By Ivor Ambrose
Coordinator of the ‘European Network for Accessible Tourism’ (ENAT)

It makes sense to have a European network to find out where there are ‘Good Practices’ in accessible tourism, by involving the tourism industry itself, in collaboration with consumer organisations that know the demands of users.

The Internet services company, EWORX S. A., based in Athens , Greece , has established a project with the support of the European Commission to create a membership organisation which will be called, the ‘European Network for Accessible Tourism' (ENAT).

The project was selected by EU experts in open competition with other project proposals. The funding line for financing this action is: “Pilot projects for mainstreaming disability policies”. This means, simply, bringing the access needs and requirements of disabled people into all policy areas of society, of which tourism is one.

The project involves 8 other partners from Belgium , Greece , Ireland , Spain , Sweden and the United Kingdom . All the partners, who are specialists in the accessibility and tourism field, are making a financial contribution to the project, which is a condition for receiving EU funding.

Starting in January 2006, this core group of partners has two years to set up ENAT as a pan-European network, made up of businesses and organisations that support the goal of making tourism accessible for all citizens, especially those people who, today, are excluded or less well catered for in the marketplace. That is: people with disabilities, older tourists and those who may have particular demands when travelling, due to their health condition or other reasons.

It makes sense to start ENAT now because there is a small but growing knowledge base in the regions and cities of Europe about how to cater for tourists who need accessible travel, facilities, services and information. We believe this valuable knowledge should not remain isolated in small geographical pockets but should, itself, be accessible to travel companies, destination owners, policy-makers and information centres across Europe.

It makes sense for the European travel and tourism industries to focus on accessible tourism. There is a growing demand from disabled and older people and their families to travel and enjoy tourism offers. Demographic ageing of the population in western economies will lead to increasing numbers of tourists who require better accessibility and services. A large proportion of older and disabled people have money to travel but the means of transport and the destination often lack just a few simple facilities and measures that could make their holiday possible. The tourism market needs to be truly opened up “for all”.

It makes sense to have a European network to find out where there are ‘Good Practices' in accessible tourism, by involving the tourism industry itself, in collaboration with consumer organisations that know the demands of users. Spreading the word about user-friendly services and well-designed venues can inspire and help travel companies and destination owners to make access improvements. Also, where good policies are being implemented in EU regions and countries, these should be highlighted and promoted more widely. There is no point in ‘re-inventing the wheel' and there are many good reasons to learn from each other.

It makes sense for ENAT to look at quality standards for accessible tourism, so that customers can be sure that, wherever they go in Europe , they can expect that certain minimum requirements will be fulfilled. The whole travel chain from door-to-door and the tourism experience at the venue needs to be assessed, so that the industry can provide a genuinely 21 st century level of service, where all customers are treated with equal care and respect.

It makes sense for tourist destinations to make an accessibility audit of their facilities and services. They need to make a few simple checks, which can show them if all customers are able to come in and enjoy the venue: the guest rooms, the bar, the pool, the garden, the leisure park, the archaeological site - or whatever is available for the tourist. Staff training in customer service and accessibility is also a key element.

ENAT is just at the beginning and we welcome constructive suggestions and contributions for its future development from all those who may be interested. We want to cover all EU countries and languages, and every type of tourist and travel offer and destination.

The Inaugural General Meeting of ENAT takes place in Brussels on 11 th May 2006, and here we hope to meet many of the key players who share our vision of making European tourism accessible for all. Together we aim to take accessible tourism forward in Europe.

Because it makes sense!