Capturing attention is at the core of travel and tourism marketing.
For millions of travelers, however, the choice to visit a city is not based on a catchy slogan or a beautiful photo but on a single, simple question: Can I actually navigate this place?
Accessibility has long been categorized as a social responsibility project or a legal requirement. But that narrow view misses a massive economic opportunity. Travelers with disabilities represent a high-intent, loyal market that travels with companions and stays longer than the average visitor.
When a destination replaces vague promises with hard data, it does more than just practice inclusion. It creates a measurable performance marketing channel.
No one understands this better than Alvaro Silberstein.
After a life-changing accident at age 18, Alvaro refused to let a wheelchair limit his world. He eventually became the first person to complete the “W” trek in Patagonia using an all-terrain wheelchair. That viral journey sparked the creation of Wheel the World, a platform that maps the specific, granular details that travelers need to book with confidence.
Today, Alvaro works with destinations to bridge the gap between basic ADA compliance and true usability.
In this Q&A, he explains how DMOs can move past the “accessible” checkbox to unlock the multiplier effect and drive real growth through certainty.
What inspired you to turn your own travel experiences into Wheel the World?
The Patagonia trip was never meant to start a company. It was a personal challenge. At that stage of my life, I was searching for adventure and freedom. After my accident, I felt like my disability was holding me back by more than 50 percent. That pushed me to move from Chile to the U.S. on my own and start figuring out how I could explore the world again.
That is why we decided to attempt Patagonia. I wanted to prove to myself that I could reach one of the most remote places on Earth as a wheelchair user.
When we documented the journey and shared it, the response was overwhelming. Thousands of people with disabilities reached out saying, “I didn’t know this was possible.” It quickly evolved into a Facebook community where people were sharing their own travel experiences, challenges and asking us how they could do the same trip.
That moment changed everything. I realized the problem was not a lack of desire to travel. It was a lack of information and trust. People were not being excluded by their disability, but by uncertainty.
Wheel the World was born from that insight. Our mission became clear: to make travel accessible for people with disabilities, older adults and their families so they can explore the world without limits.
How does your personal experience change the way you collect travel data?
The problem with the term “accessible” is that it’s too vague. On most booking platforms, it’s reduced to a checkbox. But for anyone with a disability, accessibility is never binary. It’s deeply personal and highly specific.
My lived experience fundamentally changes how we approach this at Wheel the World. I don’t evaluate a hotel room by asking “is it accessible?” I ask: Can I transfer to the bed independently? Is the bathroom layout functional for my level of mobility? Is there enough clearance to move comfortably? These are the questions that define whether a trip works or fails.
And to answer those questions, you need details.
The height of the bed and the space around it.
The type of shower.
Whether there is a shower seat or not.
What kind of shower seat it is.
That perspective is embedded into our entire data model. Instead of relying on self-reported labels, we collect hundreds of structured data points that reflect real-world usability. Things like bed height, door width, shower configuration and entrance slopes. Details that most platforms overlook, but that make all the difference.
At the end of the day, travelers with disabilities are not looking for inspiration. They are looking for certainty.
That’s why our data is more reliable. It’s not built on assumptions or compliance standards. It’s built on lived experience, translated into precise, actionable information people can trust to make decisions.
Why is being legally compliant different from being truly accessible for a visitor?
ADA compliance is essential, but it was never designed to guarantee a great travel experience. It answers a very specific question: Does a property meet the legal minimum requirements for accessibility?
At Wheel the World, we answer a different question: given how people with different disabilities actually use a space, what does a traveler need to know to decide if this place will work for them?
Those are two very different layers, and they are often confused.
ADA is about compliance. It sets the baseline and remains the property’s legal responsibility. Our Accessibility Verified standard is about usability. It focuses on real-world experience and decision-making.
A property can be fully ADA-compliant and still not work for a specific traveler. For example, a power wheelchair user may need to know if the bed has enough clearance for a lift. A blind traveler may need information about tactile wayfinding or navigation. These are not edge cases, they are everyday realities that compliance frameworks don’t fully capture.
