“Accessible tourism” was the theme of excellence for the 2013 EDEN competition. Destinations awarded under this theme have succesfully implemented a tourism offer based on an overall approach to accessibility for tourists regardless of their special needs, limitations, disabilities or age. View the list of 19 national winners.
On November 6th, Visit Flanders was awarded the ‘Amadeus & WTM Travel Experience Award’ for its provision in Accessible Tourism. The judges praised the efforts that Flanders has made to become an accessible holiday destination for everyone, particularly for Flanders Fields, prior to the Great War Commemoration.
Stockholm, 25 October 2013. Scandic (hotels) Denmark has been awarded the Bevica Foundation’s Accessibility Prize 2013. Each year, the foundation awards a prize to people or companies that have shown a particular interest in people with disabilities.
Under the theme, "Tourism, Culture and Transportation. A Common Strategy at the International Level", the 1st World Summit on Destinations for All will be held in Montreal in October 2014. The Summit aims to establish an international strategy to develop inclusive tourism.
This is a friendly reminder that the deadline for long paper submissions for UD 2014 is approaching. The International Conference on Universal Design, UD 2014, will take place June 16–18 2014 in Lund, Sweden.
The UNWTO "Recommendations on Accessible Tourism for All” (2013) have been approved and endorsed by the General Assembly. Updated from the 2005 version, the recommendations outline a form of tourism that involves a collaborative process among stakeholders to enable people with access requirements to function independently through universally designed tourism products, services and environments. These recommendations were developed within the framework of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of 2007.
The European Commission seeks destinations to test and report back on ETIS, a system to manage and improve the sustainability of tourism destinations. Apply before 1st July 2013.
The project "Development and marketing of accessible facilities and services within the meaning of Tourism for All in Germany" is a collaborative project funded by the Federal Ministry for Economy and Technology of the German Department of Tourism (DSFT) Berlin eV and the National Coordination Office for Tourism for All Association (NatKo).
In Autumn 2013 two volunteers from Jaccede, the Eurotrotters, are coming to Europe to spread the accessibility message and create a human platform for exchange to complement the virtual tools offered by Jaccede to all people with limited mobility and concerned citizens.