5 August 2020. ENAT has had the pleasure of partnering with the Lebanese Union for People with Physical Disabilities to support the development of accessible tourism in Lebanon through the development of accessibility guidelines, on-site assessments at tourist sites and policy work. At this very painful and anxious moment, with multiple crises overwhelming the country, we send our best wishes to all at LUPD and to the Lebanese people.
Madrid, 3 August 2020. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is calling on destinations to recognize the needs of travellers with disabilities or specific access requirements as they open up to visitors again. In partnership with the ONCE Foundation of Spain and the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT), the United Nations specialized agency has released new guideline to ensure accessibility and inclusivity as the responsible restart of tourism gets underway.
The European Tourism Manifesto alliance, the voice of the European travel and tourism sector, has issued the following statement on the European Commission’s guidance on how to safely resume travel and reboot Europe's tourism in 2020 and beyond.
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.
European Commission Press Release, Brussels, 13 May 2020. Today, the Commission presents a package of guidelines and recommendations to help Member States gradually lift travel restrictions and allow tourism businesses to reopen, after months of lockdown, while respecting necessary health precautions.
Just as the tourism sector is affected more than others by the current COVID-19 pandemic, vulnerable groups within the sector are among the hardest hit. As laid down in the UNWTO Framework Convention on Tourism Ethics, the sector has a duty to promote the rights of the most vulnerable groups such as women, indigenous people and people with disabilities.
The European Tourism Manifesto alliance, the voice of the European travel and tourism sector, has issued the following statement on the implementation of urgent measures to limit the COVID-19 outbreak’s impact on the sector.
The project, funded by EU ERASMUS+, aims to address the scarcity of available VET training courses by offering a holistic, package solution to render Tourism workers and professionals competent, ready to offer diverse tailor-made services to tourists with special needs, and notably, to subsequently act as the true promoters of Accessible Tourism.
The IN-Tour project aims to cover a gap in the training system in Europe related to Accessible Tourism. With a wide range of partners who are experienced in accessible tourism, accessibility, training and education fields, the project will develop blended learning Vocational Training Courses for a postgraduate Inclusive Tourism Manager profile (ITM) and an undergraduate Inclusive Tourism Frontline Staff (ITFS) profile, involving 3 Universities providing VET.
