A new not-for-profit hotel group has been launched in the UK, specialising in accessible travel. Re-branded as Vision Hotels, the group’s four AA three-star hotels are run by national charity Action for Blind People and are already equipped with all the needs for disabled guests, as well as families and couples.
Figures released this month by VisitEngland from the UK Tourism Survey show that overnight trips made by people who either have or are accompanied by someone with a health condition or impairment contributed almost £2bn to the English domestic visitor economy in 2009.
The cream of English tourism was marked by the Enjoy England Awards for Excellence 2010 in Brighton on St George's Day, 23rd April. A total of 46 gold and silver winners were selected from more than 100 regional winners submitted by the nine regions in England. These were assessed by independent assessors and a team of judges to make it through to the national final.
On 23 December 2009 the Confortel Hotels, Almirante, Barcelona Confortel Bel Art and the Confortel Puerta de Triana in Seville, received the Certificate of Accessibility of the Spanish Association for Standardisation and Certification (AENOR), UNE Universal Accessibility 170001-2:2007.
Belgian, Bert van Driel became a wheelchair user in 2007. However, he wanted to remain active. Bert realised that active wheelchair users need to carefully plan any activity. During this process, he noticed that most on-line information is not accurate and outdated. Bert started the non-profit organisation "Access on Wheels" in 2009 as an independent forum by and for wheelchair users.
Indian Non-Governmental Organisation, Svayam, requests experts and stakeholders to give their comments on a Draft Research Study on Problems and Prospects of Accessible Tourism in India. This is the first study of its kind commissioned by the Indian Government.
Margaret Hodge, Member of Parliament and Minister for Culture, Creative Industries and Sport launched today a leaflet setting out the advantages for businesses of preparing themselves to welcome both domestic and foreign visitors with access needs at the forthcoming London Olympic and Paralympic Games.
TourismSouthEast in the United Kingdom reviews some of the ways in which businesses can invest to make their facilities and services accessible for all. For relatively small costs it is possible to offer accommodation that is suitable for everybody. The podcast offers tips and advice to help businesses tap into the accessible tourism market, worth some 40 billion pounds a year.
With thousands of blogs appearing on the Web every minute, it takes something special to make any single one of them stand out from the crowd. For those interested in research on accessible tourism, Dr. Simon Darcy's new blog on Accessible Tourism Research holds significant promise of making research findings more accessible to everyone. Also, it can help to shape the international agenda of research and development in this growing and diverse field of study.
For long Vuokatti is known worldwide for its superb sports and leisure facilities. It has been a regular host for all levels of athletes and individuals who enjoy practicing a physical activity in a purely natural and friendly setting. The Elma project is focussed on developing a sustainable, Universally Accessible destination for all.
