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.
Ferrara, 27 August 2013. On the 19th of August, at the stand of the Republic of San Marino at the Rimini Meeting, the agreement was presented between the Republic of San Marino and Village for all - V4A® that will bring the “Republic of Titan” into the market of Accessible Tourism.
Under the Specific Programme: Preparatory Action "Tourism and accessibility for all", the European Commission has issued an Open Call for projects that will foster accessibility in local tourism development agendas, strategies and practices.
The Association of British Travel Agents, ABTA, takes action against "Flight Centre" following a Reduced Mobility Rights report on the travel agents’ websites missing mandatory information for disabled passengers.
National tourist board VisitEngland has joined forces with UK charity Action on Hearing Loss to launch Listen Up! - a free guide designed to help businesses become more accessible for customers with hearing loss.
The new campaign for accessible tourism – Italy, Open for Everybody – was presented at the International Meeting on Accessible Tourism (MITA) today, March 22nd, 2013.
The National Standards Authority of Ireland has announced the launch of a period of public enquiry from the 4th March until the 29th March 2013 on the Standard I.S. 373.
The project "Development and marketing of accessible facilities and services within the meaning of Tourism for All in Germany" is a collaborative project funded by the Federal Ministry for Economy and Technology of the German Department of Tourism (DSFT) Berlin eV and the National Coordination Office for Tourism for All Association (NatKo).
In Autumn 2013 two volunteers from Jaccede, the Eurotrotters, are coming to Europe to spread the accessibility message and create a human platform for exchange to complement the virtual tools offered by Jaccede to all people with limited mobility and concerned citizens.
The project fits in with the call to “promote transnational thematic tourism” products in the European Union to develop sustainable tourism. For the first time, greenways have been included in the grant programme of the European Commission’s General Directorate of Tourism (2011), indicating that they are an area regarded to have great potential and value for the development of sustainable tourism within Europe.
The ITA project will contribute to developing a new direction in the tourism sphere in Georgia. It aims to benefit, in particular, persons with disabilities and elderly citizens and contribute to the economic development of Georgia by involving directly civil society organisations, small and medium-sized enterprises and public sector bodies in training, development and dissemination activities.