Tourism is accessible to everyone. Russia without barriers: tourism accessible to all - development prospects, economic benefits and social significance
Within the framework of the week of travel industry professionals held in Moscow, the 6 international Conference Spa&Health. For the first time it was devoted to the organization of tourism for the disabled, the elderly and people with disabilities. handicapped.
The conference was organized by the exhibition company "Euroexpo", the non-profit partnership "Sancurtour" with the support of the Russian Union of the Travel Industry and the United Country Foundation for the Support of Disabled People.
It is no coincidence that issues of both exclusive and inclusive tourism were discussed within the framework of one conference. If we consider both of these segments within the framework of the term "tour product", then the similarity is quite obvious: it is always a "piece" product, formed based not on market conditions, but on the individual needs of the customer. In Russia, this segment of the tourism market is called "tourism for the disabled", abroad they use the terms - "tourism for all", "accessible tourism", "inclusive tourism", "barrier-free tourism". Which of these terms will take root in Russia is still difficult to say. And the clients of this segment of the tourism market are not only the disabled and the elderly, but also their guardians and family members, families with small children.
Inclusive tourism is tourism that is accessible to everyone, regardless of permanent or temporary physical limitations, and this, above all, social integration. So says Scott Ryan, one of the promoters and founders of affordable tourism. This market is still difficult to call mass even abroad. One of the reasons for low demand is fear and inevitable discomfort caused by limited mobility or cognitive abilities in people with visual and hearing impairments, as well as a narrow understanding of the term “accessible tourism” and confusion around this concept.
The meaning of the terms that define what tourism for people with disabilities is has been the subject of scientific discussions for more than 20 years. In addition, the very term "Tourism accessible to all" is already enshrined in international legal acts. In 1991, the UNWTO General Assembly adopted a resolution entitled "Creating Tourism Opportunities for Handicapped People in the Nineties", the text of which was further updated in 2005 in Dakar (Senegal) and was called "Tourism accessible to all" (Resolution A/RES/492(XVI)/10).
In the Declaration on Facilitating Tourism Travel, adopted at the 18th session of the General Assembly in Astana (Kazakhstan) in 2009, UNWTO calls on Member States to: make their tourism facilities and institutions accessible to people with disabilities, publish clear and detailed information about the existing reception service for people with disabilities and about the problems they may encounter during their journey.
All disputes are born due to non-standard terminology. At the last conference, a discussion also flared up about what affordable tourism is. It was suggested that this is rehabilitation in specialized sanatoriums for spinal patients. Indeed, in all specialized sanatoriums - for patients with spinal cord injury, and in ophthalmological sanatoriums of the VOS, and in sanatoriums for people with hearing impairment of the VOG, a barrier-free environment was created.
The first sanatorium for patients with limited mobility was opened in1947 at the Sergievsky resort Mineral water, and on next year a specialized spinal department was opened at the Saki resort. In 1974, a specialized sanatorium “im. N.N. Burdenko" for 380 beds for the treatment of patients with consequences of spinal injuries and diseases spinal cord. The entire infrastructure of the resort city of Saki was changed - all entrances were equipped with ramps, wide alleys were laid in the park area. At present, the resort of Saki is run by CJSC Ukrprofzdravnitsa, and in the resort of Sergievsky Mineralnye Vody in the Samara region in 1996 a separate building for 240 beds was built for the spinal department.
Russia has three more specialized departments: in the Anapa sanatorium (80 places) in the Anapa resort, in the Lesnaya Polyana sanatorium (70 places) in Pyatigorsk and in the Taraskul sanatorium (60 places) in the Tyumen region. In addition, there are special wards in the sanatoriums Vyatskiye Uvaly, Elton, Staraya Rusa and others. Sanatorium "Garden City", where there was the only spinal department in Far East has been in ruins for several years. Places 500 can be and will be in total, or two times less?
In such sanatoriums, as a rule, spinal patients are admitted with an attendant. Every year in Russian Federation about 8 thousand people, mostly between the ages of 18 and 45, become disabled as a result of a spinal injury. Specialized sanatoriums (with a treatment period of 42 days and subject to a load of 365 days a year) can accept about 2,000 patients for rehabilitation per year. But this is social tourism, as it is financed by the Fund social insurance RF, or health-improving, since this is a program for the rehabilitation of a disabled person - Spa treatment. These definitions are given in the law "On the fundamentals of tourism activities in the Russian Federation". And that's a completely different story...
