Brussels, 26 June 2018. VisitFlanders, the tourism authority of the Flemish Region of Belgium, hosted a gathering of tourism organisations and professionals at the launch of the new World Tourism for All Quality Programme.
Amsterdam 3rd May 2018. Booking Cares Fund announced its first ever recipients, including influencer, Ms. Xun Ji, who will develop a database and WeChat service portal to provide accessible tourism information, services and cultural experience opportunities for Chinese travellers with a disability and people over 60.
Nominate and share your best practice project or policy in accessibility. Since 2012 the Zero Project has disseminated replicable and innovative solutions for the problems people with disabilities face, raising public awareness, stimulating reform and acting as a catalyst for a world without barriers.
The project, wholly financed by a grant from the Booking Cares Fund awarded to Ms. Xun Ji, a young disabled Chinese woman, will provide accessible tourism information services and cultural experience opportunities for both Chinese and foreign travellers with particular access needs, while at the same time engaging professionals in the travel industry, preparing them for the new caring economy.
Madrid is a top tourist destination, offering everything from art and culture to leisure and sports, as well as restaurants, shops and green spaces. There are so many places to go, so many things to do… And the city continues to improve its accessibility provisions so that all visitors can make the most of their trip to the Spanish capital.
TAD is a project funded by the European Union Erasmus+ programme under Key Action 2: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices, (KA202 Strategic Partnerships for Vocational Education and Training), addressing accessible tourism.
The Pantou Accessible Tourism Directory was established initially as a data collection tool for a European Commission study of the supply of accessible tourism in Europe in 2014. It lists tourism suppliers who are able to offer accessible tourism services to customers with specific access needs, older persons, people with disabilities, families with young children and those who have a long-term health condition. Since the end of March, 2017 the Pantou Directory has been opened up to include accessible tourism suppliers based in any country - not only those located in Europe. Suppliers may register free of charge.
NEWSCAT is a project funded by Erasmus + under Key Action 2: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices. It gathers organizations with different and complementary expertise (research bodies, service providers organizations, advocacy and umbrella organizations...) in order to increase the competences of professionals of the tourist sector to cope with this demand.
8 May 2018. This study has undertaken literature reviews, user and experts’ questionnaires, interviews and workshop surveys, analysis of EU legislation, SWOT and Multi-Criteria Analysis, identification of best practices and analyses of case studies. This has led to a mapping of accessibility across the EU Member States (identifying relevant state clusters) for three different sectors: local transport, long-distance transport, and tourism. Specific policies, research priorities and recommendations are made per state clusters and for the EU, which can enhance accessibility in each of the three sectors.