Small investments in accessibility and innovation can deliver be a game-changer for tourism destinations everywhere. But, despite 1.3 billion worldwide people already experiencing significant disability, many destinations and tourism businesses are still failing to embrace the many benefits of welcoming these travellers.
To mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities, UN Tourism has joined with its partners ONCE Foundation and the Spanish Association for Standardization to highlight the immense economic and social benefits of increasing the accessibility of tourism for persons with disabilities and specific requirements and for seniors, against the ISO 21902:2021 Standards on Accessible Tourism.
The latest research makes clear the growing demand for accessible travel:
- Globally, 1.3 billion people already experiencing significant disability
- 1 in 6 of the population set to be aged 60 and over in 5 years’ time
- Travellers with disabilities being accompanied by 2 to 3 additional clients
Within the European Union, more that 70% of the 80 million persons with disabilities can afford to travel and enjoy tourism. In Asia and the Pacific, the potential market size is of 690 million people and in Latin America and Caribbean this figure reaches 85 million people.
Everybody should be able to enjoy tourism. At UN Tourism we have been advocating for accessibility for many years, and the benefits have never been clearer. The new guidelines on accessible tourism, produced by UN Tourism and our partners, set out how both destinations and businesses can harness the power of innovation and investment to boost accessibility in every way. UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili
UN Tourism guidelines for accessible travel
Accessible tourism is game-changer for improving mid- and low-season performance; its customers are extremely varied and loyal; it creates jobs and significantly improves reputation of destinations and businesses welcoming all vistors, with or without disabilities.
To help destinations and businesses tap into this potential, UN Tourism and its partners have released six sets of guidelines Produced by UN Tourism, ONCE Foundation and Spanish Association for Standardization (UNE), in collaboration with the European Network for Accessible Tourism and many other partners.
The guidelines put the International ISO 21902:2021 Standard on Accessible Tourism in the spotlight and target:
- National tourism administrations and destination management organizations
- Accommodation, food & beverage and MICE companies
- Travel agencies and tour operators
- Transport sector
- Heritage sites and cultural institutions
- Organizations and companies working in protected nature areas
All these guidelines offer strategic and actionable recommendations to provide accessible tourism experiences, so every person can enjoy travel and tourism on equal terms. Accessibility put in place, brings improvements in comfort, service and the quality of life of visitors and host communities alike. The forthcoming Madrid International Tourism Fair FITUR 2025 will serve as a meeting point to discuss different ways of putting these recommendations in place.
A collaborative effort
UN Tourism thanks its 15 partners, namely: the European Accessibility Centre-AccessibleEU, European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT), Turismo de Portugal, Ministerio de Turismo y Deportes de Argentina, World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance (WSHA), International Association of Executives & Hotel Managers (CIDH), ICOMOS-International Cultural Tourism Committee, IUCN-Tourism and Protected Areas Specialist Group, National Forest Corporation of Chile, International Air Transport Association (IATA), International Union of Railways (IUC), Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (IUC), Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), Sage Accessible Travel Solutions and Impulsa Igualdad-Tur4All.
Links to guidelines
About UN Tourism
The World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.
As the leading international organization in the field of tourism, UN Tourism promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.
Our Priorities
Mainstreaming tourism in the global agenda: Advocating the value of tourism as a driver of socio-economic growth and development, its inclusion as a priority in national and international policies and the need to create a level playing field for the sector to develop and prosper.
Promoting sustainable tourism development: Supporting sustainable tourism policies and practices: policies which make optimal use of environmental resources, respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities and provide socio-economic benefits for all.
Fostering knowledge, education and capacity building: Supporting countries to assess and address their needs in education and training, as well as providing networks for knowledge creation and exchange.
Improving tourism competitiveness: Improving UN Tourism Members’ competitiveness through knowledge creation and exchange, human resources development and the promotion of excellence in areas such as policy planning, statistics and market trends, sustainable tourism development, marketing and promotion, product development and risk and crisis management.
Advancing tourism’s contribution to poverty reduction and development: Maximizing the contribution of tourism to poverty reduction and achieving the SDGs by making tourism work as a tool for development and promoting the inclusion of tourism in the development agenda.
Building partnerships: Engaging with the private sector, regional and local tourism organizations, academia and research institutions, civil society and the UN system to build a more sustainable, responsible and competitive tourism sector.
Our Structure
Members: An intergovernmental organization, UN Tourism has 160 Member States, 6 Associate Members, 2 Observers and over 500 Affiliate Members.
Organs: The General Assembly is the supreme organ of the Organization. The Executive Council take all measures, in consultation with the Secretary-General, for the implementation of the decisions and recommendations of the General Assembly and reports to the Assembly.
Secretariat: UN Tourism headquarters are based in Madrid, Spain. The Secretariat is led by the Secretary-General and organized into departments covering issues such as sustainability, education, tourism trends and marketing, sustainable development, statistics and the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA), destination management, ethics and risk and crisis management. The Technical Cooperation and Silk Road Department carries out development projects in over 100 countries worldwide, while the Regional Departments for Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and the Middle East serve as the link between UN Tourism and its 160 Member States. The Affiliate Members Department represents UN Tourism’s 500 plus Affiliate members.
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