A new research project led by Nordland Research Institute will help tourism providers in rural areas to realise the potential that lies in making destinations more accessible to all.
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.
Press Release, 15 July 2021, Madrid. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has published the world’s first standard on accessible tourism, ISO 21902 Tourism and related services – Accessible tourism for all – Requirements and recommendations. This is an international standard offering guidelines to ensure access and enjoyment of tourism for all on an equal basis.
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) will continue to build on its successful partnership with the Spanish ONCE Foundation and the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT). The three parties have agreed to extend their partnership agreement for a further four years to ensure that their work to improve accessibility, in every part of the tourism value chain, continues during and beyond the pandemic.
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.
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.
This publication is the result of the work carried out in the last months by the Working Group on Accessible Tourism, coordinated by the Affiliate Members Department and chaired by the Spanish Network for Accessible Tourism (Red Estable).
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.
This Handbook is a learning material focused on Inclusive Tourist Guiding. Its creation was initiated by the tourist guides, who meet tourists with access needs more and more often in their work, as their number is growing mainly due to the ageing population. Training offers on this topic are weak or completely absent in most countries.
Inclusive (or also accessible) guiding is based on the concept of Accessible Tourism, that endeavours to improve tourist destinations, products and services so that they are accessible to all people regardless of their age, abilities, permanent or temporary limitations and impairments.
Accessibility is an important topic in tourism, yet often overlooked. It seems that the main reason for that is lack of knowledge and cooperation between key stakeholders. This Report is therefore created as a brief guideline introducing this topic with particular attention being paid to Visitors with specific access requirements.
