GBTA Accessibility Toolkit:
Ensuring seamless business travel for all

Why This Toolkit

Addressing accessibility challenges has emerged as a priority for the business travel industry. There is still a significant gap in understanding traveler differences and how these translate into various needs. These requirements span beyond physical disabilities to encompass mental health, neurodivergence, temporary conditions, age-related needs, invisible illnesses, allergies, and chronic pain. The imperative for accessibility is not just moral but also strategic, aligning with legal obligations, expanding market reach, and enhancing corporate image and employee satisfaction. Recent legislative initiatives and laws enacted throughout the world emphasize the importance of providing accessible services for a significant portion of the population. Recognizing these imperatives isn't just about meeting legal standards but also about cultivating a diverse, resilient, and inclusive workforce.

The Accessibility Toolkit, developed by GBTA Foundation in collaboration with the Inclusion & Culture Committee and the Accessibility Task Force, is a guide to help travel managers and buyers get started on creating more accessible policies and practices in their business travel programs. It includes recommendations based on industry best practices around travel policy, traveler communication, supplier engagement, and point-of-sale. The toolkit also lays out the key challenges in accessible business travel and how the industry can collaborate on a path forward. Travel buyers, TMCs, consultants, TMCs/OBTs, and suppliers should use this toolkit as a guide to inspire action, both in improving accessibility in individual programs but also in the collective effort to create a seamless travel landscape for all business travelers.

What Is Included

GBTA’s Accessibility Toolkit is structured in seven modules; helping readers to understand why the topic is important, what the challenges for travelers with accessibility needs are, and what’s currently being done and suggested in the travel buyer and supplier landscape. It concludes by taking readers through the additional next steps corporations should take to improve the experience of travelers with accessibility requirements. The last part of the toolkit includes a series of case studies developed by the GBTA Accessibility Task Force members, showcasing industry efforts to tackle accessibility in business travel. 

Please note that while there are a wide array of initiatives designed to support travelers with accessibility needs, this toolkit focused on initiatives and opportunities specific to business travel. 
 

Acknowledgments

This toolkit was made possible with the support of the GBTA Foundation, GBTA Inclusion & Culture Committee, GBTA Ladders, and dedicated volunteers on the Accessibility Task Force. We would also like to thank Amadeus, BCD Travel, the Travel & Meetings Society (TAMS), Accessio Travel Consulting, FlightClaim, Deem, and United Airlines for contributing their data and assets for the purposes of this publication. Please see the Inclusion & Culture Committee’s DEI Toolkit for more resources and information on accessibility and DEI in business travel. 

Disclaimer

Travel managers and suppliers should always comply with regional accessibility and data privacy regulations when requesting and storing personal information about traveler accessibility requirements.  The information in the GBTA Accessibility Toolkit should not be considered legal advice, and users should consult with their legal and/or HR teams on any systems designed to request and store traveler accessibility information.