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WCAG Checklist for Dutch Travel & Booking Sites

Why Accessibility Matters for Booking Platforms

Travel and hospitality booking sites are high-stakes interfaces. Users are making purchases, entering sensitive information, and making time-critical decisions. If your site is inaccessible, you're locking out disabled users from booking holidays, finding accommodation, or purchasing experiences—and you're exposing your business to legal risk. The European Accessibility Act (EAA) enforcement date of June 28, 2025 means accessibility is no longer optional for commercial websites in the Netherlands.

WCAG Compliance Checklist for Custom Booking Platforms

Image Alt Text (image-alt)

Every image on your booking site needs a meaningful alternative text description. Check this by:

  • Running your site through a free tool like WAVE or axe DevTools and filtering for "missing alt text" errors
  • On hotel listings, property images need alt text describing what's shown: "Double bedroom with sea view" not just "hotel room"
  • On search result pages, destination images need clear descriptions: "Amsterdam canal houses at sunset" not "img_2847.jpg"
  • On map interfaces, the map image itself needs an alt attribute (even if it's empty `alt=""`) to tell screen readers it's decorative
  • Test by disabling images in your browser — if you can't understand the page content, your alt text is missing or too vague

Color Contrast (color-contrast)

Text must have enough contrast between foreground and background colors so people with low vision or color blindness can read it. Check this by:

  • Using axe DevTools, Lighthouse, or WebAIM's contrast checker to scan your entire site
  • Special attention to: booking confirmation buttons, price text, discount badges, calendar date selections, and error messages
  • Test placeholder text in form fields — many custom booking platforms use light gray text that fails contrast requirements
  • Remember that "click here" links and form labels must also meet contrast minimums
  • Check your design in grayscale mode to simulate color blindness

Form Labels (label)

Every form field needs a properly associated label so screen reader users understand what data to enter. Check this by:

  • Inspect your HTML to confirm each `<input>` has a matching `<label>` with the correct `for` attribute, not just placeholder text
  • On booking forms, check: passenger names, email, phone number, passport fields, date pickers, and dropdown menus all have visible labels
  • Test using a screen reader (NVDA is free; available in Dutch) — tab through every form field and confirm the label is announced
  • Ensure labels aren't hidden with CSS or positioned off-screen unless there's a redundant text alternative
  • Check date pickers and custom dropdowns — these often have missing labels because they're built with JavaScript instead of standard HTML elements

Link Text (link-name)

Every link needs readable text that tells users where it goes or what happens when clicked. Check this by:

  • Search your code for links containing only icons, images, or empty anchor tags
  • On hotel/flight search results, "View Details" links need to be unique or include hidden context: "View Details for Hotel Amsterdam Central" (use `aria-label` if visual text alone isn't descriptive enough)
  • Check "Next" and "Previous" buttons on multi-step booking flows — these need context about what section you're navigating to
  • Social media links in footers often use icon-only buttons — add `aria-label` attributes like "Follow us on Facebook"
  • Use a screen reader to navigate your site by links only (most screen readers have a "links list" feature) and confirm every link's purpose is clear

HTML Document Language (html-has-lang)

Your site's HTML opening tag must declare what language the page is in. Check this by:

  • View page source and confirm the opening `<html>` tag includes `lang="nl"` for Dutch or `lang="en"` for English pages
  • If your site serves multiple languages, each page variant must have the correct lang attribute
  • Search engine and screen reader tools rely on this to pronounce words correctly and apply language-specific formatting
  • This is a one-line fix: change `<html>` to `<html lang="nl">` — do this now if it's missing

Button Text (button-name)

Every button needs clear text describing what it does. Check this by:

  • Scan for buttons with only icons: "book now" icons, shopping cart buttons, "apply filter" buttons without text labels
  • On your search/filter interface, buttons like checkboxes and toggles need labels
  • Calendar date picker buttons must each be labeled (either "November 15, 2024" or similar) so screen reader users know which date they're selecting
  • Test with a screen reader — tab to every button and confirm the purpose is announced clearly (not just "button" or "icon")
  • Use `aria-label` only as a last resort; visible button text is always better for all users

Next Steps

Run your site through axe DevTools (free browser extension available in Dutch) and filter results by these six categories. Each issue found represents a user blocked from booking. Start with the quickest wins—alt text and button labels typically take hours to fix site-wide on custom platforms, while color contrast adjustments may require design review. Schedule weekly accessibility testing into your development cycle.

This is technical WCAG guidance, not legal advice.

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