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Tourism without barriers, up for debate in Avante
Publication date: June 2008
Fira de Barcelona’s Avante show will provide the setting for Turisme de Catalunya to present the “Guide to Accessible Tourism in Catalonia” and a website with different destinations for persons with both a disability and reduced mobility (elderly, pregnant women, people with prams, etc.). The presentation, which will take place on the 6th of June, is part of the workshop on “Accessible tourism, tourism for all” in which the accessibility status of Catalonia’s accommodation, transport, museums, monuments, natural resources and tourist services will be debated.
The Guide to Accessible Tourism in Catalonia lists 19 accessible destinations with the best practice for eliminating physical and communication barriers. The guide’s tourist proposals can be found in Vall de Boí; Vall d’Aran, Pallars Sobirà, Seu d’Urgell, Molina-La Cerdanya, Camprodon, Garrotxa, Ruta Dalí, Costa Brava-Alt Empordà, Vic-Osona, Montserrat, Barcelona, El Maresme, Ruta del Císter, Garraf-Sitges, Costa Daurada and Delta de l’Ebre. The new Tourism Accessible website features all the information contained in the guide web and will keep it updated.
The destinations were chosen as a result of the study “Catalonia for accessible tourism, tourism for all”, carried out some moths ago by Acces Turismo International Consulting for Turisme de Catalunya. Over 6,300 facilities, resources and services from all over Catalonia were analysed to pinpoint the availability of accessible tourism.
Turisme de Catalunya considers this form of tourism to be a social challenge and a competitive opportunity for companies. Over 500 million people in the world have some form of physical, intellectual or sensory disability; there are 50 million in Europe, 3.5 million in Spain and around 377,000 in Catalonia. These tourists are usually accompanied and they travel outside the high season.
Changes in future regulations on accessibility and the new law on guide dogs will also be debated.
The Catalan Generalitat’s conseller d’Innovació, Universitats i Empresa, Josep Huguet, will open the workshop accompanied by the vice-president of the Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil Club (ADAC), Max Stich. Representatives from this organisation, which has more than 15 million members, will announce the results of their investment in accessible tourism in Germany and the policies that the federal government is implementing to promote tourism without barriers.
Barcelona, June 2008
Barcelona, June 2008
Attached archives: Workshop on "Accessible tourism, tourism for all"
Head of press: Maria Dolors Herranzº
Contact telephoneo: 93 233 25 41
Email address: mdherranz@firabcn.es