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The post Tripseed continues to define progressive social sustainability in Thailand travel appeared first on TD (Travel Daily Media) Travel Daily.

Tripseed, an innovative travel operator and distributor based in Thailand, has launched a range of accessible travel programs and experiences to make visiting the country more inclusive than ever before.

The company’s unique new product range offers specially designed and exclusive tours that are tailored for elderly and disabled travellers. The development of these products and experiences will help those with disabilities overcome barriers to travel, and forms a part of Tripseed’s mission to grow travel back better and make the industry a much more equitable, diverse and inclusive environment.

With Tripseed’s new and exclusive products being designed from the ground up to deliver a wholly uncompromising experience, Tripseed is revolutionising how people with disabilities can explore this beautiful country. “We are committed to growing travel in a direction that is open and welcoming for everyone,” says Tripseed Founder, Ewan Cluckie. “Tripseed has always been about breaking down barriers and creating new opportunities.”

Tripseed’s offerings for accessible travel in Thailand go far beyond the basics of just labelling what accommodation is wheelchair friendly. Extensive accessibility audits have been conducted across properties, tour locations and transportation – to evaluate everything from ramp inclinations, availability of grab bars, manoeuvrability clearance and many other important aspects, to advise agents and partners on the most suitable travel options based on the level of assistance required.

Tripseed stated that this detailed accessibility data is available to their international partners on request, starting today. “It’s important for us to give Tripseed’s partners a first-mover advantage to repay the trust and support they have given to us so far, and so we’ll be making all of our accessibility information, training and consultation available to them privately during our initial launch period, before making more details publicly available at a later date,” says Cluckie.

Going beyond physical disabilities, Tripseed is also offering specialised guides that are trained in American Sign Language (ASL), British Sign Language (BSL) and Thai Sign Language (TSL & MSTSL), as well as guides trained to assist with any other audio-visual impairments.

In addition to Tripseed’s accessibility auditing of existing travel products, the company have also announced a brand-new selection of experiences designed from the ground up to deliver uncompromising accessible variations of top-selling tours. Travellers may now enjoy a thrilling daytime city tour of Bangkok or an evening street food experience in a fully electric Tuk-Tuk, specially outfitted with a built-in wheelchair ramp and unique wheelchair restraint system, a first in the industry. Tripseed has also worked hard to ensure that the tour routing delivers on accessibility as well so that travellers are not met with difficult sidewalks to navigate at each stop.

Travellers may also choose to experience a snorkelling or diving experience alongside a Dive Master fully certified by Disabled Divers International, or a private tour through 200 acres of botanical gardens in a vehicle fully equipped for accessibility, alongside many more specially designed accessible touring options. The majority of these experiences will be made available exclusively through Tripseed and their international travel trade partners.

Moreover, Tripseed has carefully considered accessibility requirements beyond the travellers themselves, and they have prioritised additional development on their website which has enabled them to become over 2x more compliant with WCAG 2.1 standards than their closest competitor within Asia’s DMC landscape, and over 8x more accessible than the average Asia-based DMC website. There are currently no known ADA-compliant websites available within Thailand’s leading DMCs, and Tripseed is confident that it will be the first and only Thailand ground operator that meets ADA compliance standards.

The size of the potential accessible travel market should not be underestimated. The Harris Poll and Open Doors Organisation reported that the disabled travel market in the United States alone was worth $58.7 billion USD during the 2-year period of 2018-2019, with figures based solely on the expenditure of disabled travellers themselves. Realistic estimates put this figure at almost double when considering that most travellers with disabilities will travel with friends, family, or other support. With 15% of the world’s population said to have some form of disability, and an ageing global population, Tripseed believes that providing inclusive access to travelling the world is more important now than ever before, and critical to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Tripseed hopes to drive deeper discussions and engagement around social sustainability practices as they continue to set new standards, and they look forward to working with like-minded businesses who aim to deliver a tangible market differentiation, bringing valuable expertise and knowledge to their client’s holidays that cannot be found elsewhere.

The post Tripseed continues to define progressive social sustainability in Thailand travel appeared first on Travel Daily.

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The post Cruise360 Australasia embraces renewal and opportunities in packed line-up appeared first on TD (Travel Daily Media) Travel Daily.

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has announced details of its upcoming Cruise360 Australasia conference, celebrating cruising’s revival Down Under with a packed program exploring renewal, opportunities, evolution, and authenticity.

Hosted by television and radio presenter James O’Loghlin, this year’s Cruise360 conference will be held in Sydney on August 25, providing the Australasian cruise community with its first opportunity to reunite in more than two years.

The conference will be opened virtually by CLIA Global Chairman and MSC Cruises Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago and will include a keynote address by Uniworld Boutique River Cruises President & CEO Ellen Bettridge.

