UN Global Expo on South-South Development 2014 - Forum on Accessible Tourism (DSPD/UNDESA)

17 November 2014, Washington DC, USA.

Tourism is a rapidly growing industry and has become one of the main income generators for many countries in the global South. Ensuring the sustainability of this growing source of income depends heavily on ensuring that its social and economic impact is both positive and inclusive. Greater attention to accessibility in the tourism industry is a major part of this impact.

The Forum on Accessible Tourism will showcase and promote accessible tourism as an effective means for poverty eradication, employment generation and social inclusion. Successful models for improving accessibility in the tourism industry will also be presented during the Forum.

Featuring industry players from the global South and North, the Forum will provide governments, NGOs and the private sector with a platform to showcase promising and replicable strategies for promoting and developing accessible tourism.

By having this conversation in the context of the Global South-South Development Expo, the forum aims to provide a springboard for further engagement of all relevant stakeholders on developing strategies and policies that will effectively promote accessible tourism in countries, especially in the global South.

Taking the form of an interactive roundtable, the forum will feature successful policies and initiatives from Latin America, Europe, and North America.

Three of the invited speakers are ENAT members:

• Dr. J. Hernandez Galan, Fundación ONCE (ENAT Vice-President), replaced by Mr. R. Garcia, Global Business Development Manager – Accessibility Services Division.
• Mr. M. Trudel, Kéroul.
• Mr. P. Ramón Ortega, NATIVE Hotels

Programme: Forum on Accessible Tourism, 4:15 to 6:15 p.m. (Eastern Central Time) 

Consult the schedule for live-streaming of the event: http://www.oas.org/en/media_center/webcast_schedule.asp