‘Incoming legislation will make waves across cruise in 2025’
Force24 CEO & founder Adam Oldfield explains what the incoming European Accessibility Act means for cruise marketers
A quiet but significant piece of legislation is set to make waves across the travel and cruise sectors in 2025: the European Accessibility Act (EAA).
If you haven’t heard of it yet, now’s the time to get familiar, as this comes into play in June. The EAA is designed to ensure that key online services such as websites, apps and e-commerce platforms are accessible to everyone, especially people with disabilities.
This includes the way we send and design emails. What does this mean for cruise marketers? In short: all customer-facing digital content, including promotional emails, booking confirmations and itineraries, will need to be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust for users with a wide range of accessibility needs.
This isn’t just a legal tick-box. It’s a chance to improve how we connect with customers. Too many brands still send emails that are hard to read with screen readers, use poor colour contrast, or rely on images without alt text.
Under the new rules, that won’t be acceptable and brands that fall behind risk non-compliance. But here’s the opportunity: accessible email is better email. It’s clearer, more user-friendly and often performs better across all audiences.
What’s more, making your emails more inclusive helps you reach a wider customer base, including the 87 million people across the EU living with a disability, many of whom want to travel but often feel excluded by poor digital experiences.
By acting now, cruise lines and agents can lead the way, modernising their email strategies, building trust and positioning themselves as forward-thinking and inclusive.
The EAA is coming, but it’s not something to be afraid of. It’s a powerful nudge towards more thoughtful, inclusive marketing. The brands that get ahead now won’t just be compliant, they’ll be better connected, more trusted and ready for a more inclusive future.
Adam Oldfield is the founder and CEO of Force24
