EU Stakeholder Conference on Accessible Tourism. "Mind the Accessibility Gap" In Brussels
"Mind the Accessibility Gap: Re-Thinking Accessible Tourism in Europe"
Almasalla- Arab Travel Portal News -Yesterday, friday ,The European Commission, DG Enterprise and Industry, was organising a conference for tourism stakeholders where the results of three specially commissioned studies on Tourism Accessibility in Europe held at Brussels it was presented and discussed by a distinguished panel of tourism practitioners and stakeholders .
The aim of the conference is to have an open debate about the evidence and seek ways to bridge the many accessibility gaps that have been identified, by drawing on proven good practices from around Europe and establishing concrete actions, using the support mechanisms which the European Commission has at its disposal.
The three studies have made a ‘360 degree’ review of accessible tourism in Europe, looking at the economic opportunities and factors which influence the demand, the quality and extent of supply and the need for training and skills improvement in the tourism sector.
It is clear that tourists who need good access, for example seniors, people with disabilities and families with small children, are not gaining sufficient attention from mainstream suppliers. This is already a cause of lost business as tourists are restricted in the choice of destinations that are accessible to them.
As demographic ageing takes hold, more travellers will be older and in need of good access conditions. Across Europe, the tourism industry needs to seize the opportunity to close the gap between demand and supply through improved quality, accessibility, better information and targeted marketing to this growing sector.
Within the framework of the Commission’s “Preparatory Action on Accessible Tourism, 2012 – 2014”, which was requested by the European Parliament, recommendations will be presented for possible Commission’s actions, designed to tackle the current accessibility gaps in supply and skills and to chart a course towards achieving Tourism for All in Europe within as short a time-frame as possible.
https://scic.ec.europa.eu/streaming/index.php?es=2&sessionno=90610aa0e24f63ec6d2637e06f9b9af2
.png)
