New figures for 2009 released by VisitEngland from the UK Tourism Survey show that overnight trips made by people who either have or are accompanied by someone with a health condition or impairment contributed almost £2bn to the English domestic visitor economy in 2009.  This highlights the economic importance of this travelling sector to the tourism industry.

Over 11 million such trips were made last year, equating to 11% of the total volume of domestic overnight tourism in England.  Trips by this group tend to be longer than average and as a result their spend per trip is higher.

James Berresford, Chief Executive VisitEngland, says "Over a quarter of Britons have a long-standing health problem or disability. Access is high on VisitEngland’s agenda and is a key element of England’s new Strategic Framework for Tourism which looks to grow the value of tourism in England.  It is vital that our tourism industry is in a position to cater for specific needs of anyone travelling with a health condition or impairment.  VisitEngland will be leading the industry to implement a programme to improve accessibility for disabled visitors."

He goes on to say: "Tourism businesses should view accessibility in its broadest sense, as fundamentally it is about understanding and catering for the individual needs of all visitors and in doing so providing a high quality and memorable experience which in turn will generate repeat bookings and visitor loyalty."