Travel – Eazilee

Accessible tourism has been getting increasing attention of late as cities begin to take notice of the growing economic benefits of catering to travellers with a disability. Research suggests that 88% of Australians with a disability travel each year accounting for over 8 million overnight trips. In the UK over 12 Billion pounds and in the USA over 13 million USD is injected into the economy by travellers with a disability per annum. Innovation in tourism is at the forefront of making cities more accessible to ensure all travellers can experience the sights, sounds and flavours on offer. We recently connected with Samanta Bullock, adaptive clothing entrepreneur, model and paraolympian to learn about her recent adventures travelling Qatar with “Sarah” a virtual travel companion and 5G enabled Smart Wheelchair, part of a collaboration between Wheel the World, Ooredoo and Qatar Tourism to support accessible travellers in the country.

Accessible Qatar aims to provide the disabled community instant information about public and touristic venues accessibility through a smartphone application and website. It combines expertly-audited data and user reviews and ratings, giving the disabled community the confidence to explore the region.

Qatar’s first smart wheelchair that is 5G-enabled and compatible with Google Assistant helps users identify areas and tourist destinations that are inclusive and accessible. “Sarah” the virtual assistant is accessed via google assistant and answers accessibility questions about Qatar and other locations in the country.

According to Samanta “It was an amazing experience to discover such a magical place. For me, it was love at first sight”. Visitors to Qatar can book the smart wheelchair prior to arriving in the country at https://qatar.gowheeltheworld.com.

When not travelling the globe Samanta is a champion of accessible and inclusive fashion starting her own online adaptive clothing store “SB“, providing comfortable and fashionable universal designed clothes with the focus on inclusion. You can also follow her on instagram at @samantabullock