1. Accessible Tourism Destinations
Management Handbook
Ivor Ambrose Katerina Papamichail Ana Garcia Chris Veitch ENAT – European Network for Accessible Tourism Coimbra, 2nd March 2017

2. “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

3. A Handbook for Destination Managers…
To develop and market Portugal’s regions, cities and other tourist locations.
Raising the awareness, knowledge and skills of destination managers in the area of Accessible Tourism
Benefitting visitors, destinations, communities and the Portuguese economy

4. 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.”

5. Meeting Rising Demand
634 thousand Portuguese citizens with access requirements
138 Million people with access needs in the European Union
1 Billion people with disabilities in the world
… and the growing numbers of older people, wanting to travel

6. 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

7. Handbook Contents

8. 1. How to use this Handbook

9. Handbook Contents How to use this Handbook Accessible Tourism Market
Ivor Ambrose, ENAT
Handbook Contents
How to use this Handbook
Accessible Tourism Market
Destination Planning
Supporting Businesses
Built Environment and Facilities
Transport
Customer Service
Accessible Tourism Experiences
Stakeholder Engagement
Benchmarking and Performance Targets
Employment
Information
Marketing
Monitoring and Evaluation
YPERIA 2015, Amorgos

10. 2. Accessible Tourism Market
Ivor Ambrose, ENAT
2. Accessible Tourism Market
Market data: Trips & Spend, Travel behaviour, Impairments…
“All for All” Accessible Tourism Support Funding
“All for All” Accessible Tourism Support Funding
YPERIA 2015, Amorgos

11. Ivor Ambrose, ENAT
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.
YPERIA 2015, Amorgos

12. 4. Supporting Businesses
Ivor Ambrose, ENAT
4. Supporting Businesses
“All for All” Accessible Tourism Development
Supporting new initiatives
DMOs as partners
Investing in access for all
YPERIA 2015, Amorgos

13. 5. Built Environment & Facilities
Ivor Ambrose, ENAT
5. Built Environment & Facilities
Universal Design
Portuguese Standards
Examples of good practice
YPERIA 2015, Amorgos

14. 5. Built Environment & Facilities
Ivor Ambrose, ENAT
5. Built Environment & Facilities
Universal Design
Portuguese Standards
Examples of good practice
YPERIA 2015, Amorgos

15. 6. Transport Accessibility throughout the journey
Ivor Ambrose, ENAT
6. Transport
Accessibility throughout the journey
…and at the destination
YPERIA 2015, Amorgos

16. 7. Customer Service How can I help you?
Ivor Ambrose, ENAT
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 …..
YPERIA 2015, Amorgos

17. 8. Creating Accessible Tourism Experiences
Ivor Ambrose, ENAT
8. Creating Accessible Tourism Experiences
Innovate, adapt, invent
Create new accessible tourism products
Develop and test with disabled people
Work with Tour Operators
YPERIA 2015, Amorgos

18. 9. Stakeholder Engagement
Ivor Ambrose, ENAT
9. Stakeholder Engagement
Involving disability organisations
Engaging with planners and architects
Tour operators and tourist guides
YPERIA 2015, Amorgos

19. 10. Benchmarking and Performance targets
Ivor Ambrose, ENAT
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
European Destination Case Studies
Destination Access Audits
YPERIA 2015, Amorgos

20. 11. Employment, Volunteering & Training
Ivor Ambrose, ENAT
11. Employment, Volunteering & Training
Legal obligations
Benefits of employing people with disabilities
On-the-job training for the cultural sector
Acesso Cultura
YPERIA 2015, Amorgos

21. 12. Information Organising the team and the knowledge base
Ivor Ambrose, ENAT
12. Information
Organising the team and the knowledge base
Accessible Websites
Access Statements
Access Guides
Customer Engagement Tools
Alternative formats
YPERIA 2015, Amorgos

22. 13. Marketing and Promotion
Ivor Ambrose, ENAT
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
YPERIA 2015, Amorgos

23. 14. Monitoring and Evaluation
Ivor Ambrose, ENAT
14. Monitoring and Evaluation
Understanding success
Key indicators for Accessible Tourism Destinations
Reference documents
YPERIA 2015, Amorgos

24. 15. Annexes 16. Bibliography 17. Glossary On-line Resources
Ivor Ambrose, ENAT
15. Annexes
On-line Resources
Further reading….
Explaining the terminology
16. Bibliography
17. Glossary
YPERIA 2015, Amorgos

25. Ivor Ambrose, ENAT
Enjoy your reading! Improve access in your destination! Enjoy your work! …and don’t forget to tell what you have done!
YPERIA 2015, Amorgos