Huntington Beach is 1st California Destination to Achieve Sensory Inclusive Certification
by Bruce Parkinson
Long committed to accessible travel, Huntington Beach is the first destination in California to achieve Sensory Inclusive Certification by KultureCity, the world’s leading nonprofit on sensory accessibility and acceptance.
The achievement marks a significant step toward creating a more welcoming and supportive experience for travellers and residents with sensory needs and invisible disabilities.
Led by Visit Huntington Beach (VHB) in partnership with the City of Huntington Beach, the destination-wide initiative is distinctive in bringing together both private and public sectors to support sensory inclusion.
Visitor-facing employees at hotels, restaurants, shops and attractions participated alongside Huntington Beach lifeguards, police officers, firefighters and other public safety personnel, helping create a more supportive experience throughout a visitor’s stay.
The KultureCity certification builds on VHB’s ongoing commitment to accessible travel, including its partnership with Wheel the World to map and verify accessibility information throughout the destination. Together, the initiatives help travellers with two critical components of accessible travel: plan with confidence and feel welcomed and supported once they arrive.
“Accessibility is about more than getting to the beach — it’s about feeling confident and welcomed throughout your entire experience in Huntington Beach,” said John Urdi, President and CEO of Visit Huntington Beach.
“By bringing together our tourism partners and the City through KultureCity, and providing travellers with verified accessibility information through Wheel the World, we are working toward an experience where more people can enjoy Surf City USA on their own terms.”
The effort spans the full visitor experience, with more than 1,538 visitor-facing staff at participating hotels, restaurants, retail businesses and attractions and public safety personnel—including lifeguards and police officers—completing sensory-inclusive training.
“Huntington Beach has always been a place where people come to enjoy and experience our beaches, and we want that opportunity to be available to as many people as possible,” said City Manager Travis Hopkins/Mayor Casey McKeon, City of Huntington Beach.
“This is especially meaningful as it benefits not only the millions of people who visit Huntington Beach, but the residents and families who call our community home.”
Huntington Beach’s sensory-inclusive certification expands Visit Huntington Beach’s work with Wheel the World, a leading travel platform for disabled travelers, which has been underway for the past three years.
Through the partnership, accessibility features such as step-free entrances, accessible pathways and roll-in showers, have been assessed at nearly 30 Huntington Beach hotels, attractions and venues, resulting in 1,141 accessibility data points to help travellers determine which experiences best meet their needs during the travel planning process.
The two initiatives are part of a broader effort to make accessibility part of the entire Huntington Beach experience—from planning and booking to exploring the destination and enjoying the beach.
Accessible offerings include Mobi-mats, beach wheelchairs, adaptive surfing lessons, accessible bonfires and more. For more information, click here.
