Tourism Students Assess Accessibility In Poland
12 April 2007
Sarah visiting the Wieliczka Salt Mine.
At home I am very independent, whereas in Poland I have had to rely on the help of others, which has been difficult at times.
”Travel and Tourism Management student Sarah Robinson.
Cheap flights, affordable accommodation and new ‘emerging’ tourist destinations are opening up more travel opportunities than ever before. But what is it like for disabled travellers? And what ‘extra’ factors need to be taken into consideration when planning a trip to places where accessibility isn’t always guaranteed?
Travel and Tourism Management students at the University of Derby Buxton have just returned from a trip to Poland where they learned first hand about obstacles faced by disabled travellers and how tourism professionals can prepare – and how they can manage challenging situations.
For one of the students the issue was particularly relevant. Sarah Robinson, 21, from Chapel-en-le-Frith near Buxton, uses a wheelchair and so cannot be as mobile as her fellow students on the course. Before travelling to Poland, Sarah worked on planning the trip with their guide Asia Alder, a lecturer in Travel and Tourism and a PhD student in the department.
Before the trip, Asia said: “I think the students may be in for a surprise when they see the reality of what it is like to be a wheelchair user. Everyday obstacles are often taken for granted: for example, the 15 stairs that will divide Sarah from the restaurant area where breakfast is served and to which there is no ramp or lift.
“Sarah and I surveyed the other students’ views on how accessible Poland might be before we set off. Initially the majority of them felt there would be few issues facing Sarah as a wheelchair user in Poland,” said Asia, who originally came from Poland to study at Derby and then joined the University as a member of staff.
Many students assumed that, as a member of the EU, cities in Poland would comply with official legislation on disabled access and the built environment. Claire Jackson said: “I don’t think that disability is such a huge problem when thinking about the lack of access there once was; especially in cities.”
The historic city of Krakow was identified as one place where Sarah might have difficulty getting into places. “Going to the pubs or bars that are in the cellars of buildings could pose an issue,” thought fellow student Alison Fox, 23. She also predicted getting about and keeping up with their busy schedule might be more tiring for Sarah.
This visit to Poland was a real eye-opener for everyone. By approaching it being especially aware of Sarah’s special requirements, the group was able to look at the whole experience in a different way. “All the students felt their expectations of accessibility in Poland and the actual experiences did not match,” said Asia.
Compared to the UK, Poland was much less accessible to wheelchair users. Some places were naturally accessible or access had been created, but others were not accessible at all.
Students didn’t expect the problems they encountered. One felt things should be more accessible because Poland is in the EU. “The centre of Krakow has a few accessible restaurants and pubs but the majority were inaccessible. Considering Poland is in the EU, I am very surprised by this!”
In its resolution of 21 May 2002 on the future of European tourism, the Council called on the Commission, the Member States and other interested parties to step up their efforts to facilitate accessibility to tourist sites for disabled people, but suitable regulations have yet to be agreed.
Despite weeks of careful planning and frequent communications with the hotel where they would be staying, they could not predict and plan for everything. Students were able to experience and appreciate the impact lack of accessibility had on the whole group as well as on Sarah. Additional time was needed to get on and off the minibus.
“They learnt a great lesson about tourism planning,” said Asia, “You can plan everything very well but you only need a small thing to go wrong or be missing for it to become a problem.” During the first night at their hotel in Krakow, the lift failed to work and much effort by staff had to go into finding Sarah a room in another hotel.
The students were able to see the issue unfold and learn from it as a way to manage a difficult system. Hotel staff were extremely accommodating for the rest of the stay, but the incident caused inconvenience and embarrassment for everyone.
The visit took in many renowned destinations on the Polish tourist trail, such as Auschwitz, the Wieliczka Salt Mine and Zakopane in the Tatra mountains, to name just a few. The beautiful and historic city of Krakow is fast becoming a popular destination to rival Prague and it was the first place they visited.
Krakow is a historic city; its Old Town is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. “Access in Krakow was somewhat of a problem because of cobbles, steps and curbs,” said Sarah. “At home I am very independent, whereas in Poland I have had to rely on the help of others, which has been difficult at times.”
Another highlight of the trip was the chance to view the tunnels, caverns and subterranean lakes of the famous World Heritage registered Wieliczka Salt Mine just outside Krakow.
The mine has been worked for 900 years and the salt miners have carved intricate figures and ornamentation with great skill in the crystalline salt. Many figures have religious themes. Some caverns are ornate chapels in their own right.
Students felt this attraction had made several adjustments to accommodate wheelchair users, though Sarah's experience was not the same as for the rest of the group. Wheelchair users can only visit one level of the Wieliczka Salt Mine; whereas, non-disabled people can visit two.
“The Salt Mine had made as much of the attraction accessible for wheelchair users as they could,” said one student, “even though it was still quite limited and Sarah did not get the full experience.”
The students have spent the past two years learning about the business of tourism, marketing and customer relationship management, aspects of geography, heritage and culture, and the impact of tourism on local economies and society. This ‘Destination Studies’ trip brought many of those theories to life.
“This has been an excellent experience for the students,” said Asia. “I am sure it will have provided them all with great awareness, appreciation and understanding of disabled customers, whether they choose to work in tourism or in any other industry in the future.”
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For further media information call: Simon Butt, Press and PR Officer at the University of Derby, on 07748 920023 or 01332 591891, or email s.butt@derby.ac.uk.
