limitations, accessible contact options and periodic confirmation that the information remains current.

Why Smart Planner avoids saying “fully accessible”

You may notice that Smart Planner does not use its highest classification to declare an operator “fully accessible.”

That is deliberate.

People have different bodies, abilities, communication preferences, sensory requirements and individual circumstances. A venue that works extremely well for one traveller may still present difficulties for another.

The framework therefore avoids treating accessibility as an absolute yes-or-no condition. Instead, it focuses on the barriers that have been removed, the support available and the information travellers can use to assess suitability for themselves.

Even a 5 – Very High Accessibility classification should therefore be understood as indicating a very strong, integrated and well-communicated accessible experience, not a guarantee that every possible individual requirement can be accommodated.

More than a label

Although Smart Planner provides an overall accessibility classification, we believe that the number should never tell the whole story.

Two operators could both receive a rating of 4 while having different accessibility strengths.

One might provide exceptional physical access but fewer sensory supports. Another might provide outstanding communication, sensory information and staff assistance while having some physical limitations.

For this reason, the framework recommends presenting the overall rating alongside the four individual criteria and a short explanation of what travellers can expect.

A Smart Planner accessibility profile might therefore look like:

Overall Accessibility: 4 – High

Physical access and mobility: 4
Sensory and communication access: 3
Wayfinding and ease of use: 4
Inclusive service and confidence: 5

What to expect: Strong step-free access, clear staff support and good wayfinding. Sensory supports are available but limited.

This provides travellers with something much more useful than a simple accessibility icon.

Accessibility classifications can change

Accessibility is not static.

A hotel might renovate its rooms. A tour company could introduce a new vehicle. An attraction might change its visitor route. A restaurant could redesign its website or introduce digital menus. An operator might add captions, sensory information or a new accessibility guide.

For that reason, classifications should be reviewed when significant aspects of the experience change.

The framework specifically identifies renovations, vehicle changes, route changes, new menus, booking-system changes, staff changes, temporary closures and changes to accessibility equipment as reasons to reconsider a rating.

Keeping information current is therefore part of making accessibility information genuinely useful.

What the Smart Planner Accessibility Classification is and isn't

The Smart Planner Accessibility Classification is designed as a traveller information tool.

It is intended to make accessibility easier to understand, help travellers compare experiences and encourage tourism operators to communicate accessibility more clearly.

It is not a legal compliance assessment, formal accessibility certification, building-code inspection or technical access audit. Nor can a classification guarantee that a particular experience will meet every individual's requirements.

Travellers with specific requirements should always review the detailed accessibility information provided and contact the operator where necessary before booking.

Helping people travel with greater confidence

At Smart Planner, our broader goal is to help people make more informed travel choices.

Accessibility is an important part of that mission.

Rather than reducing accessibility to a wheelchair symbol or a simple yes/no field, our approach looks across the visitor journey, from researching and booking an experience to arriving, navigating, participating and receiving support.

The classification is intentionally simple enough to be useful when discovering destinations, but detailed enough to show that accessibility has many dimensions.

Ultimately, the Smart Planner Accessibility label is not about declaring that a business is perfect.

It is about providing better information.

It is about recognising operators that actively remove barriers and communicate what travellers can expect.

And most importantly, it is about giving travellers the information they need to decide for themselves whether an experience is right for them.

Because better accessibility information doesn't just make travel easier, it helps more people participate in it with confidence.