At the same time, a property might work extremely well for a traveler across many dimensions and still have an ADA gap that needs to be addressed. That is why these two layers are complementary, not interchangeable.
Our role is not to certify compliance. It is to translate lived experience into precise, relevant information that travelers can trust.
Because in the end, accessibility is not just about meeting a standard. It’s about enabling people to make confident decisions and travel without uncertainty.
What does the “Accessibility Verified” process look like for a local business?
While the question is often framed as a “200-point audit,” we actually prefer to think about it as a 200-point verification.
The distinction matters. We’re not auditing properties for compliance. We’re verifying, in a structured and consistent way, the details that truly define usability for travelers with disabilities.
Most accessibility information in travel is self-reported and high-level. What we do instead is validate the specifics that determine whether a trip works or not.
For a hotel, that means documenting and confirming things like bed height, clearance around the bed, door widths, bathroom layouts, shower configuration and entrance slopes. For restaurants and experiences, it includes entrance access, table spacing, restroom usability and the full end-to-end journey a traveler will go through.
Each data point on its own might seem small. But together, they create a complete and reliable picture.
And that is what generates value, both for the traveler and for the business.
For travelers, it answers critical questions before booking. For businesses, it removes uncertainty and increases conversion.
So the goal is not to “audit” accessibility. It’s to verify it in a way that builds trust, and ultimately, drives demand.
How can DMOs measure the actual economic impact of their accessibility efforts?
For many destinations, accessibility is still positioned as a social responsibility initiative. The challenge is that social responsibility alone rarely gets sustained budget or long-term prioritization.
What we’ve done at Wheel the World is turn accessibility into a measurable performance channel.
We focus directly on revenue and return on investment. To date, we’ve generated over $70 million in economic impact for our destination partners, and we track that impact very closely.
Through our partner’s portal, DMOs have real-time visibility into key metrics like bookings, room-nights, gross booking value, views, impressions and even accessibility improvements made by their local partners. This allows them to clearly understand not just the demand, but how accessibility investments are translating into actual economic results.
That level of measurement changes the conversation internally.
Instead of asking, “Should we invest in accessibility?”, the question becomes, “How do we scale what’s already working?”
Today, we’re delivering around a 4x return on investment for destinations in our Accessibility Verified program. And we’re continuing to build toward that. By expanding distribution, integrating our data into more platforms and growing demand through Wheeltheworld.com, we expect to reach closer to 10x ROI.
Accessibility stops being a cost center and becomes a growth channel.
And for DMOs under pressure to prove room nights, that shift is what makes accessibility not just the nice thing to do, but a competitive advantage.
How does providing granular data help move travelers from research to booking?
Travelers with disabilities don’t drop off because of lack of intent. They drop off because of uncertainty.
They typically spend significantly more time planning because they are trying to answer one critical question: “Will this actually work for me?” And most destination websites don’t give them the information they need to answer that with confidence.
That’s where DMOs lose them in the funnel.
It usually happens in three places. First, at discovery, where accessibility information is either too generic or hard to find. Second, at evaluation, where the details are missing, so travelers can’t assess whether a hotel, tour or restaurant fits their specific needs. And third, at booking, where the lack of trust prevents them from completing the transaction.
Uncertainty kills conversion.
What we do at Wheel the World is remove that uncertainty end-to-end.
We provide verified, structured accessibility data that allows travelers to confidently evaluate options. We surface that data across the destination’s ecosystem, not just on one page, but across hotels, experiences and restaurants. And we connect that directly to a booking flow through our marketplace.
So instead of forcing travelers to piece together information across multiple sources, we create a seamless path from discovery to decision to booking.
That’s how we close the loop.
We don’t just inspire travelers with disabilities. We give them the confidence to act. And when you replace uncertainty with clarity, planning time decreases and conversion increases.
Travelers increasingly use AI to plan trips. When they ask an AI engine about accessibility in a destination, the AI needs verified, structured data to answer with confidence. Wheel the World is building that data layer. Generic or self-reported accessibility claims will not be included in AI answers. Structured, verified data will.
