Disabled-friendly Accommodation Worldwide
Asia’s leading online travel agency (OTA) Agoda.com has announced the results of its most recent Travel Smarts study that shows the U.S.A. has the highest percentage of handicapped accessible hotels.
The study that reviewed data from the more than 600,000 hotels sold online by Agoda.comand found that 77% of U.S. hotels offered facilities for guests with disabilities.
Coming is at a “distant second” were hotels in the United Arab Emirates, Ireland, and Portugal where fifty-five percent of the hotels in each of those countries providing handicapped facilities.
Top 10 Countries with Highest Percent of Accessible Accommodations
United States 77%
United Arab Emirates 55%
Ireland 55%
Portugal 55%
New Zealand 54%
Mauritius 53%
Italy 52%
Norway 52%
Puerto Rico 51%
Israel 49%
“We are pleased to see so many hotels offering facilities for guests with disabilities since making travel more accessible is what Agoda.com is all about,” said John Brown, Agoda.com’s Chief Operating Officer.
The Agoda.com study found local laws and regulations, the type of visitors who come to a destination and the age of accommodation were chief determinates in whether or not a hotel was handicap-friendly. Abu Dhabi, a destination that has undergone a recent building boom, shows 90% of its hotels feature handicap facilities. Another interesting result showed that destinations popular for religious pilgrimages enjoy higher accessibility ratings. Fatima, Portugal and Lourdes, France have disabled accessibility rates of more than 60%.
Asian destination dud not rate among the top ten for handicapped travelers. Singapore ranked highest among Asia destinations earning the 18th place overall with 40% of its hotel accessible for handicapped travelers.
No Asian countries made the top 10 list. Singapore was the highest-ranking Asian country, coming in 18th place overall with 40% of its hotels on Agoda.com offering facilities for guests with disabilities. Other countries in Asia didn’t fare as well. Five of the ten destinations at the bottom of the list were in that region.
Countries with Lowest Percent of Accessible Accommodations
Uruguay 10%
Vietnam 9%
Nepal 8%
Thailand 8%
Azerbaijan 8%
Cambodia 8%
Bolivia 8%
Georgia 8%
Montenegro 7%
Laos 1%
SE Asia Countries Percentage of Hotels with Handicap Facilities
Singapore 40%
Philippines 15%
Malaysia 14%
Indonesia 11%
Vietnam 9%
Thailand 8%
Cambodia 8%
Laos 1%
Indonesian cities
Breaking it down to a per city bases in Indonesia:
Jakarta 17%
Surabaya 15%
Solo (Surakarta) 14%
Semarang 12%
Batam Island 11%
Yogyakarta 11%
Bogor 10%
Bandung 9%
Medan 9%
Puncak 8%
Malang 8%
Bali 7%
Makassar 6%
Lombok 6%
Manado 5%
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