The Royal Yacht Britannia was formerly HMY Britannia, the Royal residence of Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Family. From 1953 to 1997 the ship sailed over 1,000,000 nautical miles across the globe. Since 1998, when the ship arrived in Edinburgh, it has become a leading visitor attraction, awarded Tripadvisor's No.1 UK Attraction for the third time in 2025.
Building on a successful partnership established in 2019, which already offers visitors an industry-leading selection of 35 languages, the Royal Yacht Britannia sought to further evolve its inclusive visitor experience.
The goal was to integrate dedicated British Sign Language (BSL) and American Sign Language (ASL) tours into new multimedia guides.
By doing so, the Britannia ensures that the "World’s Best Luxury Experience" is truly accessible to the global Deaf community, providing an equitable and independent way to explore the vessel’s rich history.
ATS is committed to helping heritage attractions dismantle barriers, ensuring their stories are accessible to all. For the Royal Yacht Britannia, we developed a bespoke multimedia interface aligned with their branding.
This ensures accessibility features feel like an integral part of the visitor experience, allowing Deaf and hard-of-hearing guests to navigate the yacht's history with complete independence.
The BSL and ASL content was a collaborative process. Partnering with experts Remark and Deaf Action, we produced high-definition video tours featuring professional signers and synchronised subtitles.
By working with these specialist partners, we guaranteed the highest standards of linguistic accuracy.
This collaboration effectively removed communication barriers, opening the Royal Yacht Britannia’s rich heritage to a wider, more diverse global audience.
