Southern Cross Uni has brought the subject of Accessible Tourism into the classroom.
I was recently asked to be a guest lecturer to first-year students as part of the Tourism degree. There were two parts to the request, the first to deliver in person at the Gold Coast campus and the second to record a piece for the online platform. You can view that on YouTube here.
The subject for the day was all about different types of tourists. With accessible tourism being set to make up 25% by 2020 it’s important that this demographic is included in the curriculum. So when I was asked by Professor of Tourism Kevin Markwell to contribute I didn’t hesitate.
It was a day well spent with two groups of engaged students showing a keen interest in this growing market. Many of them were able to relate to the importance of access having members of their family or friends with requirements.
I always enjoy the reaction I get when I talk to people about how some very simple things can make such big differences to people and these students were no exception. I have no doubt these students will take their new found understanding of accessible tourism with them into their future careers.
Professor Markwell hopes to be able to embed the topic of accessible or inclusive tourism into the curriculum in the future, and I look forward to being part of that process.
