About 2 per cent of hotel rooms are accessible in major Queensland cities

A recent report has revealed that only about 2% of hotel rooms in Brisbane, Cairns, and the Gold Coast are accessible, as Queensland prepares to host the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics. The six-month study examined accessibility in over 750 hotels across the three cities, auditing 170 of them for the Queensland Hotel Association and the Queenslanders with Disability Network.

Despite the upcoming international sporting events less than six years away, accessible rooms are scarce, with just over 2% in Brisbane and Cairns, and about 1% on the Gold Coast. The study found that hotels tend to support accessibility primarily for people in wheelchairs, and most accessible rooms are difficult to identify. Queenslanders with Disability Network's associate director Kali Marnane expressed surprise at the lack of accessible options, highlighting that one in five trips in Australia are taken by travellers with disability or accessibility needs.

Natascha Kamp, who has a Functional Neurological Disorder and travels with a medical assistance dog, disagrees with the findings and states that she doesn't stay at hotels due to a lack of accessibility. Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie emphasized accessibility as a crucial part of the state government's planning for the Games, promising a "Games for all Queenslanders."