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When we took over the business, we wanted to make our tours ‘inclusive for all’ and create a great experience without barriers or restrictions. This in return improves the tourism experience for a wide range of customers who may need specific adaptions or facilities. These include disabled people, seniors, families with young children, and those with a medical condition.
With Marie having experience of working in the care sector for a range of different needs for both adults and children, many adaptions have been added to make our tours ‘inclusive for all.
Our first move was to make our boat ‘wheelchair accessible’ which was skilfully done by Brian whereby he added a flat, obstruction-free boarding platform to accommodate all levels and abilities.
It’s not just about having wheelchair access, we also cater for customers with hearing, visual and speech impairment, dietary requirements, foreign languages with our Original customised Identification charts which are available in many different languages. We basically cater for everyone to make us a Responsible and Inclusive tour provider.
Along with many new additions this year, we are delighted to have ‘Dementia Friendly’ name badges for all crew members. We also have onboard an ocean sensory box, to keep ‘autistic’ passengers calm should they find any given situation too overwhelming.
The team at Seabirds-and-Seals Noss Boat Tours believe that having improved accessibility appeals to a wide range of visitors and we want to make your tour a holiday highlight by making it accessible and enjoyable throughout. By listening to our customers and having more awareness about the inclusive tourism market, we have worked hard and implemented changes to make our tours open and enjoyable for all. We have a dedicated website page titled ‘Accessible & Inclusive Tourism’ which details our inclusive approach and welcome any new suggestions.
Marie has worked previously as a Learning Support Worker and Social Care Worker, many times at a Senior level. She has worked in various settings for a diverse range of clients, which she continues to do in the Winter months when not operating tours. She has various care related qualifications and also has certified training for ‘disability inclusion’ in Hospitality, Travel & Tourism. Marie has made adaptions within the business by providing facilities onboard which are autism & dementia friendly, as she has a good understanding on both due to all her care working experience
When we have customers using wheelchairs onboard or any other mobility aid, we position them where they are going to get the best view at all times throughout our planned tour route which we explain in our introductions and safety briefing. Could we kindly ask passengers travelling with us when we have wheelchair customers onboard or for anyone else having to rely on a mobility aid, to please be respectful and not block their view as we want everyone to feel socially included.
We know how easy it is to get immersed in all that you see. We do have an extremely huge viewing platform as shown on our website homepage video to allow everyone to enjoy the spectacular views and to get the best images on our 5-Star multi-award winning Noss Boat Tours.
We are delighted again this year to be working in collaboration with Ability Shetland, Shetland Befriending Scheme & Shetland Carers Plus many other local businesses. We are proud supporters of our local community, if you have a new collaboration that you would like to discuss, please do get in touch.
If you have any questions or concerns prior to booking, please do not hesitate to get in touch and we will be delighted to assist.