Read the text about accessible tourism and then do the exercises below.

Anna Faszcza To the Moon and Back… Even in a Wheelchair!

According to the World Health Organisation, there are about 1 billion people with different disabilitiesdisabilities [disability]disabilities, which makes about 15 percent of the world population. Disabilities might include dementiadementiadementia, Alzhaimer’s senilitysenilitysenility, using a wheelchairwheelchairwheelchair, hearing or vision difficultyvision difficultyvision difficulty, problems with walking or climbing the stairs, as well as the need of assistanceneed of assistancethe need of assistance of others with everyday tasks. Tourism still presents many barrierspresents many barriers [present a barrier]presents many barriers to them.

In 2020 alone, there were 862 million trips. Each one covers the whole chain of tourism services, such as transport, accommodation, the reservation systemreservation systemreservation system and reaching and entering places so if one chain is broken, the holiday might be spoiled. People with specific access requirementsaccess requirements [access requirement]access requirements experience obstaclesexperience obstacles [experience an obstacle]experience obstacles when travelling because there is a lack of accessible tourism offers on the market. An analysis carried outcarried out [carry out]carried out for the EU Commission found that only about 9.2% of the overall supply of tourism services in Europe provide and advertise accessible services. Accessible tourism deals with people with disabilities and those of all populations, such as the elderly, those with children, or pregnant women.

Tourists with specific access requirements represent a big and growing potential market. Since there are more and more followers of the idea of the integration of people with disordersdisorders [disorder]disorders and disabilities among society members, Accessible tourism, also known as Tourism For All or Inclusive Tourism, is to encompassencompassencompass all, no matter what their physical or intellectual limitations, age, condition, disabilities, or the number of children they have. Simply speaking, it is the way of making tourist attractions and spots reachable to everyone.

According to the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT), accessible tourism includes

• barrier‑free destinations, which involve infrastructure and facilities;

• transport facilities (land, sea, air);

• exhibits and attractions that allow the disabled to take part in them;

• high‑quality services conveyed by professionals;

• websites and services and marketing and booking systems.

While discussing accessibility, it is crucial to mention that disability is not only about a medical condition but also about social environments that imposeimposeimpose barriers on people with impairmentsimpairments [impairment]impairments and where huge attention is put on removing them from public spaces. This endeavourendeavourendeavour has led to the adventadventadvent of the concept of Universal Design, which aims to make products and places easily reached by everybody. There is a list of principles of universal design: fair use, flexibility in use, intuitive use, perceptible information, error tolerance, low physical effort, as well as size and space for approach and use. Adopting them means ensuring that all persons are able to use and enjoy the available amenities in an equitable and sustainable manner.

Accessibility is a central element of any responsible and sustainable development policy. It is both a human right and business opportunity. In this context, we need to keep in mind that Inclusive Tourism brings benefits to persons with disabilities, but also to the entire society.

1 Źródło: Anna Faszcza, [na podstawie:] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l__oFyTcNJg [dostęp 8.03.2022], https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessible_tourism [dostęp 8.03.2022], licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.