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.
The Municipality of Arona, Tenerife Sur, has taken up the challenge to make its tourist offers available to everyone, including people with disabilities, through the Arona Integral Accessibility Plan. An access guide to Tenerif Sur, produced in 2007, covers information bureaux, facilities, transport and accommodations in three languages, Spanish, English, German. The Guide has 170 pages and is richly illustrated.
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.
Rough Guides provide travellers with pocket-book information from shoestring to luxury and cover more than 200 destinations around the globe. Rough Guides and Motability have joined forces to produce an inspiring new Rough Guide to Accessible Britain. Everyone is now invited to send their review of a favourite attraction for the next edition. The competition ends on 7th November 2008.
Less mobile visitors to Dachstein World Heritage are for the first time provided with barrier-free access to the Krippenstein cableway up to the top of the mountain. Improvements include the accessible car park, ramps and only-short-distance passages without significant slopes. You'll find a beautiful view of the Dachstein plateau and the surrounding mountain peaks.
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.
'Sydney for All' is a prototype accessible tourism Web “portal” which highlights destination experiences around Sydney for those with access needs. The portal reflects the findings of a research project and seeks to provide accessibility information about key tourism experiences that people can enjoy when they are in Sydney.
Two new studies produced by ENAT research staff are now available for download from the ENAT website. The first report, " Rights of Tourists with Disabilities in the European Union Framework" examines the key legislation and the way in which the rights of people with disabilities are being extended and safeguarded. The second report, "Services and Facilities for Accessible Tourism in Europe" presents definitions of accessible tourism, the target public and their specific needs, and an overview of services and facilities that tourism providers can adopt to improve accessibility. Both reports include many examples of good practice drawn from several European countries, illustrating a range of accessible tourism and travel services.
The European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT) has registered this week as a non-profit organisation in Belgium. This marks an exciting new phase in its European and international operations.
As part of the two year ENAT work programme 2006 – 2007, a study of services and facilities for accessible tourism in Europe was conducted by Toegankelijkheidsbureau (Belgium). This report presents definitions of accessible tourism, the target public and their specific needs, leading to an overview of services and facilities that tourism providers can adopt to improve accessibility.
Prepared by the Irish National Disability Authority, this draft code of practice explains the obligations of public bodies to ensure that, as far as practicable, the whole or part of a heritage site in its ownership, management or control and to which the public has access, is accessible to people with disabilities and can be visited by them with ease and dignity.
An access guide to Tenerife Sur, produced in 2007, covers information bureaux, facilities, transport and accommodations in three languages, Spanish, English, German. 169 pages. It is published by the Municipality of Arona. Arona has taken up the challenge to make its tourist offers available to everyone, including people with disabilities, through the Arona Integral Accessibility Plan.
