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Welcome
Welcome to the Website of ENAT - the European Network for Accessible Tourism.
ENAT was founded in January 2006 by nine sponsoring organisations who wanted to create a membership network for all those ‘who support or want to know more about accessible tourism in Europe’.
Through our network we aim to break down the many barriers facing tourists who have greater or smaller access needs: lack of information, transport difficulties, architectural barriers and inadequate standards of service.
President's Message
Lilian Müller, ENAT President
Enabling access to tourism is our priority. First, some facts and figures. As a population we're both ageing rapidly and travelling more: older people who still want and are able to travel will soon make up 25% of the European population. Add to this the 50 million people with disabilities in Europe who want to holiday with family and friends, and we find that as many as 130 million people in Europe alone will benefit from improved access to travel and tourism services. Accessible tourism is not a niche market; it's a demographic explosion and we will all feel the effects. We have to improve access now.
(Read the full text of the President's Message...)
Read the ENAT Flyer - available in 8 languages
News
New! 05/05/2008 New ENAT Studies on Disabled Tourists' Rights and Services for Accessible Tourism
Two new studies produced by ENAT research staff are now available for download from the ENAT website. The first report, " Rights of Tourists with Disabilities in the European Union Framework" examines the key legislation and the way in which the rights of people with disabilities are being extended and safeguarded. The second report, "Services and Facilities for Accessible Tourism in Europe" presents definitions of accessible tourism, the target public and their specific needs, and an overview of services and facilities that tourism providers can adopt to improve accessibility. Both reports include many examples of good practice drawn from several European countries, illustrating a range of accessible tourism and travel services.
New! 20/04/2008 Australian Airline, Rex, wants to stop persons with disabilities from flying alone
Australian regional airline Rex is seeking to ban intellectually disabled passengers from flying unaccompanied unless they can demonstrate an ability to understand safety procedures.
07/04/2008 New UK publication: Guidance on accessibility of large hotel premises and hotel chains
This 'Publicly Available Specification' (PAS) has been developed by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and VisitBritain in collaboration with The British Standards Institution (BSI). The book is intended to help owners and managers of large hotels and hotel chains meet their obligations under the UK Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).
04/04/2008 UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities gets 20th ratification
On 3rd April 2008, Ecuador signed up as the twentieth country to ratify the UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Tunisia and Jordan signed earlier the same week. This will bring the Convention automatically into force on 3rd May. This is a significant landmark for travel and tourism policy and provision, as the Convention includes the right of disabled people to equal participation in cultural activities, including recreation, leisure and sport (Article 30).