Accessible Tourism Destinations Handbook Ivor Ambrose Katerina Papamichail Ana Garcia Chris Veitch

Transcription

1 Accessible Tourism Destinations Handbook Ivor Ambrose Katerina Papamichail Ana Garcia Chris Veitch ENAT Coimbra, 2 nd March 2017 Tourism for All Making environments, venues and services suitable for the widest range of customers, including people with disabilities, seniors, families with small children and many more. Any and every kind of tourism experience 1

2 A Handbook for Destination Managers ü To develop and market Portugal s regions, cities and other tourist locations. ü Raising the awareness, knowledge and skills of destination managers in the area of Accessible Tourism ü Benefitting visitors, destinations, communities and the Portuguese economy Tourism for All The goal of this Handbook is, ultimately, that any and every visitor should be able to enjoy the unique experiences your destination has to offer. For this to happen, DMOs must extend a warm welcome to all customers, paying attention to visitors various access needs and providing experiences that can be enjoyed by everyone. 2

3 Meeting Rising Demand ü 634 thousand Portuguese citizens with access requirements ü 138 Million people with access needs in the European Union ü 1 Billion people with disabilities in the world ü and the growing numbers of older people, wanting to travel Seniors are 65% of the accessible tourism market 1 in 5 persons in Europe are over 60 They want to travel and enjoy life Seniors from Europe take 6 to 7 trips a year Have most discretionary income More active youthful activities Take the most overseas trips Accessible Travel NL 3

4 Handbook Contents 1. How to use this Handbook 4

5 Handbook Contents 1. How to use this Handbook 2. Accessible Tourism Market 3. Destination Planning 4. Supporting Businesses 5. Built Environment and Facilities 6. Transport 7. Customer Service 8. Accessible Tourism Experiences 9. Stakeholder Engagement 10. Benchmarking and Performance Targets 11. Employment 12. Information 13. Marketing 14. Monitoring and Evaluation 2. Accessible Tourism Market Market data: Trips & Spend, Travel behaviour, Impairments All for All Accessible Tourism Support Funding 5

6 3. Destination Planning The foundation of any accessible tourism policy is to take the political decision to create an accessible, inclusive tourist destination for all visitors. This decision must be followed up by concrete objectives, plans and actions to establish an appropriate strategy and guide future development. 4. Supporting Businesses All for All Accessible Tourism Development Supporting new initiatives DMOs as partners Investing in access for all 6

7 5. Built Environment & Facilities Universal Design Portuguese Standards Examples of good practice. 5. Built Environment & Facilities Universal Design Portuguese Standards Examples of good practice 7

8 6. Transport Accessibility throughout the journey and at the destination 7. Customer Service How can I help you? Training in Disability Awareness, Accessibility and Customer Service: in.. Human Resources Sales & Marketing Transport Procurement Housekeeping Health & Safety Conferences, Events & Meetings Facilities & buildings Front of house Restaurant, Food and Beverage Pool & Beach Adventure Sports.. 8

9 8. Creating Accessible Tourism Experiences Innovate, adapt, invent Create new accessible tourism products Develop and test with disabled people Work with Tour Operators 9. Stakeholder Engagement Involving disability organisations Engaging with planners and architects Tour operators and tourist guides 9

10 10. Benchmarking and Performance targets How to develop an overall strategy Introducing change in an organisation Identifying good practices Assessing competitors and Establishing a first set of Key Performance Indicators v European Destination Case Studies v Destination Access Audits 11. Employment, Volunteering & Training Legal obligations Benefits of employing people with disabilities On-the-job training for the cultural sector Acesso Cultura 10

11 12. Information Organising the team and the knowledge base Accessible Websites Access Statements Access Guides Customer Engagement Tools Alternative formats 13. Marketing and Promotion Don t assume all disabilities are the same Don t hide the accessibility information Provide enough detail Get feedback from visitors Include photographs Include people with a disability in your general marketing and imagery 11

12 14. Monitoring and Evaluation Understanding success Key indicators for Accessible Tourism Destinations Reference documents 15. Annexes On-line Resources 16. Bibliography Further reading. 17. Glossary Explaining the terminology 12

13 Enjoy your reading! Improve access in your destination! Enjoy your work! and don t forget to tell what you have done! Pantou.org Directory of Accessible Tourism Suppliers 13

14 The European Accessible Tourism Directory The EU marketing platform for: Tourism suppliers who have accessible offers: - to attract customers and to find other businesses to work with and travel directory for: Visitors who seek accessible facilities, services and experiences Search is at the heart of Pantou Search is at the heart of Pantou! 14

15 The European Accessible Tourism Directory Funded by European Commission Supports Tourism SMEs Includes over 70 types of services, e.g. cultural heritage, accommodation, equipment suppliers, tourist guides Covers ALL customer types and access needs Over 650 suppliers already registered Registration is Free of charge Pantou Profile Page for Real Abadia Congress & Spa Hotel, Portugal 15

16 Pantou Profile Page for Larnaka International Airport Pantou Profile Page for Larnaka International Airport 16

17 Pantou Access Statement An objective, factual statement of the accessibility characteristics of the venue and services Access Statement Using self-assessment template & guidelines After the supplier has sent the Access Statement to Pantou, our team reviews the information and may request additional details before it is published on the Supplier s Pantou Profile

18 - In brief Marketing European accessible tourism suppliers Over 70 types of Tourism Services on offer Catering for 14 types of Customer Access Needs Over 30 Accessibility Information Schemes provide venue access data, including: v Search by Country Find Portuguese suppliers here v Search by Service type v Search by Customer type / access needs Delivered by Two Match-making Tools in One B2B B2C Business-to-Business - bringing suppliers together for cooperation and mutual benefit Business-to-Customer - guiding and advising visitors about where to go, what to do and how to get there 18

19 Thankyou Web: