Travel industry one of the worst offenders for website accessibility failures

It fails to meet accessibility standards, ranking 23rd out of 29 industries

 The UK’s biggest travel websites are failing to meet accessibility standards, according to new data that revealed the industry remains one of the worst-performing for digital inclusion.

The 2025 WebAIM Million Report, which assesses the accessibility of the world’s top one million websites, found that travel websites had an average of 59.7 accessibility errors per homepage - ranking 23rd out of 29 industries for accessibility performance.

The most common barriers include low-contrast text (79.1% of pages), missing alternative text for images (55.5%), and unlabelled form inputs (48.2%), making it difficult for disabled users to search for destinations, compare prices, and complete bookings.

Despite a 10.3% decrease in overall accessibility errors across all sectors, travel websites continue to pose significant challenges for disabled users, raising concerns that businesses are not doing enough to create inclusive digital experiences.

Accessibility advocates say the findings are worrying, particularly with the European Accessibility Act (EAA) coming into effect in June, which will require organisations to meet strict digital accessibility standards.

Hilary Stephenson, managing director of Nexer Digital, said: “For many people, booking a trip should be exciting, but for disabled users, it can be a frustrating and exclusionary process. The fact that travel websites rank so poorly for accessibility is concerning, especially when we know that many of these barriers are simple to fix.

“With the European Accessibility Act on the horizon, travel companies have a window of opportunity to improve their digital services. But beyond compliance, this is about ensuring that all travellers, regardless of ability, can research, plan, and book their journeys with ease.”

To encourage change, Nexer Digital has launched its “I Matter Too” campaign, encouraging businesses to go beyond compliance and embed accessibility into their digital strategies year-round.

The campaign highlights the experiences of disabled users navigating inaccessible websites, reinforcing that accessibility should not be an afterthought, but a fundamental part of design and development.

Stephenson added: “There are an estimated 16 million disabled people in the UK, with a combined spending power of £274 billion per year, yet many continue to face barriers when shopping online. 

"Businesses need to stop treating accessibility as an afterthought and start embedding it into their design and development processes from the outset.”