Being aware of the market potential of people with accessibility needs due to social- demographic trends internationally, the Basque Country is working in order to create a "Tourism for All in Basque Country" tourism offer. Based on an already created accessibility model, this project's objective is to further develop the model including required standards for new services and packages within six itineraries in the Basque Country taking into account the whole value chain and also the quality of the services provided.
Project STRING is a transnational cooperation initiative to be implemented by 12 partners from 6 countries. It aims to create 9 fully accessible itineraries respectively in Italy (Piedmont Regione), Spain (Ávila) and Bulgaria (Sozopol) which will then be developed into comprehensive tourist packages. Such packages will be put on the market, by Tour Operators through Travel Agency, singular or in composable modular box that allow customers to make their preferred combination.
ACCESSTOUR is an acronym expressing accessible tourism in a short way. Accessible tourism could be considered disadvantaged in comparison with more traditional mass tourism. In the last years accessible tourism has become synonym of high quality care for persons with special needs and accessible destinations. The project aims at marking out the special qualities of accessibility implemented with effective and user friendly services.
The project "Cosy for You", supported by a web site and a mobile application (C4Y mobile app.) consists in the dissemination of "knowledge" of places, travel goods and services accessible at 360° in the Campania Region, in the South of Italy, starting with five different destinations: Napoli, Pozzuoli and "Campi Flegrei", Sorrento and the Sorrentine peninsula, Vesuvius area and Benevento, including 14 itineraries. It is proposed as best practice to other public and private institutions active in tourism in Italy and worldwide.
The overall objective of the project is the implementation, promotion and marketing of universal accessibility to the Route “VIA REGIA – Cultural Route of the Council of Europe” between Frankfurt/Main and Leipzig combining 8 destinations.
Polibienestar has created the platform SOCIALTOURISM, the first model of tourist universal accessibility, which allows to companies and Administrations a self-assessment online of its facilities and services on the basis of universal design criteria.
People with disabilities and older people are considered as an important and growing number of clients for all kind of events and meetings (about 20 % of the population today). Accommodating and supporting their needs and providing accessible services is becoming more and more a success criterion for conferences and events.
The Declaration which resulted from the 1st UNWTO Conference on Accessible Tourism in Europe, held on 19-20 November 2014 in the Republic of San Marino, can be read and downloaded here in English, French and Spanish.
The Manual on Accessible Tourism for All: Principles, Tools and Good Practices, is UNWTO's second handbook on accessibility and has been co-produced with the Spanish ONCE Foundation and ENAT. It features recommendations and guidelines drawn from experience, recent academic studies and international standards, as well as from technological and scientific advances that have been made in this field. This publication is currently available in Spanish only, in a digital accessible version.
Official version of the Declaration adopted by participants at the Destinations for All 2014 World Summit, held in Montreal Canada, 19 to 23 October 2014.
On 5 December 2014, 27 speakers from local regional authorities and others met at the EESC to discuss ways of improving inclusive social, political and physical infrastructures while promoting accessibility for all within the tourism industry.
Scandic’s accessibility training has won first prize for best interactive training at the Swedish Learning Awards 2014 and also took home silver in the British E-learning Awards.
