The typical stages of the tourist experience are:

information search,
booking,
arrival at the destination,
stay, experience or visit,
departure and return home.

What improvements are possible? Let us look at some of them together.

When searching for information, people with mobility difficulties should find the classic description of the service and information on internal accessibility and how the facility can be reached (I will call this external accessibility).

Ideally, directions on how to reach the location should be provided. For those who get to the destination by car, it is essential to indicate the presence and location of dedicated parking spaces, the best route to take to reach the entrance, where the toilets in the common areas are located and how to get them, and how to contact the staff in case of need.

For those who want to reach their destination by public transport, it is essential to share contact details of public transport companies in the area. It is best to avoid giving one’s personal opinion on the accessibility of public transport, as experience is very subjective and the information in our possession may not be up-to-date.

Activities, whether cultural, natural, sporting, or other, must be described and include evidence of any stage of the experience that presents access limitations or cannot guarantee completion.

For example, information should be provided on the presence of:

– accessible pedestrian paths;

– signs in Braille or other aids for the blind and visually impaired;

– possibility of having a guide who can communicate in LIS;

– equipped refreshment areas, where there are also adequate toilets.

At the booking stage, it is always a good idea to summarise what has been said and send everything by email, especially for people with disabilities. This will help our guests better manage the following steps: arrival and stay.

In addition to summarising, using different communication channels to follow the confirmation process is always the best choice to ensure an easy booking process for our guests (online, on the phone, via WhatsApp or telegram, via email).

Accommodation access areas are crucial to the sustainability assessment of facilities on arrival at the destination and departure and return home stages.

Managing access areas to accommodation facilities, mainly in urban areas and advanced rural environments, involves assessing ‘specific’ sustainability requirements related to all services around the facility. These services must help and support the tourist and not hinder his movements.

The transport service design following point 4.2 of UNI ISO 21902 usually avoids assistance.

Transport assistance services are designed to help people who encounter difficulties using a particular means of transport (e.g., disabled, elderly, injured, pregnant). Assistive transport services are often the key to enabling a person to travel successfully from origin to destination.

Staying, experiencing or visiting. During the stay, the characteristics of the places where persons with mobility disabilities sleep, eat, see and experience the destination are significant.

These characteristics, especially for accessibility, must be communicated well so that there are no (negative) surprises.

The Italian Minister of Tourism provides free of charge the minimum requirements for the accessibility of services offered at accommodation, spa and bathing establishments and sports facilities. 

These criteria are inspired and aligned with the standard ISO 21902