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.