Enabling Inclusive Family Travel Experiences with Professor Brian Garrod | S4 E2

In this episode, in discussion with Dr Sam Blaxland, Professor Brian Garrod, sheds light on the hurdles faced by neurodivergent children and their families on holiday. Through surveys and in-depth interviews, Professor Garrod’s research has uncovered key obstacles, that range from parents feeling judged by others, to families not getting the support they need from the travel industry. This podcast episode delves into how the tourism industry could adapt to be more accessible and welcoming. As a society, we're increasingly understanding more about neurodiversity, which refers to the wide range of ways people's brains work. This includes conditions like autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, and tourette’s syndrome, where people’s brain functioning is neurodivergent, insofar as it falls outside of socially constructed ‘norms’. Even with this progress, however, neurodivergent people still face big challenges in a world that's mostly set up for neurotypical people. Brian Garrod is a tourism marketing and management expert and professor at Swansea University. His teaching focuses sustainable tourism. He is the author of eight textbooks and more than 50 research articles. He is founding co-editor-in chief of the Journal of Destination Marketing & Management and sits on the editorial board of seven other academic journals. Professor Garrod’s most recent research has focused on neurodiversity: a topic familiar to him as the father of an autistic son. Generally, research on this topic has focused on schooling or the workplace, and little attention has been focused on leisure activities, such as a family holiday. With support from the Family Fund, his research is trailblazing in the field of tourism and neurodiversity. Find out more about Swansea University's research: https://www.swansea.ac.uk/research/ _______ 00:31 Reason of the research 01:42 What could go wrong? 02:56 Neurodiversity 07:23 Understanding neurodiversity 11:45 Research 14:05 Findings 18:52 What can we do? 23:16 Challenges with food 24:43 Collaborations 26:54 Hurdles