UNWTO's San Marino Action Agenda Promotes Inclusive Travel

The UN World Tourism Organization aims to ensure that tourism is accessible to everyone, including people with serious impairment.

The Italian Ministry of Tourism and the European Commission's flagship accessibility program, AccessibleEU, collaborated to host the second annual UNWTO Conference on Accessible Tourism in San Marino, Italy, on November 16-17, 2023. The result was the San Marino Agenda, an accessible action plan to integrate people with disabilities into all aspects of the tourist industry, as well as facilitating travel to and interaction with businesses and communities.

Over 200 delegates met over the course of two days to debate developments in tourist policy, such as the worldwide standard ISO 21902, which serves both host communities and visitors and encompasses the whole tourism value chain. San Marino, Italy, the Republic of Korea, Uzbekistan, the Czeck Republic, and Israel were all represented at the Ministerial Roundtable to examine the role of governments in promoting accessibility via regulations, approaches, and standards.

One of the major topics of discussion was the latest developments in making tourism more accessible for people with disabilities. Accessible waterfronts in Rimini and Cape Town, South Africa, and the first licensed blind tour guides in Cape Town are just a few examples.

Despite a market of 1.3 billion individuals with substantial impairment in 2023 and 1 in 6 people predicted to be 65 or older by 2050, accessibility is still not viewed as a game changer by all destinations. In Europe alone, "baby boomers" already account for almost one third of the EU population and 70% of the EU persons with disabilities have financial means to travel.

Experts in the industry addressed how best to cater to this rising market and provide tourist experiences in the spirit of the Universal Design, so they may be enjoyed by all people, with or without impairments. Other topics discussed were the tremendous economic advantages that the tourist industry stands to gain from implementing greater access measures, as well as the necessity of social inclusion and accessibility for environmentally friendly tourism.

Participants at the conference are committed to carrying out the Action Agenda and making a real difference in terms of disability inclusion and tourism's contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals. As part of this initiative, steps are being taken to improve training, create evaluation methods, and raise industry understanding of the benefits of a diverse workforce.

To ensure that accessible experiences are available to all consumers, stakeholders will synchronize their commercial approaches and use digital technologies to mainstream inclusion in product development and business decisions.

Together with AccessibleEU and ENAT, UNWTO will publish a Compendium of Best Practices presented during the San Marino conference in 2024 as part of the meeting's legacy.

 

Source: traveldailynews.com