Accessibility in tourism in a social right that concerns all citizens in Europe. In Europe it is estimated that 10% of the population have some type of disability, this means around 50 million people. And this number will continue to grow due to the inevitable process of demographic change as half of them are over 65. It can be deduced that accessibility is essential for 10% of the population, necessary for 40% and convenient for 100% of the population. In recent years the rights of disabled people to travel and to participate in tourism, leisure, sport and other activities away from home have been strengthened in a number of areas by legislation and regulations at international, European and national levels. This report presents an overview of the key legislation and the way in which the rights of people with disabilities are being extended and safeguarded. The report shows many examples of how the front-runners in sections of the tourism industry are beginning to respond to the increasing demand for accessible tourism products and services.
As part of the two year ENAT work programme 2006 – 2007, a study of services and facilities for accessible tourism in Europe was conducted by Toegankelijkheidsbureau (Belgium). This report presents definitions of accessible tourism, the target public and their specific needs, leading to an overview of services and facilities that tourism providers can adopt to improve accessibility.
List of European Union National Enforcement Bodies for Air Passenger Regulations (and Complaints Handling). Gives names and contact details of enforcement bodies for each EU Member State.
Air Passengers' Complaints Form provided by the European Commission, for use in relation to flights from and to EU airports. The form should be filled in by the passenger and sent to the National Enforcement Body of the EU member state which the plane flew to or from.
Air Canada announced that as of July 15, 2007, pets must travel as air cargo, not as checked luggage. Service animals without proper documentation may be affected. Other airlines apply their own rules.
In Working Like Dogs: The Service Dog Guidebook, two fans of service dogs explain what they are and what it's like to have a dog that's trained to help a disabled person.
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.
Australian regional airline Rex is seeking to ban intellectually disabled passengers from flying unaccompanied unless they can demonstrate an ability to understand safety procedures.
It is a well known fact that most people travelling for holidays or on business do not enjoy the travelling part of the trips they make. If people were able to snap their fingers in order to be automatically transferred to their destination then most would. Some recent research from the UK suggests that travelling by coach is the least stressful mode of transport, allowing passengers to arrive at their destinations having experienced the least amount of worry.
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.
In Thailand, the Disabled Peoples' International - Asia Pacific (DPI-AP) and the Asia Pacific Disability Forum (APDF) and partners organised the Second International Forum on Accessible Tourism (ICAT 2007) from 22-24 November 2007.
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.
