After a highly competitive bid process with interest from across Australia and New Zealand, we are thrilled to reveal that the 2024 Accessible & Inclusive Tourism Conference will be held in Melbourne/Naarm!
Melbourne, and the State of Victoria, have been focusing on ensuring they are a leading accessible and inclusive destination through initiatives like City of Melbourne’s Making Business Accessible resources, recent Breaking Barriers seminar, and the State Government’s Changing Places funding grants.
Accessibility and inclusivity are also central to the core of the 5 key pillars of the State Government’s Experience Victoria 2033 Strategy.
And focusing on accessible travel isn’t new for Melbourne, Travellers Aid have been empowering people with travel related challenges to connect, engage and participate within their communities through the use of public transport for over 100 years.
Felicia Mariani, CEO of the Victorian Tourism Council and the driving force behind bringing the conference to Melbourne, shares about the importance of this event for Melbourne:
The Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Conference Asia Pacific is a crucial platform for illustrating to the industry the opportunities presented by attracting and servicing this important market.
People travelling with accessibility needs already represents over $13 billion in revenue for our national visitor economy. As this market grows in coming years, so too will the value to our sector. It’s imperative that Victoria is seen as leaders in catering for the accessibility requirements of our visitors and works to prepare the industry to cater for this important market.
We are excited to work with the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, a preeminent accessible venue, to deliver a first class event providing knowledge, resources and networks to the tourism industry to improve their accessibility and capitalise on this valuable market. The conference will also showcase event accessibility & inclusion best practices.
Registrations for the Accessible & Inclusive Tourism Conference will open on 12 February 2024 but you can register your interest and be among the first to receive ticketing information.
There are also some fantastic partner and sponsorship offers available, take a look at our Sponsorship Brochure and secure high level visibility for your organisation at this world leading event.
GetAboutAble acknowledges the Aboriginal Communities and Traditional Custodians throughout Australia and we recognise their continued connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to Elders past and present, as we seek to understand their history and learn from their knowledge.