The accessibility of services we offer is a condition for all people to take part in tourist activities. Providers of accessible services must take into account that we live in a plural and diverse society, as requirements are not equal for all people. Tourism activities should be organized in a way that ensures that people who wish to participate in them can do so freely and voluntarily, in terms of comfort and dignity. This Guidebook explains the methods for ensuring accessible tourism through applying design criteria, management approaches and information strategies.
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.
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.
The Australian Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport provide practical measures to be taken by transport operators and providers to make public transport more accessible, both for persons with disabilities, as well as the elderly and those travelling with young children.
'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.
A major milestone has been reached with the publication this week of the recommendations from the Second International Conference on Accessible Tourism held November 22 - 24, 2007 at the United Nations in Bangkok, Thailand. Sixteen recommendations directed towards governments, public agencies, tourism businesses and academia seek to promote the development of inclusive tourism in the region, targetting a wide range of measures for both specialised and mainstream services.
Thanks to the guide Monza per Tutti (Monza for All), Monza, a Lombard city lying 15 km northeast of Milan, can now offer specified information about physical accessibility and a number of accommodations, facilities, restaurants and museums. In this way it will be easier for everyone to plan their visit to Monza.
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.
Recommendations from the Second International Conference on Accessible Tourism held November 22 - 24, 2007 at the United Nations in Bangkok, Thailand.
Sixteen recommendations directed towards governments, public agencies, tourism businesses and academia seek to promote the development of inclusive tourism in the region, targetting a wide range of measures for both specialised and mainstream services.
The Australian Disability Discrimination Act 1992 seeks to eliminate discrimination, ‘as far as possible’, against people with disabilities. Public transport is a service covered by the Disability Discrimination Act 1992. The purpose of these Standards is to enable public transport operators and providers to remove discrimination from public transport services.