Why is the “multiplier effect” the key to understanding the true economic value of accessible travel?
The multiplier effect is one of the most underestimated drivers of economic impact in accessible travel.
Travelers with disabilities rarely travel alone. They often travel with more than one companion, but the impact goes far beyond group size.
They tend to stay longer. They consume more services across the destination. And when they find a place that truly works for them, they come back. Not just to the same services, but to the same destination.
That makes them, in many cases, a more valuable traveler segment over time.
So when DMOs think about ROI, they shouldn’t evaluate accessibility based on a single traveler. They should evaluate it based on the total travel party, the length of stay, the higher spend per trip and the repeat rate.
There is also another important layer. In about 40% of the bookings on Wheeltheworld.com, the person making the reservation is actually a companion. And in many cases, they are even more detail-oriented and cautious about accessibility than the traveler themselves.
That shifts how destinations should think about their audience.
Accessibility is not just about serving a niche group. It’s about serving families, groups and a much broader segment that includes older adults and people with temporary or situational needs.
In that sense, accessibility is not a constraint. It’s a multiplier.
And the destinations that understand and measure that properly are the ones that will unlock its full economic potential.
How can DMOs use the WTW Academy to build more confident and committed frontline teams?
A destination’s brand is ultimately delivered by people. The person at the front desk, the tour guide, the restaurant staff. If they’re not prepared, the marketing promise breaks.
That’s why Accessibility Verified is not just about data. It’s also a tool for DMOs to build stronger, more meaningful relationships with their local partners.
Our work happens directly with those partners. We don’t just collect and verify detailed accessibility information. We also guide them on how to act on it. What can be improved, what small changes can make a big difference and how to better serve travelers with disabilities.
This is where the Wheel the World Academy comes in.
Through our online training for hospitality professionals, we provide a practical understanding of accessible travel. We help staff understand the needs of people with different types of disabilities and how to be better prepared to receive them with confidence.
The impact goes beyond service quality.
Yes, it leads to a better guest experience. But it also drives a deeper level of engagement. When you consider that 18% of the world’s population lives with a disability, there’s roughly a 50% chance that the person taking the training has a direct connection to someone with a disability, a family member, a friend, someone close to the person.
That changes everything.
Accessibility stops being abstract. It becomes personal. And when it becomes personal, people care more, they engage more and they take more pride in delivering a great experience.
That’s how you move from a trained workforce to a truly committed one. And that’s when the experience finally matches the promise.
Why is framing accessibility as a revenue-driving investment the key to long-term budget support?
Accessibility should not compete for budget. It should compete for growth.
One of the biggest mistakes DMOs make is trying to place accessibility into a single department. It doesn’t belong only to Marketing, Product or Advocacy. It sits at the intersection of all three, which is why it often struggles to get funded.
The most successful destinations position accessibility as a cross-functional growth initiative.
From a marketing perspective, it drives demand from an underserved, high-intent segment. From a product perspective, it improves the quality and usability of the destination. And from an advocacy perspective, it strengthens the destination’s commitment to inclusion.
But if there needs to be a clear “home” for budget, the most effective approach is to frame accessibility as a revenue-driving investment.
When you can measure bookings, gross booking value and ROI, the conversation shifts. It stops being about justification and starts being about scale.
That’s the key. Accessibility is not a cost center. It’s infrastructure for demand.
And the destinations that understand that will be the ones that lead.
Meet Alvaro Silberstein
Alvaro Silberstein is the Co-Founder and CEO of Wheel the World, a company born from his own quest for adventure. After a car accident left him paralyzed from the chest down at age 18, Alvaro became the first person to complete the “W” trek in Patagonia using an all-terrain wheelchair.
That viral expedition revealed a global lack of reliable accessibility info, leading Alvaro to launch Wheel the World in 2018. Today, he works with global destination leaders to move beyond basic compliance and prove that accessibility is a powerful driver of tourism growth and economic impact.
