Colorado is leading the way in accessible travel. In 2024, 23% of travel parties had a member that required accessibility service in Colorado, which is almost 30% higher than the U.S. norm, highlighting our state’s intentional work to be a welcoming place for all. Here, accessible travel and experiences look like Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre with its step-free entrances and ramps, expansive paths for navigation, and designated seating. It looks like Colorado Springs’ trails and parks, with Terrain Hoppers available for visitors and locals. And it also looks like hot springs, rafting guide services, gondolas and breweries—everything that makes up the unique Colorado experience.
Our Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) supports this commitment by collaborating with Wheel the World, an accessible travel booking platform that empowers people with disabilities and travelers of all ages to book travel experiences with confidence using detailed, verified accessibility information. The CTO and Wheel the World partner on the Accessible Travel Program which aims to amplify accessible spaces in destinations across Colorado. This program’s early success led to the CTO and Wheel the World co-hosting the nation’s first travel week spotlighting accessibility, bringing together accessibility advocates to explore Colorado’s adaptive activities. Let’s explore how this initiative is making improvements in accessibility for residents and visitors alike.
Innovation and Inclusion
The Accessible Travel Program supports destinations to assess, improve, and promote accessibility for travelers with disabilities and their companions. The program provides education and training for staff, as well as site mapping from Wheel the World. Wheel the World works with destinations to measure key points including accommodations, such as bed height and bathroom specifications, restaurants and attractions, ensuring visitors have the details they need as they plan their travel.
After the mapping process, destinations can receive Accessibility Verified status from Wheel the World, along with recommendations for ongoing accessible travel improvements. A unique hallmark of this program is the CTO’s commitment to convening key stakeholders in each participating community, empowering local leaders to continue advancing accessibility long after they participate in the Accessible Travel program.
Hilary Lewkowitz, the CTO’s Director of Destination Development & Sustainability, highlights that the Accessible Travel Program is focused on making small, meaningful improvements for lasting impact. She also emphasizes that, “This program meets destinations where they are, and prioritizes creating simple, clear information in order to give travelers and companions the freedom to make a decision to travel here.”
Destinations at Work
To date, over 300 locations across 10 Colorado destinations are Accessibility Verified including Beaver Creek, Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver, Durango, Estes Park, Glenwood Springs, Mountain Village, Pueblo, and Snowmass and Aspen.
We spoke with the Beaver Creek Resort Company, who participated in the Accessible Travel Program’s inaugural year in 2024. The timing for this program was ideal for Beaver Creek, as staff were assessing village accessibility after noticing guests who needed accessibility services, and observing guests that had challenges with strollers, wagons and equipment navigating the village.
Alison Buhler, Beaver Creek’s Strategic Initiatives Senior Manager, notes that participating in the Accessible Travel Program helped guide the resort toward small, but impactful changes. Buhler also points to increased staff understanding of their current accessibility offerings and how these could be optimized, such as updating resort signage to more clearly point to elevators or escalators. Beaver Creek continues to prioritize accessibility, even after achieving the Accessibility Verified seal. Driven by strong community support, they continue to identify and implement further improvements and find more ways to effectively communicate these enhancements to ensure every guest feels welcome.
As Beaver Creek’s Director of Economic Development, Clint Huber, says “There’s tremendous value in the long play, opening our doors and welcoming an even broader community of guests.”
The Accessible Travel Program grew out of the CTO’s Destination Stewardship Plan, a 10-year plan developed with partners all over the state to support a balance between quality of life for residents and visitors, while enhancing our environment and communities. The program was also inspired by Visit Colorado Springs’ accessibility work. Supported by another CTO’s Tourism Management Grant, Colorado Springs made significant accessible strides for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum. Colorado Springs achieved Accessibility Verified status from Wheel the World following this successful initiative, opening the door for the creation of the Accessible Travel Program.
To learn more about accessibility advancements through the Accessible Travel Program, please visit the program page.