The World Tourism Organization, UNWTO and ONCE Foundation have launched the first call for ‘Accessible Tourist Destinations’ (ATD) Mentions, which will recognize and promote places accessible to all people.
With the aim of making known those places that make an important effort so that their destination can be enjoyed by any tourist, regardless of their physical, sensory or cognitive abilities, UNWTO and the ONCE Foundation have launched the first edition of their Accessible Tourist Destinations awards, a recognition of the level of accessibility achieved in tourist destinations, as it is not a formal certification of an accessible destination that guarantees accessibility.
On an annual basis, the prize will be awarded to a destination on a global basis but will also include recognitions in several categories: urban, sun and beach, mountain, rural or cultural heritage destinations, which may qualify for these distinctions. Those tourist destinations that wish to participate must present a report alluding to previous accessibility projects and describing the current situation of the tourist destination in this area. Specifically, accessibility will be assessed for the following aspects: planning, prior information and reservations, transport arrival / departure to the destination, accommodation, catering, urban and interurban transport at the destination, tourism resources and public tourism administrations.
The jury for the awards will be made up of tourism destination management bodies, consumer organisations, business associations (hotels, restaurants, transport, etc.), the World Tourism Organisation and the ONCE Foundation. Those interested in participating in the first call for these awards can send their applications to adt@unwto.org until 30 June. The resolution of the winning destinations will be announced at an event scheduled for the last quarter of 2019.