For the first time, Cruise360 will include the new President of Carnival Australia and P&O Cruises Australia, Marguerite Fitzgerald, joining other cruise line leaders in a state of the industry panel. The conference will also feature CLIA Australasia Chairman and the Vice President & Managing Director of Norwegian Cruise Line APAC, Ben Angell, plus insight from respected Australasian travel agency leaders, cruise line innovators, sales experts and expedition operators.

CLIA Managing Director Australasia Joel Katz said this year’s Cruise360 Australasia conference came at a pivotal time for the region’s cruise sector and would focus on preparing attendees for renewed success.

“More than ever before, Cruise360 Australasia will allow us to reunite around the future and share real insight into the new opportunities emerging from cruising’s global revival,” Mr Katz said. “Every aspect of our program has been designed to give travel agents the edge when it comes to understanding the new landscape we operate in and the evolutions happening in cruise markets.”

Key sessions at Cruise360 Australasia 2022 will include:

State of the Industry – a leaders’ panel session exploring the industry’s renewal and resilience as operations resume in Australasia, with Marguerite Fitzgerald (President, Carnival Australia and P&O Cruises Australia), Gavin Smith (Vice President & Managing Director, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd) and Steve Odell (Senior Vice President & Managing Director Asia Pacific, Regent Seven Seas Cruises & Oceania Cruises).

Opportunities Abound: Making the Most of Cruising’s Revival – a keynote presentation by Ellen Bettridge (President & CEO, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises), exploring the growing opportunities for travel agents through renewed demand, new demographics and market evolutions.

New Age Cruising: The Evolution of Cruise – a panel of cruise line experts discussing new innovations, new concepts and the new expectations of guests, moderated by Jill Abel (Chief Executive Officer, Australian Cruise Association), with Michael Mihajlov (Director, Destination Management, Carnival Australia), Tim Jones (Vice President & Managing Director, Australia & APAC, Celebrity Cruises), Nicole Costantin (Head of Sales, Australia, New Zealand & Asia, Explora
Journeys), Lisa Bolton (General Manager, Product Development, Scenic Cruises and Tours) and Sharon Hando (Director of Sales, Virgin Voyages/Travel the World).

Rebuilding and Looking to the Future – a CLIA travel agent panel confronting the challenges faced by travel agents and foundations for optimism, moderated by Phil Hoffmann (Managing Director, Phil Hoffmann Travel), with Melinda Gregor (Director, Gregor and Lewis Bespoke Travel, Noosa), Jeff Leckey (General Manager Cruise, House of Travel New Zealand), and Roslyn Ranse (Travel Manager, itravel – Live 2 Travel).

Searching for Authenticity: The Growth of Experiential Travel – an expedition cruise panel exploring travellers’ increasing passion for authentic experiences and immersion in nature, moderated by Aaron Russ (General Manager, Wild Earth Travel, and Commercial Director, Heritage Expeditions), with Mick Fogg (Director of Expeditions & Destination Development APAC, Ponant), Jeff Gillies (Commercial Director, Coral Expeditions), Annie Inglis (Marine
Biologist, Quark Expeditions), and Steve McLaughlin (Director of Sales APAC, Aurora Expeditions).

Other sessions will be announced soon.

Cruise360 Australasia will be held at the Hyatt Regency Sydney on Thursday August 25, 2022, and will include the Cruise360 Trade Show with more than 40 exhibitors. This year’s Cruise360 Australasia will also feature a new industry-wide welcome cocktail party on the night of Wednesday August 24, open to all conference delegates.

The post Cruise360 Australasia embraces renewal and opportunities in packed line-up appeared first on Travel Daily.

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The post Malta safest destination for LGBTQ+ holiday-makers appeared first on TD (Travel Daily Media) Travel Daily.

To find out which holiday hotspots are the safest for LGBTQ+ people, Merchant Machine has analysed metrics such as the level of protection against LGBTQ+ hate crime and speech, and gay marriage laws.

Some of its key findings include:

• Malta is the safest holiday destination fo LGBTQ+ holiday makers

• The UK is the 9th safest holiday destination for LGBTQ+ people

• The most dangerous holiday destination for LGBTQ+ people is Russia

Malta tops LGBTQ+ travel list

Malta comes out on top as the safest destination for LGBTQ+ holiday makers. The Mediterranean island country has an LGBTQ+ travel safety index of 369, which after Canada is the second best figure for this metric out of every country.

The UK Ranks as the 9th Safest Holiday Destination for LGBTQ+ Travellers. The UK comes in 9th in Merchant Machine’s analysis of the safest holiday destinations for LGBTQ+ people.

This country has the sixth highest score in our analysis for the LGBTQ+ travel safety index with 346, and has a travel security risk rating of 1, which is considered to be low risk.

Top 10 safest countries for LGBTQ+ holiday-Makers

Top 5 most dangerous countries for LGBTQ+ Holiday-Makers

The post Malta safest destination for LGBTQ+ holiday-makers appeared first on Travel Daily.

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