Accessibility Support Programme
The latest business support offering from Visit Worcestershire.
A fully-funded programme for tourism businesses in Worcestershire to improve accessibility.
The ‘Accessible Tourism’ market in the UK is estimated to be worth a staggering £14.6 million, with 1 in 4 visitors likely to have accessibility requirements. However, many businesses are unsure how to tap into this huge market or feel that doing so will be complicated or costly. As a result, many are currently missing out and may even be inadvertently turning valuable business away.
Yet, at its heart, being more accessible is really all about doing what visitor economy businesses already do best: making everybody welcome and demonstrating to each and every visitor that ‘we know you, we understand you and we value you’. It is simply a case of broadening how we think about this and understanding the many small, often simple, changes that can make a big difference.
This support programme will equip businesses with the skills, knowledge and confidence to make those changes, helping to grow visitor numbers, increase profitability, improve customer satisfaction and enhance their local communities.
Benefits of taking part include:
- Fully funded training which will equip key staff members to champion accessibility and train other staff and volunteers
- Tailored site visits and review of their venue’s accessibility and creation of a prioritised improvement plan
- access to specialist 1 to 1 support
- access to supporting resources such as accessibility guides and a digital handbook
- £1,000 to help fund initial improvements
With VisitEngland’s ambition to be the most accessible destination in the world, and with around 16% of the world’s population (according to the World Health Organisation) having some form of disability or accessibility need it is vital to play a part in supporting that vision – ensuring a Worcestershire welcome is open to all. Visit Worcestershire is leading the way, supporting its businesses to play a key role in making that vision a reality through this innovative new programme.
Expressions of Interest can be submitted from October 2025 and the deadline to submit the EOI will be Friday 16th January 2026.
If you have any questions or require further information, please email visitworcestershire@worcestershire.gov.uk
Supporting Resources - VisitEngland Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Toolkit for Businesses | VisitBritain.org