ENAT President's Message, May 2026. Let's Meet in Genoa!
Dear Friends,
On 19th of June this year, for the first time since ENAT was founded, we will hold our Annual General Assembly (AGA) and the Board Meeting in a European country outside our home base, Belgium.
Our destination will be Italy, namely Genoa, supported by our Full Member and Board Member, AISM – the Italian Multiple Sclerosis Association.
There are a number of extremely interesting opportunities which encouraged us to move the AGA, which will help to promote the work of our members, giving them a more central role in the association, now and in the future.
Having their assistance for the organisation of events is one significant motivation. Secondly, we believe that reviving "face-to-face" meetings – with presentations and networking encounters – will re-kindle sharing and learning among the membership, as we aim for the ultimate goal: to sustain the principles and develop good practices that support "Tourism for All".
We hope that this initiative will succeed in establishing a new paradigm to contact more strongly with our members and engage with stakeholders and "beneficiaries" of accessible tourism, located in Europe and around the World in the years to come.
Why Genoa?
Genoa has been a multiple, short-listed finalist for the "European Capital of Smart Tourism" awards, and in 2026 is recognised as a pioneering Italian city that embraces and presents smart technologies, accessibility, sustainability and a vibrant cultural heritage.
Celebrating Genoa's achievement, we will combine our AGA with the International Conference, "Inclusive and Smart Tourism Destinations: Strategies for innovation", to be held on the Thursday 18th of June at the Genoa Aquarium.
The Conference is organised by ENAT, the AccessibleEU Resource Centre and AISM, with the participation of UN Tourism, the European Commission and the City of Genoa. This landmark event brings together institutions, destination management organisations, tourism professionals experts and NGOs to share strategies, best practices and visions for creating destinations that are accessible for all.
The Conference Programme will feature a session on “Smart and Accessible Cities”, including speakers from the winning cities of Tampere (Finland) and Dubrovnik (Croatia), with other awarded and shortlisted Tourism Capitals of Europe, who will share their experiences and best practices on accessibility. Other speakers will include representatives of leading National and Regional Tourist Boards, as well as managers of Cultural Heritage sites, whose achievements have won acclaim for making their destinations welcoming and accessible to tourists of all ages and abilities.
The AGA will follow the day after the Conference, on Friday 19th June. It will also feature short presentations by ENAT Members from Asia, Africa and Europe before moving on to the regular business Agenda, where past and future activities are presented. Full Members will be invited to elect one (Full) Member to a vacant position on the ENAT Board of Directors. (A call for Candidates to the Board will be published this May).
Coincidentally, the International Conference and AGA will take place close to the expected launch of the European Commission's EU Sustainable Tourism Strategy, currently being prepared by the Directorate General for Transport and Tourism. From ENAT's side we look forward with anticipation to news about this "hot topic", which will shape the future direction of policy and actions in support of the tourism sector and host communities in the coming years.
On the ENAT Website, you can read ENAT's priorities for the new European Sustainable Tourism Strategy which have been delivered to the Commission.
We see accessibility and inclusion as a strategic opportunity for reinvigorating the European tourism sector and its host destinations, as it can simultaneously:
• improve the quality of tourism services for all visitors and citizens
• support the digital transition
• strengthen destination resilience, and
• enhance the global competitiveness of Destination Europe.
"Accessible tourism is quality tourism".
I really hope to be able to meet many of you in Genoa on the 18th and 19th of June 2026!
Anna Grazia Laura, Rome.
Email: president@enat.eu