Madrid, Spain, 25 February 2021 - The shared values and close ties between tourism and culture stakeholders means both sectors can work together to ensure inclusive access to heritage, as countries around the world recover from the pandemic. In recognition of this mutually reinforcing relationship, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and UNESCO have collaborated to produce a set of new guidelines focusing on the responsible restart of cultural tourism.
UNWTO invited the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to contribute to the UNWTO Inclusive Recovery Guide, Issue 2: Cultural Tourism. This is the second set of guidelines relating to the socio-cultural impacts of COVID-19 issued by UNWTO and will continue to be revised, as the situation evolves.
Make cultural tourism relevant in the recovery
The publication draws on the insights and expertise of the two UN agencies to analyse the impact of the pandemic on their respective sectors. This includes how lost revenues are severely impacting communities, heritage sites, cultural events, spaces and institutions, while also weakening destinations’ competitiveness and market differentiation. The guidelines on cultural tourism also stress the need for support from policymakers to ensure the relevance of culture in the emergency and contingency planning within tourism destinations.
3 December 2020. Press Release. Ensuring accessibility for tourists with specific access requirements can be a ‘game changer’ for destinations around the world as they look to bounce back from the impacts of the pandemic. A new set of Inclusive Recovery Guides from the World Tourism Organization, produced in partnership with the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT), the ONCE Foundation of Spain and Travability from Australia, makes clear the importance of placing inclusivity at the centre of recovery plans and provides key recommendations for achieving this.
Projects from sixteen countries on three continents are included in the PREDIF online webinars series on accessible tourism this November. Register now!
The partners of the ACCESS-IT project invite you to answer a survey on tourism in rural and natural areas, including the countryside, seaside, lakes, mountains, rivers, forests, etc. We would like to know your views and experiences, especially regarding accessibility for people with disabilities and/or other access requirements.
Virtual reality-based technologies, using 360-degree videos of tourism destinations viewed on a VR headset can substitute for real trips and help tourists dream or plan for the next vacation. A new survey indicates an opportunity for creating a parallel economy for tourist guides as 360-video content providers.
Nominate your city for the 10th Access City Award 2020. On 29 November 2019, the European Commission will reward the 10th winners of the Access City Award. Once again, cities will be rewarded for their outstanding work in making their cities more accessible for persons with disabilities and elderly people.
27 June 2019. The Prime Minister has announced the UK’s first ever Tourism Sector Deal today, reaffirming the UK’s global role as a key player in the industry.
Thanks to the generous support of Booking Cares Fund (Booking.com), 10 Chinese guests will experience the best an accessible tourism destination can offer on a 4-day Study Visit arranged by ENAT - the European Network for Accessible Tourism - and some of its members in Madrid.
Under the INVITE project funding scheme for SMEs, Eyemmersive (EYEM) proposes to create a Digital Market Place for Immersive Tourism based on VR technologies. The service concept provides a new source of income for professional tourist guides in destinations around the globe, delivering Eyemmersive™ local tourism content to extend the reach of tourism operators and provide a promotional opportunity towards independent travellers.
IMPACTOUR will create an innovative and easy-to-use methodology and tool to measure and assess the impact of Cultural Tourism (CT) on European economic and social development and to improve Europe’s policies and practices on CT, strengthening its role as a sustainable driving force in the growth and economic development of European regions.