Accessible tourism

Accessible tourism is an ongoing endeavour by both public and private organisations to ensure that tourist destinations, products and services, be they private or public, are accessible to all visitors. Popularly considered only of interest to people with permanent disabilities, accessible tourism actually benefits all sectors of society, from those in wheelchairs to parents pushing buggies, elderly travelers, and people with temporary injuries, such as a broken leg, as well as their relatives, friends and other companions. As of 2008, there are more than 50 million persons with disabilities in Europe, and more than 600 million around the world. When expanded to include all beneficiaris of accessible tourism, as defined above, the number grows to some 130 million people in Europe alone.[1] In addition to the obvious social benefits, the market dynamic represents a huge opportunity with new investment opportunities and new service requirements, rarely provided by the regular travel agencies, transport providers and other key players in the tourism sector. According to ENAT, the European Network for Accessible Tourism, accessible tourism includes: [2] Barrier-free destinations: infrastructure and facilities Transport: by air, land and sea, suitable for all users High quality services: delivered by trained staff Activities, exhibits, attractions: allowing participation in tourism for everyone Marketing, booking systems, Web sites & services: accessible for all (i.e. accessible information) Specific problems found by the disabled tourist when booking a holiday include: Inaccessible, or only partly accessible, web sites Lack of accessible airport transfer Lack of wheelchair accessible vehicles Lack of well-adapted hotel rooms Lack of professional staff capable of informing and advising about accessibility issues Lack of reliable information about a specific attraction's level of accessibility (church, castle, exhibition, etc.) Lack of accessible restaurants, bars, etc Lack of adapted toilets in restaurants and public places Inaccessible streets (cars parking in the stepwalk, etc) Lack of disability equipment (wheelchairs, bath chairs, toilet raisers, electric scooters) Europe and United States of America share the majority of the existing companies in this niche. However, around the world many companies are starting to appear as the result of a growing need, largely driven by the "senior tourism" - a tendency verified in all developed countries due to a growing life expectancy age. Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and other northern European countries are increasingly prepared to receive tourists in wheelchairs, and to provide disability equipment and wheelchair accessible transport.