“There is still a long way to go before our tourism market can be considered as fully user friendly towards any tourists, says Annagrazia Laura, President of the European network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT), “and before citizens with specific access needs may go on holidays throughout Europe, free from access problems, risks and challenges.” In her article, published on ENAT’s website, she says that one of major challenges is to establish a long-term funding strategy at EU level that can drive innovation in tourism accessibility.  “The sooner we all solve this major problem,” she adds, “the sooner the Tourism for All market could develop positively for the benefit of the tourism industry, the destinations and the employment opportunities.”
In Brief
- According to ENAT, the most frequent barriers encountered by tourists concern to availability of information on accessible services (66%) and lack of available services (50%).
- The Pantou Directory is being developed by ENAT and partners to provide a coherent and consistent method of gathering data on accessible suppliers and their respective services across Europe.
- ENAT will present proposals for a World Network on Accessible Tourism will in September at the Fifth International Congress on Tourism for All, in Madrid.
In Depth
- Read the original article, ‘New Perspectives and Strategies towards Europe 2020‘.
- Follow the European Network for Accessible Tourism on Twitter
- See why accessible tourism may soon be the largest travel market.
