Make Yourself at Home: Inclusive tourism training

Welcoming tourists with disabilities

Tourism businesses know that a warm welcome turns new customers into repeat customers. There are 14 million disabled people in the UK with a spending power of £249 billion. When disabled visitors find a place they feel welcome, they return and they spread the word about their good experiences.

Embrace the Inclusive Spirit: Inclusive Tourism Programme

Welcoming disabled visitors makes business sense. We’re working with our tourism partners Visit Belfast, Tourism Northern Ireland and Titanic Belfast to create an inclusive tourism programme, Embrace the Inclusive Spirit.

The programme aims to:

• promote the value of inclusive tourism and
• provide support to tourism businesses to help them become more accessible for visitors with disabilities.

The Embrace the Inclusive Spirit programme is free and includes:

• Inclusive Tourism Training (link opens in new window) in confident communication with disabled customers
• Five videos on Accessibility in Belfast (link opens in new window) where Talia, Lorcan, Margaret, Darren and Bernice share their accessible experiences at various Belfast locations
• Living Library events

For more information on accessibility in Belfast, email [email protected].

Communication with disabled customers

Have an honest conversation about what your customers need and what you can do. This approach can overcome most barriers. It's an important step you can take to create inclusion, attract customers and retain customers.

We offer free, fun and practical training to help your business make changes in the way you communicate so that you can give the best possible service to disabled customers. 

Videos on confident communication

We offer free, fun and practical training to help your business make changes in the way you communicate so that you can give the best possible service to disabled customers.

Be Communication Confident training session one

This video plays for five minutes and 24 seconds.

Be Communication Confident training session two

This video plays for six minutes and 24 seconds.

Be Communication Confident

This video plays for 15 minutes and 57 seconds.

Resources for accessible communications

Each external link opens in a new window.

• To read information on using language that matches the social model of disability, go to Disability Rights UK.
• To read information on communicating with people with hearing loss, go to RNID.
• To read information on Sign Language users, go to British Deaf Association.
• To read information on communicating with people with sight loss or visual impairment, go to RNIB or Angel Eyes NI.
• To read information on communicating with people who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), go to MonTech.
• To read information on communicating with autistic people, go to National Autistic Society. 
• To read information on inclusive arts, go to Open Arts. 

Sign Language interpreters

To book a registered British Sign Language or Irish Sign Language interpreter, go to NRCPD (link opens in new window).

Audio describers

To book an audio describer to give people with sight loss access to a live performance, go to NI Sight Lines (link opens in new window) or go to Audio Description Directory (link opens in new window).

Accessibility guide for your business

For information on how to create an accessibility guide, go to Visit Britain (link opens in new window).

Web accessibility

For information on web accessibility standards, go to WCAG Web accessibility initiative (link opens in new window).

Read our web accessibility statement. 

Just a minute cards

Just a minute (JAM) cards help businesses support people with hidden disabilities or communication barriers. To read about JAM cards, go to JAM card for business (link opens in new window).

Captions for a live performance

For information on captioning a live performance for people who are deaf, deafened or hard of hearing, go to Theatre and Dance NI (link opens in new window).

Accessible venues

To search for accessible venues in Belfast, go to AccessAble (link opens in new window).

Inclusive Tourism Vouchers

About inclusive tourism

Making your business more inclusive for disabled people is not only the right thing to do. It makes good business sense. 

There are 14 million disabled people in the UK with a spending power of £249 billion. When disabled visitors find a place where they feel welcome, they spend money, they come again, and they spread the word. 

Our inclusive tourism programme provides support for tourism businesses to help them become more inclusive. 

About the inclusion vouchers

The purpose of the inclusion vouchers is to help tourism businesses invest in services and small items of equipment that can help them become more inclusive. 

Who can apply

• Businesses, charities, social enterprises and sole entrepreneurs can all apply. 
• Your business must be based in the Belfast City Council local government district. 
• Your services must be used by visitors – that is people who do not live or work in Belfast and who are visiting the city for leisure or business purposes.

What you can apply for 

• You must use the voucher to buy services or equipment that can help your business be more inclusive of disabled visitors. For example: 
  • Staff training 
  • An access audit 
  • Updating your website or marketing materials 
  • New signage 
  • Sensory packs 
  • Other solutions to make your business more inclusive
• Your proposed supplier must be able to provide the work as described, to a high quality and within usual market prices. 
• If you are unsure about where to look for the product or service you need,  you find some inspiration in our suppliers directory. This list is not exhaustive, and other suppliers are available. 
• You must use the supplier you name in your application form. 
• You cannot use your voucher on capital expenditure – that is the cost of buying physical assets for long-term use, such as buildings, land, vehicles and so on.

How we will award the vouchers

• We award vouchers on a first-come, first-served basis. This means we will close the scheme when the budget runs out. 
• Vouchers can be for any amount up to £500.  
• Vouchers will be paid to you on receipt of a supplier’s invoice and evidence of the work having been delivered. This could be a report, photographs, endorsements from visitors or similar.
• Vouchers must be claimed within six months of being awarded. 

Apply

Apply for an Inclusive Tourism Voucher (link opens in new window)

How to get help and support 

If you have any questions, need further support or would like the guidance notes and application form in another format, email [email protected].