Tourism: EPP Group bets on accessible tourism to help end the crisis

"Europe has started to invest in tourism as a means to help end the crisis. Its destinations, its infrastructure and its communication tools must become fully accessible to people with disabilities, so that they become tourists not only in name, but in their own right and increase their travel requests. This does not only represent the protection of a right but also the investment in a very strategic area of the economy and I am glad that I have proposed a pilot project on accessible tourism which will soon become a pilot project of the Commission", noted Carlo Fidanza MEP, at the closing of the hearing chaired by Ádám Kósa MEP and Rosa Estaras Ferragut MEP, with the participation of Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Industry and Entrepreneurship, Antonio Tajani, on the new opportunities that a valid and accessible tourism policy in Europe will create for all EU citizens.

"Tourism policy in relation to disability offers a great opportunity to develop employment in the tourism sector. Business strategies and policies should encourage the development and professionalisation of accessible tourism. That's one key to improving the sector's competitiveness and the attractiveness of destinations", highlighted Rosa Estaras Ferragut, in relation to the creation of accessible and usable policy in the tourism sector.

Therefore the EPP Group bets on accessible tourism to help end the crisis and create jobs and a tourism policy that is open to all and meets the demands of all citizens. "It is high time not to decide from behind the desk how one can make tourism accessible for people with disabilities. Today we have heard about a lot of good practices which were successful because they departed from a practical point of view and were created with the involvement of parties concerned", Ádám Kósa concluded .