UNWTO Unveils San Marino Action Agenda to Advance Accessible Tourism for All
The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) recently convened its second International Conference on Accessible Tourism in San Marino. The event resulted in the launch of the San Marino Action Agenda, a collaborative plan to boost disability inclusion across the tourism sector.
With approximately 1.3 billion people globally living with disabilities, making travel universally accessible has become a priority. Held November 16-17, 2023, the conference brought together over 200 delegates in San Marino to drive progress.
The UNWTO partnered with the European Commission’s Accessibility Act project AccessibleEU and Italy’s Ministry of Tourism to host the gathering. Discussions focused on policy, innovation, and untapped opportunities in accessible tourism.
Ministers from Italy, Israel, Korea, Czechia, Uzbekistan and elsewhere shared progress in promoting accessibility through national policies, strategies, and standards. One highlight was the recently approved ISO 21902 standard covering accessible tourism across service chains.
Speakers also presented emerging technologies and solutions to improve accessible transportation, events, activities, and more for disabled travelers. For instance, Greece’s SEATRAC helps wheelchair users enter water, while South Africa trained its first certified blind tour guides.
However, experts noted that the social and economic advantages of inclusive tourism remain underestimated. With over 70% of EU citizens with disabilities holding financial means to travel, fully leveraging this market presents an enormous opportunity.
Read More: UNWTO LAUNCHES SAN MARINO ACTION AGENDA
The San Marino Action Agenda provides a roadmap for disability inclusion and accessible travel growth through 2030. It calls for raising awareness, applying universal design principles, and prioritizing accessibility.
The public sector is urged to adopt supportive laws and policies, fund projects, and implement accessible tourism strategies. Recommendations for businesses include staff training, marketing alignment, and innovating fully accessible offerings.
As part of the Agenda’s legacy, UNWTO will publish a best practices guide in 2024 and resume its “Accessible Tourism Destination” certification. Ongoing research and tools to help operators implement improvements are also planned.
With the Action Agenda’s multi-stakeholder approach, UNWTO aims to catalyze change towards universal accessibility. Having also hosted the first global conference on accessible tourism in 2014, San Marino will continue serving as an inclusive destination model.
The UNWTO points to enormous potential for economic growth, social inclusion and sustainable development if the tourism ecosystem proactively embraces accessibility. The San Marino Action Agenda provides an inspiring roadmap to unlock this immense opportunity for a better future – with travel enjoyment for all.
