The first-ever Accessible Holiday Show will be held on 7th and 8th October 2005 at Stoke Mandeville Stadium, located in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. The new exhibition is set to be the largest of its type in the UK - designed to address the varying requirements of the disabled holidaymaker.
The show is organised by Accessible Travel and Leisure, a leading specialist independent tour operator providing package and custom-designed holidays for people with disabilities. It has already attracted over 40 exhibitors from the UK, Europe, South Africa and Florida.
All tourism sectors are well represented and amongst those taking a stand are the Mar Y Sol Apart hotel in Tenerife, the largest provider of adapted studios and apartments in Europe; Sirens Resort, a purpose-built adapted complex in Greece and Enjoy Tours, which offers accessible tours and cruises in Egypt, and Oberon Adventures, providing a comprehensive range of services for disabled travellers in Cyprus including tours and equipment rental.
Other exhibitors include P&O / Princess / Cunard, Radisson Seven Seas Cruises, Silversea Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Lines. Grooms Holidays, a company that promotes UK-based hotels catering for disabled people, a selection of equipment rental and accessible excursion companies, plus airlines and airport assistance providers will also be attending.
The free entry show is open to anyone involved with organising holidays for people with disabilities. This includes individuals with disabilities, families with disabled members, and groups, for example, wheelchair rugby, football, or basketball teams.