Conference. Accessible Tourism, an Investment for Europe!

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Brussels, 28 November 2012. Organised as part of the Ile de France Region's "Europe Days", this conference will be an opportunity to discuss relevant actions to make tourism in the EU more accessible.

Ile de France invitation image"Île-de-France Europe Days 2012".
Brussels, 28 November 2012.

For several years, the European Union has been promoting a policy of active integration for disabled people and encouraging their full participation in society. According to the UN, approximately 650 million people live with disabilities in the world. Making tourism accessible is a social responsibility but also an issue for tourism competitiveness in Europe.

The Paris Île-de-France Region, through its tourism board and the Veneto Region developed a strategy to improve the accessibility of their territory aiming at improving the quality of their destinations. Today, European regions, in the frame of the new taskforce “accessible tourism” from the NECSTour network, committed themselves to pursue and improve this strategy to increase incomes and really make their resources accessible to everyone.

This conference will be an opportunity to think about relevant actions to make tourism in the EU more accessible. The participants will share their views on how the different levels of the EU governance can work together to shape the future of accessible and inclusive tourism.

New! 21.12.2012. Under the following links: a report of the conference, pictures of the event and the “boîte à questions”: Conference Results and Photos

Venue : Île-de-France European Representation, 10 rue Montoyer, 1000 Bruxelles

Interpretation : French/English

Registration

Email to: tourisme@iledefrance-europe.eu

Programme

14.30       Welcome Coffee

15.00      Opening by Gabriel Massou, Vice president of the Paris Île-de-France Tourism Board, Regional Councillor

Moderation: Mr. Ivor Ambrose, Managing Director and a co-founder of ENAT, the European Network for Accessible Tourism

15.15    A European taskforce, dedicated to Tourism

Carlo Fidanza, MEP, member of the Tran Committee (TBC)


15.30   European destination for all: presentation of the taskforce "Accessible Tourism" of the network NECSTour

Sylvia Draghi, Tourism Unit, the Veneto Region

Emmanuelle Tulliez, Paris Île-de-France Tourism Board

Q&A


16.15  Coffee break


16.30   Mainstreaming Accessibility in Tourism

Antonella Correra, Policy Officer, Support to Tourism Industry, European Commission DG Enterprise and Industry


16.50   The position of the interested circles: NGO's and companies

Carlotta Besozzi, Director - European Disability Forum

Ronan de la Paquerie, Technical adviser – TAXIS G7

Q&A


17.30   Closing remarks by Gabriel Massou, Vice President of the Paris Île-de-France Tourism Board, Regional Councilor

17.45   Cocktail Reception

 

Download the programme in PDF format from the right-hand panel.


Île de France

  • is the 1st worldwide touristic destination attracting 82 million tourists a year.
  • has 11.6 million inhabitants, that is 20% of the French population
  • produces over 28% of national GDP and 5% of European GDP
  • includes the Colunty Councils of Paris, Seine-et-Marne, Yvelines, Essonne, Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, Val-de-Marne, Val d’Oise
  • has 1,282 Towns in an area of 12,072 km2 including 80% of agricultural, rural and forests lands.

ENAT Member logoÎle de France Region and Veneto Region (accessible tourism project partners) are ENAT Members.