India slow in its journey to accessible tourism

Be it operators or facilities, travel for disabled is tricky

- SUGANDHA MUKHERJEE

WHEN DELHI-BASED Neha Arora (41) was growing up, family holidays were not a given.

Her mother uses a wheelchair, her father is blind, has hearing loss and Parkinson’s disease. As a young professional, she assumed money was the barrier. “I thought once I started earning, I could save and take my parents travelling,” she recalled. “But I realised it wasn’t money that was stopping us, it was the lack of accessibility, facilities, infrastructure for the disabled and elderly, plus societal stigma around disabled people travelling.”

From half-finished ramps at heritage sites to hotels with token 'accessible rooms', India's travel industry has long overlooked travellers with disabilities and seniors. With the country's elderly population projected to surge 41% by 2031, the absence of barrier-free tourism is no longer a niche issue, but a growing economic and social blind spot. As we observe World Tourism Day, hailing the industry and rise of tourism, this is a section that is clearly overlooked.

The gap is vast. The World Health Organization estimates that 15% of the global population lives with some form of disability. India’s official figure is just 2.1% of the population, a number widely regarded as a severe undercount.

AT THE SAME time, the country's elderly population is rising sharply: by 2031, 194 million Indians will be over the age of 60, up 41% from 2021.