On 6 June 2014 the European Commission, DG Enterprise and Industry, Tourism and Cultural Instruments Unit held a conference for tourism stakeholders where the results of three specially commissioned studies on Tourism Accessibility in Europe were presented and discussed by a distinguished panel of tourism practitioners and stakeholders. Speakers' presentations are available for download on this page in PDF format.
Tourism suppliers who have made the effort to cater for visitors with access needs may not always have tools at hand to publicise their accessible services. Now Pantou provides a free document template and guidance notes to help suppliers make a reliable, factual description of their accessible services and facilities.
At MITA International Meeting for Accessible Tourism OF GITANDO.ALL - The basis for the development of accessible tourism and leading European tourism.
The UNWTO Awards for Excellence and Innovation in Tourism honours tourism initiatives that contribute to advance tourism through knowledge and innovation, in line with the principles of the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.
Today, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Scandic is launching wide-ranging interactive training on disabilities at its website, open to everyone.
“Accessible tourism” was the theme of excellence for the 2013 EDEN competition. Destinations awarded under this theme have succesfully implemented a tourism offer based on an overall approach to accessibility for tourists regardless of their special needs, limitations, disabilities or age. View the list of 19 national winners.
On November 6th, Visit Flanders was awarded the ‘Amadeus & WTM Travel Experience Award’ for its provision in Accessible Tourism. The judges praised the efforts that Flanders has made to become an accessible holiday destination for everyone, particularly for Flanders Fields, prior to the Great War Commemoration.
Stockholm, 25 October 2013. Scandic (hotels) Denmark has been awarded the Bevica Foundation’s Accessibility Prize 2013. Each year, the foundation awards a prize to people or companies that have shown a particular interest in people with disabilities.
Under the theme, "Tourism, Culture and Transportation. A Common Strategy at the International Level", the 1st World Summit on Destinations for All will be held in Montreal in October 2014. The Summit aims to establish an international strategy to develop inclusive tourism.
The UNWTO "Recommendations on Accessible Tourism for All” (2013) have been approved and endorsed by the General Assembly. Updated from the 2005 version, the recommendations outline a form of tourism that involves a collaborative process among stakeholders to enable people with access requirements to function independently through universally designed tourism products, services and environments. These recommendations were developed within the framework of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of 2007.