The European Commission opened the competition on 22 May for the third “Access City Award”, the European Award for Accessible Cities. The annual prize recognises and celebrates cities that are dedicated to providing an accessible environment for all, and for persons with disabilities in particular.
27 March 2012 was the Networking Day for Spanish "Business Innovation Groups in Tourism" (AEITs), where the focus was on accessibility, mobility and sustainability as axes for transforming the Spanish tourism sector. New projects address the application of new technologies to hotels, campsites and cottages, and also to the value chain of the tourism sector.
VisitEngland today launched a new online training course to help tourism businesses deliver excellent service to disabled customers. Designed in partnership with award-winning disability organisation DisabledGo, the course is specifically tailored to help those working within the tourism industry.
"Our Young Voices campaigners have made a remarkable achievement to ensure disabled people can enjoy improved access to these historical sites of worldwide importance. This will encourage all our campaigners worldwide to continue their valuable work,” stated Tanya Barron, International Director, Leonard Cheshire Disability, speaking at a conference organised by Leonard Cheshire Disability and the United Nations in Bangkok, Thailand.
The European Commission has chosen "Accessible Tourism Destinations" as this year's theme for the European Destinations of Excellence Awards. National Tourism Authorities are invited to organise competitions to select the best small, "non traditional" destinations that provide an outstanding offer for tourists regardless of their physical limitations, disabilities or age.
Scandic's Disability Ambassador Magnus Berglund has received an award for being one of Sweden's most important actuators in Corporate Social Responsibility.
The International Social Tourism Organisation (ISTO) and its partners have been chosen by the European Commission to promote social tourism in Europe through the development of a Web platform matching supply with demand.
Best Practice in Accessible Tourism, edited by Dimitrios Buhalis, Simon Darcy and Ivor Ambrose, focuses on policy and best practice in accessible tourism, reflecting the ”state-of -the-art” as expressed in a selection of international chapters. Available now, at 20% discount.
Tourism for All UK is teaming up with the global travel community website Tripbod.com. The aim is to find as many local people as possible with a knowledge of accessibility in their area to become ‘Tripbods’ and offer their local knowledge to visitors.
The STEEP project aims at creating and developing a web‐based platform as a mechanism intended to facilitate transnational tourism particularly during the low season, and within the different Calypso target groups. It also aims to increase the competitiveness of tourism SME’s by facilitating business opportunities between intermediaries acting on behalf of clients.
