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.
The Package Travel Directive (PTD), which came into effect in 1990, is aimed at protecting consumers in the area of package travel. Some of the most important rules concern the liability of package organisers and retailers, who must accept responsibility for the performance of the services offered. The Commission is now inviting comments from consumers and businesses as part of its review of the PTD.
Participants from 15 Asian-Pacific countries adopted a declaration at a regional United Nations meeting in Japan, laying out 20 recommendations aimed at improving accessibility for persons with disabilities.
The EU funded MEDIATE project aims to establish a common European methodology for measuring accessibility to public transport. In order to create a good practice guide, towns and cities are asked to fill in a questionnaire if they believe that they have examples of good practice. The data they provide will form the basis of the Guide.
Following the European Commission's Mandate/M371 this Final Report provides an overview of current and future European service standardization activities, bringing together the results of all 11 projects into an overall comprehensive analysis. The report: Summarizes the methodology and activities undertaken; Outlines the overall findings from the research and seminars, highlighting: details of standardization work already started at the CEN level; details of standardization work to start following the feasibility work and needs for future service standardization activities; Provides recommendations and conclusions, Outlines the next steps.
EDF considers that the developments of terminology and classification standards are necessary in these areas as a pre-requisite for any future initiative on access to transport and tourism services. Clarifying the definition of disability on one hand, and of accessibility to transport and tourism services on the other, is crucial. EDF underlines the importance of basing all standardisation initiatives on the social model of disability and on a human rights approach.
ANEC considers that a European horizontal legislative framework should be established to cover the safety and quality of all tourism and transport services. Such a framework should apply also to more vulnerable consumers, such as children or older persons. This framework should be underpinned by formal standards. Moreover, ANEC stresses the need for CEN to put in place an effective strategy to ensure the balanced involvement of all relevant stakeholder groups in the development of any standards in this field, and in particular to ensure the involvement of organisations representing disabled or older persons.
Presentation by Ivor Ambrose, Managing Director of ENAT, at the "Accessi Tourisme Simposium. Building Accessible Destinations", Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain.
This Guide presents a selection of 19 destinations which offer a full range of adapted tourist resources so that everyone has the chance to enjoy Catalonia's important cultural heritage, its impressive landscapes, its rich gastronomy, and even sporting activities.
Within the framework of of the European Union's Operational Programme of Territorial Cooperation between Spain, France and Andorra 2007-2013 (Interreg IV A), the project Accessi Tourisme is a triennial project of cross-border cooperation on Accessible Tourism, between the Department of Turisme de Catalonia and its conterparts, the Departmental Committee of Eastern Pyrenees Tourism, and the Elsa Fundació NGO.
