Presentations and Speeches from ENAT International Congress 2009, Now Available

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Over 30 of the presentations and speeches given at the 2nd ENAT International Congress in Vienna are now available for downloading. They include keynote addresses, workshop reports and case studies from many countries on a variety of subjects.

Over 30 of the presentations and speeches given at the 2nd ENAT International Congress in Vienna are now available for downloading.

They include keynote addresses, workshop reports and case studies from many countries on a variety of subjects.

Visit the Congress Website, download-page.

Congress Closing Speech

by ENAT President, Lilian Müller.

Dear participants,

It is not very easy to sum up a congress like this, where so many important things have been said, and so many interesting examples have been shown. One way to do it, is to summarize in just four words: One big step forward!

We do have a common understanding of the needs for accessible tourism, and in this congress we have been discussing this topic from many different perspectives and it has given us a broad picture of what accessible tourism can be. Is it business or a question of human rights?

I would say it is both. Accessible tourism is a win-win concept that creates the possibilities to meet the specific needs of older people, people with disabilities and other people in the wide target group. And, at the same time, it’s a possibility for the tourism industry and for all the many small and medium-sized enterprises linked to tourism, to welcome more costumers and extend the tourism season.

Is it a problem that we have so many different perspectives on accessible tourism?

No, on the contrary, it is important to tackle the issue from different starting points. It enriches the discussion and will bring us to more qualitative results and conclusions.

Now it is important for us all to make use of all the existing knowledge and put that into practice in our home countries, regions and municipalities. In this work we need each other and we need ENAT. Our task is to make Accessible tourism a success. Innovation and quality are key words in this work.

Some of the important parts of our methods a e to use existing knowledge, network and disseminate good practices. In our work we shall remember the success factors, presented in the congress. A practical example of how to put theory into practice, also presented in the congress, is the example of the German destinations. This is a good practice that has arrived out of the important studies made in Germany by Peter Neumann on behalf of German Ministries. This kind of transfer of knowledge into practice must continue on national, regional and local levels in all countries.

Our efforts will continue in many fields, and one of the most important, that has been mentioned by many speakers, is the obvious need for training and education on all levels.

ENAT is continuing the work in training and education, by example in the project CETA that was presented before by Ivor Ambrose; and another one is the ETCAATS project, that is actually starting today, coordinated from Sweden. In this work we will for instance create an online training for staff in tourism industry, with a special focus on small and medium-sized enterprises; and develop a framework for an European Training Certificate – Access for all in the tourism sector.

It is important to improve the education for architects, but we shall not forget all staff working in tourism and service – every single person must know why accessible tourism is important, and why accessible tourism simply is the best market.

I would like to thank all of you that participated in this congress – every one of you is important in our common work for the future!

My warmest thank also to Angelika Laburda and her team at IBTF who have made this congress possible.

Thank you very much!