Scandic, the Sweden-based hotel group, is intensifying its successful focus on improved accessibility. This year, over 100 new disabled rooms will be added to the portfolio and 2012 there will be even more to meet the large and growing demand. More and more companies and organisations seek rooms and conference facilities that are accessible to all.
February marks the end of ELMA’s first year in action and It will also mark the beginning of a new era for ELMA. The future of ELMA looks bright and it is now hoped that the next steps for ELMA will bring local enterprise closer so that together we may move into developing an Accessible Vuokatti… A VUOKATTI FOR ALL!
The New Zealand Tourism Research Institute, Auckland University of Technology is conducting a survey for the New Zealand National Foundation for the Deaf concerning the tourism, travel, and hospitality needs of people with hearing impairments. The survey aims to gather responses from people all over the world who are either deaf or have hearing loss.
January has been ELMA’s biggest month yet. Thanks to the efforts of the ELMA team here in Vuokatti, much has been accomplished. This month has seen the First steps into the future Ridderrennet International circuit, Research cooperation between the Snowpolis research units and Paralympic sport, and more importantly the future of Sport and leisure for the disabled to be cradled here in Vuokatti.
Accessible Travel Netherlands has been developed to raise awareness about the increasing need of information about access for tourists and to provide reliable information for visitors. This need comes especially from the rising numbers of tourist that might face a disability.
Brussels, 2 December 2010. Avila, whose motto is "A City for Everyone" is a Spanish city known widely for its medieval walls. Today it won the first-ever European award for improving access for people with disabilities, the Access●City Award 2011. The annual honour aims to award efforts to improve accessibility in the urban environment and to foster equal participation of people with disabilities.
The first international certification programme for accessible tourism destinations has been developed and carried out in Lousã, Portugal by the Belgian Accessibility Office, Toegangelijkheidsbureau (TGB). The Certification Programme is a completely new destination management tool which provides an accurate measure of the excellence of an accessible tourism destination, based on strictly defined criteria.
The European network of cities, EUROCITIES, has established a Working Group on Barrier-Free Cities for All. The Group is chaired by Ms. Barbara Berninger, City of Berlin.
The eAccess+ network aims to bridge the widening gap between the potential of ICT/AT and eAccessibility for people with disabilities and the ageing population on the one hand and the actual implementation of eAccesibility on the other hand. eAccess+ is driven by 25 core members, coming from all over Europe. It is their task to involve all stakeholder groups at national level and to expand the network by developing a group of so called “Associated Partners”.
This study, commissioned by the Government of Ontario, examines the potential economic impact of achieving substantially higher levels of accessibility. In 2010, the Province will introduce five proposed standards through which the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), 2005 will be implemented. These standards are intended to achieve substantially higher levels of acessibility. Our study reviews the economic impact of increased accessibility on individuals, on markets, and on social units. We find that there are opportunities at all three levels to realize non-trivial economic gains through enabling a higher number of Ontarians to participate fully in the province’s economy.
Tourism is dedicated to catering for the preferences of a wide range of customers, but
genuinely inclusive travel, whether for business or for leisure, can be hard to find. Ivor Ambrose is Managing Director of the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT),
a not-for-profit association which promotes accessible tourism. Here he sets out key issues and case studies showing inclusive tourism in action. Meanwhile Sandra Cooper’s description of her stay in an exceptional destination illustrates some of the possibilities available.
This book of readings by Italian and international authors was prepared in 2010 by the Italian Institute of Tourism for All in order to provide an overview of historical developments, current trends and perspectives on the future of accessible tourism. The text is in Italian and English.
