Accessible Tourism · Aotearoa New Zealand
Making inclusion the standard, not the exception.
Practical training, Access Guides, and advisory for tourism operators who want to do this properly.
Who we are
New Zealand's accessible and inclusive tourism industry framework.
Adapting Aotearoa is built by MakingTrax Foundation — New Zealand's original and leading accessible and inclusive tourism industry advisor. We give tourism operators a practical, structured path to becoming genuinely accessible and inclusive: grounded in lived experience, real-world practice, and independent research.
Jezza Williams — Founder
Adaptive adventure specialist and wheelchair user. MakingTrax Foundation.
01
Training modules
Practical, experience-led education grounded in how tourism actually operates — covering accessibility principles, inclusive service, and what good practice looks like across your team.
02
Access Guide
Support to build a clear, honest, experience-focused webpage — so visitors with access needs can plan with confidence and choose your experience.
03
Appraisal & endorsement
Formal review and MakingTrax endorsement for operators who meet the standard — signalling to visitors and the industry that inclusion is genuinely embedded in what you do.
Endorsed operators are listed on Access.ive — the directory disabled travellers use to find genuinely accessible experiences across Aotearoa New Zealand.
Visit Access.ive ↗
What it is
A nationwide framework reshaping how accessibility is understood and delivered across Aotearoa New Zealand.
At its heart are Access Guides — a valuable, experience-focused webpage providing up-to-date, clear and reliable information, enabling customers to plan, prepare, or confidently choose to go elsewhere.
Help your visitors plan with confidence, and help your team prepare to deliver a safe, dignified, inclusive experience.
The market
25%
of global tourism — growing 3× faster than the broader industry
Global accessible tourism research
AUD $29B
spent by accessible travellers in Australia in 2024 — NZ's largest inbound market
Australian Tourism Research Institute, 2024
50%
of people with access needs would travel more with clearer destination information
Zaluka et al., 2022
Full data and global research at adaptingaotearoa.co.nz/the-research
The entire visitor journey — click to explore
Accessibility doesn't begin and end at one experience. A visitor's journey spans planning, arrival, accommodation, activities, food, transport, and departure. Adapting Aotearoa supports operators across the full spectrum — so that inclusion is consistent from first click to final farewell.
Adventure
Activities and guided experiences — setting clear parameters so every visitor can make an informed, confident choice.
Accommodation
Hotels, lodges, holiday parks, and B&Bs — clear access information helps guests choose and arrive with confidence.
Hospitality
Cafés, restaurants, and bars — inclusive service starts with knowing your space and communicating it honestly.
Transport
Shuttles, transfers, and rental operators — accessibility on the move is a critical and often overlooked link in the chain.
Cultural
Māori cultural experiences and heritage sites — inclusion here carries additional significance and deserves care and authenticity.
Scenic & nature
Walks, viewpoints, and natural attractions — honest access information opens these experiences to a far wider audience.
What we provide — click to explore
01
Training modules
Practical, experience-led education that builds real capability across your team — grounded in how tourism actually operates.
02
Access guides
Sector-specific templates, step-by-step guidance, and hands-on advisory to help you build and publish an Access Guide that works — then get it listed where visitors are looking.
03
Advisory support
Ongoing specialist guidance backed by lived experience — from your first conversation through to annual appraisal and endorsement.
Adventure tourism
A cornerstone of Aotearoa
Inclusion delivered with integrity, not guesswork.
Adventure tourism is central to New Zealand's identity. Quality and safety sit at the heart of that — for every visitor, and every operator. This is not an all-or-nothing approach. What matters is being clear about what is possible, and where the boundaries sit.
Set logical parameters
Understand your offering in real terms — removing assumption from decision-making for both staff and visitors.
Identify opportunities
Adaptive adventure sits alongside what you already do — as an extension of good practice, not a separate offering.
Clear Access Guides
Help visitors plan with confidence — and give your team the clarity to deliver safe, inclusive experiences.
Consistent standards
Rules and regulations understood. Inclusion delivered with integrity — a more consistent standard of service and safety.
How it works
01
Sign up
02
Training
03
Access guide
04
Endorsement
05
Growth
Select a step to learn more
Ready to start the conversation?
If you're a tourism operator wanting to lead on accessibility — or a destination wondering where to begin — we'd love to hear from you.
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