Introduction

The ongoing fallout from the recent global financial crisis has served to exemplify that business today is under significant internal and external pressures. Importantly, the nature of engagement of the consumer, and the expectations they have is also rapidly changing (Victorino et al., 2008). It has become clear that in such a turbulent environment, traditional models and methods of product and service delivery have become largely ineffective or require significant reform. Such is the case in the tourism industry where industry leaders have recognised that significant change is now required, not only in terms of how the industry deals with crises but also with respect to the development of niche markets and offerings that will drive the industry forward in the short to medium term. It is argued that one such market that has continued to be underserved by the global tourism industry is that of people with disabilities. Part of this failure is rooted in the harsh reality that a great deal of research, much of it geared in recent times around the concept of sustainable tourism, has largely ignored social arguments with respect to ageing and disability. This is despite the fact that various government authorities throughout the world, for example the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (2004), have reported that a substantial number of people have or will likely acquire disabilities. Moreover, the actual level of disability in various communities throughout the world has substantially increased, from 15 to approximately 20% of the population in recent years.

Importantly, a significant component of the changing disability profile is as a direct consequence of the ageing of the population (Commonwealth of Australia, 2002). While this situation is reflected in all Western developed nations, it is particularly pronounced in Asian countries where the proportion of older adults, as a percentage of the wider population, is actually growing at a faster rate (Altman, 1975; World Health Organization, 2007).