Minister for Disability Issues Tariana Turia has drawn attention to ‘access tourism’ as a potentially lucrative yet often neglected market.

Speaking at an industry conference at AUT University today, Ms Turia described access tourism –which caters to people with disabilities and to the elderly – as the “fastest growing sector overseas.”

“And yet access tourism has been a neglected sector in New Zealand – to our distinct disadvantage,” she said.

Sandra Rhodda, a senior researcher at Auckland University of Technology's Tourism Research Institute, is reported to have said last week that New Zealand is “lagging behind the rest of the world” on research and development of access tourism opportunities.

She estimated that 10-20% of New Zealand’s traditional and new tourism report a disability – a proportion expected to grow over the next 20 years as the baby boomer population ages.

According to a Leeds University study published this month, Americans with disabilities have been estimated to spend an average total of $13.6 billion per year on travel.

A 2004 study showed that nearly half of Germans with disabilities would travel more frequently if more accessible facilities were available.

It has also been suggested that elderly and disabled tourists are more loyal to visited destinations than the average tourist and are more likely to travel during low seasons.

Ms Turia pledged today to sponsor recommendations on the further development of New Zealand’s access tourism market through to the appropriate minister for action.

Tourism New Zealand could not be reached for comment by press time.