Accessibility
From Green Flag parks and award-winning beaches to accessible coastal experiences - including Groomsport, one of Northern Ireland’s few fully accessible beaches (seasonal) - we’re committed to making our outdoors open to all.
For accessibility information, head to AccessAble.co.uk (AccessAble - Your Accessibility Guide). Their detailed guides give you the information you need to decide whether a location meets your access requirements.
Groomsport Beach is one of the five Inclusive Beaches in Northern Ireland
The Mae Murray Foundation in partnership with Ards and North Down Borough Council work together on Groomsport Beach, so that people of all ages and abilities can be included and can enjoy their surrounds to the fullest. Read more
Booking is essential. To find out what equipment is available and how you can book, go to maemurrayfoundation.org
Are you open for business .... for everyone?
Businesses have a moral obligation but also a legal duty to anticipate – and give due consideration to - the needs of all people and understand the challenges of access that many disabled and less able people face when using our services.
An inclusive and accessible business is one that is equally open to all potential customers, including the approximately 400,000 / 24% of people in Northern Ireland who have a disability. This is not a niche market - providing better access means that your business is more welcoming to everyone.
Enabling customers with disabilities, carers and people of all ages to access your services will widen your customer base. The market for inclusive and accessible tourism is growing as can be seen by the value of the purple pound (the spending power of disabled households.) It is estimated that by 2025 more than a third of the UK’s population will be over 55 years old (Source: VisitBritain). Today’s elderly visitors are more active and better off than previous generations; there is a correlation between age and disability. Be prepared for the future.
Tourism NI Support
Tourism NI has recently launched a new Inclusive & Accessible Tourism Toolkit, which you can view and download here. It provides ‘quick win’ practical hints and tips, as well as longer term aspirational goals, relating to physical and digital design, and business operations.
To complement the launch in April 2025, they also ran a useful industry workshop, with knowledgeable and experienced speakers. You can find all the presentations from the day online here.
For a full range of support and advice in relation to Inclusive and Accessible Tourism visit tourismni.com/accessibility.
Access to Tourism NI's Inclusive & Accessible Tourism Training Modules is also available on their dedicated E-Learning Platform MyTourismNI.
A series of Inclusive Tourism Training modules can also be viewed here: Inclusive Tourism Training Videos.
You can also check out useful webinars focusing on embracing the Disability Discrimination Act for: holiday accommodation and visitor attractions and experiences. Plus specific guidance is available in relation to:
Equality NI
Equality NI gives guidance to employers and service providers about their obligations under the law and good practice. They have published 3 steps to success with 'Every Customer Counts': Policy; Audit and Action. They also have a great range of practical guidance documents and case studies to promote accessible service plus useful links.
Guidance from other tourism bodies
Visit Britain provides extensive business advice on how to make your business accessible and inclusive. They have also developed an extensive set of guides to enhance their support for travellers with a range of accessibility requirements, both when considering a trip within Britain and when already on our shores. The guides showcase useful links and practical information alongside inspirational experiences and attractions which cater to those with accessibility needs. There is a specific regional guide for Northern Ireland. Updates on their accessibility information initiatives can be found here.
Additional Guidance
Check out Tourism for All - the voice of accessible tourism and travel in the UK's - top tips and checklists for businesses.
Free publicity opportunities
Euan's Guide
"The aim of Euan's Guide is to empower disabled people by providing information that will give confidence and choices for getting out and about.“ List your venue on Euan's Guide and browse their tips and resources.
My Way Access
The My Way Access review is built by disabled people, for disabled people. You can see reviews before travelling and leave reviews too.
