With 1.3 billion people globally estimated to have a significant disability, UNWTO has again joined with key partners to further make tourism more accessible to all.
The UNWTO Conference on Accessible Tourism was held for a second time in San Marino (16-17 November 2023), powered by the Ministry of Tourism of Italy and in partnership with the European Accessibility Resource Centre – AccessibleEU, a flagship initiative of the European Commission.
Since San Marino first hosted the conference in 2014, many destinations and companies have made great strides to improve accessibility, bringing tourism closer towards Tourism for All. The two-day event, over 200 delegates discussed policy advances such as the international standard ISO 21902, which caters both to host communities and visitors, and covers the entire tourism value chain.
The conference has strengthened international networks and showcased San Marino as an inclusive destination, a point of reference for accessible tourism and the only UNWTO Member State to have hosted two International Conferences on Accessible Tourism.
Experts in the field discussed how best to cater to this growing market and offer tourism experiences in the spirit of Universal Design, so they can be enjoyed by all people, with or without disabilities. It includes measures to advance training, develop measurement systems and increase industry awareness of the advantages of a diverse workplace.
As part of the conference’s legacy, a Compendium of Best Practices showcased in San Marino will be published by UNWTO in 2024, in collaboration with AccessibleEU and ENAT.
