Setting the Standard: Inclusive Travel in 2025 - The travel leaders who raised the bar on inclusion in 2025
At the Inclusive Travel Forum, we keep a close eye on how the travel industry is approaching inclusion in practice. Throughout the year, we look for examples that go beyond good intentions and show up in real decisions, from how experiences are designed, to how teams are trained, and how travellers are represented.
This year, several destinations and businesses stood out for doing that work thoughtfully. So we have brought together our Inclusive Travel Awards for 2025, recognising those who are raising the bar and moving the industry forward.
Leading the Way on Neurodiversity Inclusion - TUI
Why we’ve chosen them: TUI shows how a large, mainstream travel brand can treat accessibility as a priority. Recently named Accessible Holidays Provider of the Year at the TTG Travel Industry Awards, they’ve worked to embed accessibility into how holidays are sold, marketed and supported. We’ve included TUI for the progress it has made around neurodiversity - an area that is still relatively ‘new’ within the travel industry.
What it looks like in practice:
Product: TUI launched dedicated sensory rooms at TUI BLUE hotels for neurodivergent guests and their families. Designed to offer a calmer, low-stimulation space for guests who may feel overwhelmed by busy or unfamiliar environments, the spaces include soft lighting, quiet areas and sensory equipment.
Training: Front-of-house teams have received neurodiversity awareness training, with a focus on understanding different needs and responding with confidence and care. TUI has also partnered with the special educational needs childcare agency SENNIES to help make its childcare programmes more neuro-inclusive.
Online: TUI has chosen to centre the voices of the disabled and neurodivergent community by forming a group of Accessibility Ambassadors. The group is made up of disabled and neurodivergent content creators who share practical advice, hotel recommendations, tips for navigating airports and first-hand insight into what makes a holiday feel genuinely accessible.
Destination Setting the Standard for Inclusive Representation - New York City (NYC Tourism)
Why we’ve chosen them: As one of the most diverse cities in the world, NYC Tourism knows that its mix of cultures, communities and histories is what gives it its unique energy and its appeal. It’s no surprise then that the tourism board is leading the way when it comes to inclusive marketing campaigns where representation reflects the city as it actually is. Diversity is part of the city’s story, rather than being treated as a seasonal obligation tied to awareness months.
What it looks like in practice:
Website: Visitors can find guides to The Asian Experience NYC, The Black Experience and The Latino Experience that highlight the cultural contributions of the city's multicultural communities, promote minority-owned businesses, and help tourists from similar backgrounds find places, histories and communities they recognise. The website also highlights Accessible NYC with a video on exploring the city in a wheelchair, as well as links to hotels, attractions and restaurants that are accessibility-friendly.
Socials: Queer voices, trans stories, Latin American history, Diwali celebrations, and Black- and Asian-owned businesses are featured as part of the city’s everyday story. This year, the #FoundedByNYC series on Instagram and TikTok has focused on the people and communities who have shaped New York, from a grassroots creative community promoting art and historical preservation in Manhattan’s Chinatown, to the legacy of the Harlem Renaissance, to the history of the Gay Liberation Monument.
Championing Inclusive Workplace Culture – easyJet Holidays
Why we’ve chosen them: easyJet has long invested in inclusive workplace practices and employee benefits, such as family-friendly and wellbeing policies, enhanced maternity support, healthcare and financial support for all employees, and the provision of prayer and quiet rooms. In 2025, the company was named one of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work based on employee feedback, reflecting a culture where employees at different life stages feel supported.
What it looks like in practice:
Gender equity in tech: This year, easyJet became the first airline to partner with Women in Data. The partnership involves working together to raise awareness of data and technology career pathways and provide mentorship and education programmes for women in aviation.
Colleague-led representation: During Black History Month in the UK, easyJet supported a colleague-led initiative operating flights staffed entirely by Black crew members, highlighting the importance of representation across aviation roles.
Career development: This year saw the launch of two new programmes: the Destinations graduate scheme to support early-career talent, and AccelerateHER, which focuses on the progression of existing female employees and future leadership.
Championing LGBTQIA+ Travel and Allyship – Contiki
Why we’ve chosen them: Contiki’s work with the LGBTQIA+ community goes beyond representation in marketing. In 2025, the brand continues to combine inclusive travel experiences with active allyship, using partnerships and year-round content to support queer travellers and the wider LGBTQIA+ community.
What it looks like in practice:
Product: Contiki offers Pride-focused travel experiences designed with LGBTQIA+ travellers and allies in mind, crafting group trips where people can connect, feel safe and travel openly as themselves.
Marketing: Through its six-two editorial platform, Contiki shares LGBTQIA+ travel stories, destination guides, and Pride coverage throughout the year, reinforcing that inclusion is not limited to specific moments in the calendar.
Partnerships: Contiki partners with Rainbow Railroad, a global non-profit that helps LGBTQI+ people escape persecution and violence in countries where they face criminalisation and discrimination.
Inclusive travel support: The company has an LGBTQIA+ ambassador who trains teams and guides to create genuinely inclusive experiences.
Embedding Accessibility into Independent Hospitality – Marsham Court Hotel, Bournemouth
Why we’ve chosen them: This year, Marsham Court Hotel won Accessible Travel Initiative – Accommodation at the Travel for Every Body Awards, alongside Gold for Accessible & Inclusive Tourism at the Dorset Tourism Awards and Silver at the VisitEngland Awards. As a family-run, independent property, Marsham Court Hotel demonstrates that inclusive hospitality does not require scale or corporate infrastructure, only commitment, planning and a clear understanding of guest and staff needs.
What it looks like in practice:
Guest experience: The hotel has invested in a wide range of accessible features, including step-free access, accessible bedrooms, a pool hoist, Changing Places-style facilities and sensory-friendly adaptations. These are supported by staff training designed to ensure accessibility is understood and delivered consistently.
Transparency around accessibility information: Virtual tours and accessibility videos show public areas, accessible bedrooms, external access and key facilities to give guests the information they need to plan with confidence.
If your organisation is committed to progressing inclusion in travel, consider joining the Inclusive Travel Forum as a member.