This document profiles key Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre (STCRC) research into disability and accessible tourism perspectives and issues, an important and growing component of the Australian tourism landscape. The publication, available only in PDF format and free of charge, has been developed with the visitor, service provider, planning agency and industry operator in mind, bringing together summaries, statistics, key findings and recommendations in an easily accessible format.
This edition of the Design for All India Newsletter brings together, for the first time, a range of articles about inclusive, accessible tourism in India. The guest editor is Dr. Scott Rains, who travelled to India in 2008, meeting and working with tourism industry representatives, destination managers and disability groups. Authors of the invited articles include travel agents, travellers, product designers, teachers and planners.
The city of Stockholm has set a goal, to be achieved at the latest by 2010, to be the most easily accessible capital of the world. The project, "Easy Access", coordinated by Stockholm City Council, plays an important part in reaching this goal. The gains in adapting Stockholm to meet the needs of disabled persons, thereby making it possible for them to participate fully in the social life of the city, are numerous. A society that extends a welcome to everybody to participate in the city´s life, becomes a community that inspires all and sundry to care for her/his fellow-beings. Increased accessibility for disabled persons to points and places in the city also means ease-of-access for everybody.
Located in the central region of Portugal, Lousã is an area which epitomises the unspoilt beauty of the Serra da Lousã mountain landscape. Following an initiative to host the first National Accessible Tourism Conference in April 2007, Lousã civil society organised a Task Force to plan for the development of Lousã as the first Accessible Tourism Destination in Portugal. The project aims to serve as an example both nationally and internationally. The website which is currently in Portuguese, will be available in English, French and Spanish in due course.
At the beginning of 2008, CenterKontura prepared a one-year experimental development Project called SPIT, which was supported by the Fund of the Republic of Slovenia for Promotion of Employment of Persons with Disabilities.
The INTERREG IVc programme on innovation and environment targets the transnational exchange of experience and good practice between public sector organisations working at municipal, provincial and regional levels in the EU Member States. With the 2nd Call for proposals now open, ENAT is keen to support public authorities in their bids to design and implement transnational projects where accessible tourism is in focus.
ENAT is putting forward plans to develop a 'Consensus Document' of specifications for accessible transport and tourism services for disabled people. The proposal aims to bring together industry, public authorities, disability NGOs and consumer organisations under the auspices of a CEN Workshop Agreement to identify good practices and agree on a set of basic guidelines. A draft document describing the planned 14-month workshop and how to participate is now available for downloading. Interested organisations are invited to provide their comments on this draft by 30th November 2008.
Physically challenged and elderly persons might soon find it easier to access tourist destinations in India as the Government intends to make them barrier-free for the benefit of this section of tourists. The Indian Tourism Ministry has made it mandatory that all tourist facilities, which are being created with Central Government financial assistance, should be barrier-free, the tourism secretary, Mr Shilabhadra Banerjee, said on 24 October at a Training Workshop for Government managers and engineers.
The British Standards Institute has published "BS EN 15565:2008 Tourism services. Requirements for the provision of professional tourist guide training and qualification programmes".
Following the invitation of the ENAT international Board, travel writer and educator, Dr. Scott Rains has been made a 'Lifetime Honorary Associate Member’ of the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT).
The Design for All Foundation, based in Barcelona, (Spain) and the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT), today signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at ensuring long-term cooperation between the two associations for the promotion of better access for all citizens in Europe.
Today the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has taken up Honorary Associate Membership of the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT) with Observer status in meetings of the association. In a letter to ENAT, Marina Diotallevi, Chief of the 'Cultural, Social and Ethical Aspects of Tourism' Section at UNWTO expressed how she looks forward to the organisations' renewed cooperation for the promotion of accessible tourism for all.
