Episode 390: Making Travel an Inclusive Experience for Everyone, with Lakshmee Lachhman-Persad

On this episode of Destination on the Left, I talk with Lakshmee Lachhman-Persad, accessible destination marketer and board member of NYC Tourism + Conventions, who explains why it’s so important to create inclusive experiences for everyone with disabilities, whether visible or invisible. Lakshmee shares specific actions that any destination or attraction can take now to make themselves more accessible and provides practical advice on becoming more welcoming to people with a wide range of abilities.

What You Will Learn in This Episode:

• How destinations can create a great inclusive experience for all their visitors
• Why visible representation for people with disabilities is crucial in marketing campaigns
• What destination marketers can do to engage with local disability advocates for a better understanding of barriers and challenges within their cities
• How businesses and DMOs can create an inclusive internal culture to support employees with disabilities
• Why the social justice movement has influenced the way destinations think about welcoming visitors
• Upcoming projects and collaborations Lakshmee has planned to showcase inclusivity in travel

Engaging with Local Disability Advocates for Inclusive Destinations

Lakshmee advises destination marketers to actively engage with local disability advocates to better understand their cities’ barriers and challenges. She emphasizes the significance of learning from locals’ experiences and the idea of providing positive experiences for all visitors, regardless of their abilities.

Lakshmee goes on to shed light on the size and value of the disabled population as a market segment within the travel and tourism industry—and why understanding this is a crucial step towards recognizing the needs of this demographic and tailoring travel experiences to be inclusive and accessible.

Creating an Inclusive Internal Culture for Employees with Disabilities

We dig into why travel and tourism businesses and Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) should foster an inclusive internal culture that supports employees with disabilities. Lakshmee stresses the importance of both internal culture and marketing representation, as well as providing accessible information externally. She highlights the lack of widespread knowledge about disability inclusion, the challenges of finding accessible facilities in the community, and how the social justice movement has significantly influenced the discourse around disability inclusion and accessibility.

A Holistic Approach to Inclusivity and Collaboration

Lakshmee shares her experience as a NYC Tourism + Conventions board member and discusses the importance of collaborating with various organizations to showcase inclusivity and accessibility for people with disabilities. We talk more about the need for a deeper and more sophisticated inclusivity work, moving beyond performative actions.

Resources:

• Website: www.accessibletravelnyc.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lakshmeelachhmanpersad/

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