Tourism designed for individuals, not the masses
New PD candidate, Veroniek Maat, is committed to improving accessibility in travel
With the Christmas break almost upon us, many people’s thoughts are turning towards a carefree getaway. But for people with disabilities it can be far from carefree. The degree of accessibility at the destination, the accommodation, and transportation are all aspects that they have to take into account. For many years Veroniek Maat ran a travel agency and worked on improving accessibility and inclusion. She’s now taken it a step further by doing a professional doctorate (PD) on the subject.
Veroniek studied tourism at Wageningen University in the Netherlands and was able to do an internship in New Zealand. While she was there, she met a professor who was researching accessibility in the field of tourism, which made her question why this topic wasn’t covered in her own studies. “People with disabilities are often confronted with a double burden. They face obstacles while travelling, and there is little information available about accessibility during the journey and at the destination. It makes them unsure about what they can expect.” On her return to the Netherlands, the issue really bothered her. She wrote blogs about it and set-up a specialised travel agency called Accessible Travel Netherlands.
An obligation to be more inclusive
After ten years, Veroniek decided to transfer her company to another travel agency. Now, as a PD candidate at Inholland University of Applied Sciences, her current mission is to encourage the travel industry to improve accessibility. “There are two types of travel companies,” she explains. “Some are specialists who focus exclusively on bespoke travel requirements, while others are regular travel agents who offer very little in this area.
And between the two is a sizeable gap in which people struggle with relatively expensive custom and accessible travel options. I intend to raise awareness in the mainstream travel industry about a moral and legal obligation they have to be more inclusive. After all, it also makes economic sense to make travel more inclusive, because now many potential travellers are simply staying at home.”
National policy
The objective of Veroniek’s PD research is to make the mindset and offering of mainstream travel companies more inclusive and to help specialised providers to professionalize. “Stronger collaboration between both types of travel companies is key to closing the service gap for people with disabilities Veroniek has several interventions in mind that could help her achieve her objective. “At a macro level it’s about national policy, in which I am focusing on, among others, the Netherlands’ Ministry of Economic Affairs and the ANVR, which is the country’s travel-sector association.”
Starting from the current academic year, the profile of the Tourism Management programme has been adapted to also take in regenerative, smart, and inclusive tourism.
Travel agents and travellers
Together with the ANVR’s Platform Aangepaste Vakanties (Adapted Holidays Platform), Veroniek is collaborating with several travel agents to raise awareness and create educational tools, e-learnings for example. She is also committed to supporting knowledge sharing between the specialized accessible travel agents. “And it goes without saying, of course, that I am also focusing on the travellers themselves,” she assures. “Creating a learning community , I am addressing individual travel challenges and emotions towards travelling and the travel industry.”
Adapted programme
Students in Inholland’s Tourism Management programme will also play a part in Veroniek’s research. “From this academic year onwards, the programme has been updated to include regenerative, smart, and inclusive tourism. Students can follow guest lectures from sector specialists and join field trips where they assess accessibility at locations such as hostels or event venues. These experiences not only deepen their awareness but also give them practical skills they can carry into their future careers — or use to highlight accessibility gaps within the industry.”
Too many people are insufficiently aware of the challenges faced by people with disabilities. But once you have seen them, they cannot be unseen.
Systemic co-design
Working for the New Urban Tourism research group, Veroniek is developing a book aimed at raising awareness among professionals by offering practical tools to create accessible travel options. “The book an intervention in itself,” she explains, “and its impact is something I intend to investigate as part of my PD research.”
Her research approach is rooted in design thinking: she begins by defining the core problem, then develops and tests interventions with the stakeholders involved. “It’s also an example of systemic co-design — one in which, within a learning community of policymakers, travel agents, and people with disabilities, we address issues at the macro, organizational, and individual levels.”
Individuals, not the masses
The fact that she is bringing together a diverse group of people in the learning community can also be seen as an intervention — as well as a step toward raising awareness. “Too many people remain unaware of the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities. But once you have seen them, they cannot be unseen. My greatest hope is that the ongoing transition in tourism will place greater focus on individuals rather than the masses. Accessible travel for everyone is an essential part of exactly that.”
Inholland is strengthening the links between education, research, and professional practice. Professional doctorates (PD), a new form of practically oriented doctoral research that can be followed after obtaining a master’s degree from a university of applied sciences (HBO) - are fuelling this process. By investing in PD candidates, we are extending both the breadth and depth of our research. This will ensure that our students are even better informed about the latest developments in professional practice, and improve the alignment of our research and education with the needs of the labour market. All of which is fully in line with Inholland’s mission.
Inholland is participating in several themes in a national pilot programme for professional doctorates. Use the search criteria “PD” on our website to discover what our candidates are currently working on.