From the intro to an in-depth story in
The Media Line, a Middle East news source:
When four-time Paralympian and world traveler Sharon Myers entered her handicap-accessible suite in Dubai's world-renowned Burj Jumeriah Hotel on a visit four years ago, she was amazed. It was the most luxurious room she had ever seen. Myers had no problems accessing the suite's second floor on the elevator, no difficulty getting through the widened doors, and the bathroom's roll-in shower, she says, was not only fully accessible, but it was absolutely gorgeous – covered in blue and turquoise tiles – the most elegant she had ever seen.
There was just one hitch – there was no bench in the shower, a must-have for any fully wheelchair accessible bathroom. And while Myers was able to travel between major sights and attractions, the windows of the van she was transported in were far too low for someone seated in a wheelchair to see out of, preventing her from viewing the skyline and the buzzing city around her.
These glitches may have been minor, but they occurred in one of the few destinations in the Middle East actively seeking to attract this growing segment of the tourism market – a regional "frontrunner" in terms of accessibility.
With disabled or special needs individuals representing one out of every 10 people, the purchase power of this population can make billions of dollars of difference in the tourism market.
"On the economic side, ignoring the needs of this segment of tourists means the sector loses out not just on the 30 million special needs tourists [in the Arab world], but an equal number, if not more, of those who accompany them," according to Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of the Dubai Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) at the Third International Tourism Development Forum for People with Special Needs in the Middle East, held in Dubai. "For the Middle East's tourism industry as a whole, this translates into a loss of $3 billion annually."
"The world of tourism has to really and truly account for this group of people," says Stephen Mydanick, director for corporate affairs at the Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality (SATH).
The disabled population in the United States accounts for $250 billion in discretionary income, he says, a U.S Census Department figure that should have tourism operators' eyes lighting up. More than 20 million people with disabilities in the U.S. have traveled at least once in the past two years for leisure purposes, according to Harris Interactive.
Dubai is one destination that is certainly catching on, says Mydanick, who takes the concept of disabilities very seriously. It even has the potential, says Myers, to be an example to the world of what full accessibility can be like.
In other countries in the Middle East, however, where disabled travelers and tourism industry representatives say it is difficult for even an "average person" to get around, a traveler with special needs faces serious challenges.
From the intro to an in-depth story in The Media Line, a Middle East news source: