Fewer than 2 per cent of hotel rooms are accessible in three major Queensland cities, as the state prepares to host the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics, a new report has found.
It revealed accessible hotel rooms in key Games destinations across Brisbane, Cairns and the Gold Coast were scarce, with the international sporting events less than six years away.
Queenslanders with Disability Network (QDN) and advisory firm Urbis have released the Games Readiness report today, which investigated the state's hotel and transport accessibility.
Of the more than 750 hotels in the three key cities, the study audited 170 of them, or about 22 per of the market.
The study found about 2 per cent of hotel rooms in Brisbane and Cairns were accessible, and about 1 per cent on the Gold Coast.
"We called each hotel individually and asked them a series of questions about what number of accessible rooms they had, what features they had, where they were located," Urbis' associate director Kali Marnane said.
Dr Marnane said she was surprised by the lack of accessible options.
"Particularly when we think that one in five trips in Australia are taken by travellers with disability or with some kind of accessibility need," she said.
"That really demonstrates that there's a big mismatch between what we have and what we need."
The six-month study found that accessible rooms were difficult to identify and that hotels did not support all types of disability, with most providers offering accessibility features primarily designed for people in wheelchairs.
Natascha Kamp, who has a Functional Neurological Disorder, travels everywhere with her medical assistance dog Evy.
Evy helps monitor stress and fatigue to prevent the 27-year-old from having seizures.
Ms Kamp said she was not surprised by the report's findings.
"I personally don't stay at hotels because I don't find it accessible," she said.
For her, accessible accommodation meant an area nearby, such as a courtyard, where her assistance dog could relieve themselves.
"I don't want to have to travel outside of the hotel and potentially walk several hundred metres to do that," Ms Kamp said.
"When I'm [looking] for accommodation, I'm looking for my comfort as well as my assistance dog's comfort."
'A Games for all'
Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie said accessibility was an important part of the state government's planning for the 2032 Games and beyond.
"We promised a Games for all Queenslanders," he said.
Mr Bleijie said the government was driving development and investment opportunities across the state, streamlining approvals and removing red tape for thousands of new homes as well as hotel accommodation.
Queensland Hotel Association chief executive Bernie Hogan said if the Games were to be hosted today, there would be a shortfall for hotel rooms in general.
He said there would be "an enormous amount of construction" and "new product coming online" in the lead-up to the Games.
Mr Hogan said there had been recent awareness campaigns on improving accessibility in the industry, along with updated standards for new builds.
"I would be very honest about it. I'd say I don't think Queensland was aware or awake to that, maybe even as little as two [or] three years ago," he said.
Mr Hogan acknowledged that accessible tourism was growing and a "really economically viable market".
"But you don't need 50 per cent of the hotel [rooms] to be accessible," he said.
"It actually doesn't stack up when you actually start to think about how the travellers are."
Is Queensland ready for the Games?
When asked if the state was ready to host the Games, Dr Marnane said the "polite answer" would be "not quite".
"We're ready in parts, but not as a system," she said.
The report also examined connectivity between accommodation providers and earmarked Games venues via public transport.
It found about 56 per cent of Brisbane accommodation providers surveyed could reach five or more venues by public transport within one hour.
But the report showed that at least four venues in Greater Brisbane could not be accessed by public transport.
"This means they will require network upgrades, additional services, event-specific transport or complementary travel options to support reliable return journeys for Games patrons," the study said.
It also recommended clearer information so travellers can plan their journeys.
QDN chief executive Michelle Moss said the "building blocks" were there to improve accommodation and transport in the lead-up to the 2032 Games.
She said the disability community was "ready and willing" to work with the hotel and transport sectors and share their lived experience to make Brisbane 2032 a "world-class inclusive Games".
