Travel tech startup tackles blind spot in tourism
Brisbane-based travel tech startup Vacayit is using the power of audio to make trip planning and in-person holiday experiences easy and inclusive.
The award winning app has been recognised at the World Tourism Forum Lucerne, the Australian Government’s Accelerator for Enterprising Women, and through key partnerships with leaders in the disability industry like Choice Passion Life.
Before now, tourism marketing has been predominantly imagery, precluding a large percentage of the population. Vacayit is a one-stop travel platform that can be used to plan a holiday or as an audio tour guide for more than 575,000 Australians who are blind or have low vision.
CEO and Founder, Hailey Brown who conceived the idea at the start of 2020, said that it is an essential and long overdue step forward in making tourism content accessible.
“This marks the beginning of an evolution in destination marketing, shifting away from imagery and toward audio, and we are so incredibly proud to be leading the charge. When you build a product with accessibility-first, it is a product built for everyone. That’s what we did and will continue to do by building a user-first product and encouraging feedback.
“This is just the start of what we are hoping to achieve. We plan to expand Vacayit’s in-depth audio guides globally over the coming years, as well as integrate user-generated content.”
Features
The Vacayit app is designed with accessibility features, including high-contrast display, voice and text search, audio content and has screen reader compatibility. There is a transcript function for each of the audio clips so that you can consume content by listening, or reading.
More accessibility enhancements such as map navigation will be launched in the coming months.
Destinations
The featured audio guides were developed in partnership with Destination Marketing Organisations across Australian states. Each location features guides combining history and stories to enhance the listener’s sensory experiences.
The app will be launched in 9 regions across Australia. These are: Bundaberg, Gladstone, Tropical North Queensland, Murray River, Lakes and Coorong, Perth, Ballarat, Grampians, Yarra Valley & Dandenong Ranges and Central Coast. You can expect to see a new region launched each week, with stories from 7 regions in Tasmania, Brisbane, The Whitsundays, Adelaide, McLaren Vale, Fremantle, Melbourne, Bendigo coming soon.
Over 50 experiences from Tourism Tasmania will be launched on the platform in the coming months. CEO, John Fitzgerald said using audio created rich and engaging storytelling was a great, inclusive way to connect with visitors.
“Inclusive tourism is a key focus area for Tourism Tasmania and our tourism industry, so we are thrilled to partner with Vacayit on audio stories to help make travel more inclusive for blind and low-vision visitors,’’ he said.
“In a digital-led world, our marketing efforts are focussed on enabling greater connection to Tasmania through a range of mediums. Using audio for rich and engaging storytelling is another great way to connect with customers and inspire them to experience all of the wonderful travel experiences our island state has to offer.”
Key leaders within the industry has also emphasised the importance of accessible tourism. Tourism Australia’s Managing Director, Phillipa Harrison, said accessible tourism is a growing area of focus for the organisation and they looked forward to working with the industry to support more initiatives like Vacayit.
“We are excited to witness Vacayit take the step forward and open a new chapter on accessible tourism for the blind and low-vision community,” she said. “It is one of many steps to ensure tourist destinations, products and services are accessible to everyone.
Why is this necessary?
Henry MacPhillamy, an avid traveller who is blind and was there at Vacayit’s ideation, spoke on how travel will become more inclusive. “The ways of describing experiences and choosing a destination, or thinking about new places to visit, suddenly become much more inclusive,’’ he said.
“If I can access as much information about the new place as possible, that helps me to plan my trips and do what I need to do to make sure that I get the best out of the experience.’’
Anne, an avid traveller with low-vision from a young age is an entrepreneur, disability advocate, and creator of Purpose in View.
”An audio based travel platform would really enhance my travel experience. As my vision has deteriorated, I have been booking more and more escorted travel. What I really appreciate about that, is the audio guide because I find much more about the area that I am visiting.
“Audio description gives me more vision, and I gain more perspective.”
An inclusive authority.
With new experiences onboarding weekly, they are on track to becoming an inclusive authority for the tourism industry globally. They are working with First Nations leaders to create and provide access to more First Nation run organisations on the platform, as well as becoming a future activator for major events such as World Cups, Commonwealth Games and the Paralympics and Olympics.
Vacayit is now available through the Apple Store and Google Play.
Download Vacayit here:
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vacayit