Inclusive tourism (fr. inclusion - including, lat. include - I conclude, I include) - the process of tourism development, which implies the availability of tourism for everyone, in terms of adapting the infrastructure of tourist centers and tourist attractions to the various needs of all people, including the disabled, the elderly, their guardians and family members, people with temporary disabilities, families with young children. The definition, according to the author of these lines, reflects both the subject of conversation and the prospect of developing tourism in Russia that is accessible to everyone
The concept of inclusive tourism is traveling around the world. Its foundation is universal design, the seven principles of which were formulated and implemented over 30 years ago under the guidance of wheelchair architect Ron Mays and colleagues in State University North Carolina. Universal design is also reflected in the regulatory legal acts of the Russian Federation - GOSTs, SNIPs, standards. An accessible environment, created according to the principles of universal design, is convenient for everyone, it is vital for 10% of the world's population, and another 40% of the population needs it.
Demand creates supply. Even 7-8 years ago, I was able to find information only about specialized rehabilitation centers"For guests in wheelchairs" Then a chapter about barrier-free resorts appeared in the Guide to World Resorts, and the “accessibility” icon for wheelchair guests appeared next to the name of only a few resorts, although I was looking for this information not only in Russian-language Internet resources. Currently, on the websites of Russian travel companies, in the description of hotels in world resorts, there are blocks: rooms for wheelchair users, for guests in wheelchairs, and even ... for people with disabilities.
According to Russian tour operators, now all kinds and types of recreation are available for Russians with disabilities, except for those that provide for group travel by bus. Foreign experts first of all talk about the lack of informing the interested audience. Existing information is difficult to find as it is often scattered across various sites: hotels, tour companies, associations of the disabled.
Meanwhile, 11% of all tourist trips in Europe and 7% worldwide are made by travelers with special needs, most often in the company of family members or friends. They mainly choose hotels from 3 to 5 stars, since only hotels in this category offer adapted rooms. Budget hotels - one or two stars - make up only 10.62% of the affordable tourism market. According to experts, the increase in the number of budget hotels, with the availability of rooms created according to the principle of universal design, will significantly increase demand in this segment of the tourist market. According to experts, the capacity of such a market is high. In Europe alone, some 130 million potential consumers range from older people who are willing and able to travel and will soon make up 25% of the European population, to 60 million people with disabilities who want to spend holidays with family and friends.
There are more than 13 million disabled people in Russia. About 2 million 700 thousand pensioners live in Moscow - a quarter of the city's population. 1.7 million people with disabilities: 1.6 thousand people with disabilities using wheelchairs, 23 thousand people with disabilities using different kind supports, 8 thousand blind and visually impaired, 5 thousand deaf and hearing impaired.
And quite different statistics: there are 32,000 working disabled people in Moscow. About 1,000 blind people work in the call center on Ogorodny Proyezd. It is planned to open another such call center, almost twice as many. There are other projects to create jobs for the disabled, maybe not so large-scale. In addition, many have family, friends, and everyone has a desire to discover something new, to travel. “Don't worry too much about my rights, better pay attention to my wallet!” Jesus Hernandez, head of the Spanish Society for the Blind, advised representatives of the tourism industry.
There are more than 4 thousand tour operators in Moscow. Of these, only two are national center tourism for the disabled "Invatur" and "Agency WELL" - organize group tours for the disabled in Moscow, the temples of the Moscow region, the Golden Ring. Travel company "Liberty" from St. Petersburg since 2004 has been exploring the accessibility of urban facilities. This is how the first specialized excursion tours around Northern Venice and the suburbs of St. Petersburg for people with disabilities were built. However, this does not mean at all that others cannot do it. According to Olga Polyakova, general director of the Equatur travel company, when they were approached by a group of hearing impaired, they faced many problems. As it turned out, even in Moscow it is very difficult to find a sign language interpreter. However, the company, which has extensive experience in organizing exclusive tours, solved all the problems that arose, and tourists with special needs went to rest.
The salvation of the drowning is the work of the drowning themselves. It turns out that this postulate works not only in Russia. Most of the specialized travel companies around the world have been organized by travelers with special needs themselves.
The National Tourism Center for the Disabled "Invatur" was created by Tatyana Melyakova in 2005. A wheelchair user since 1994 after a traffic accident, she first drove around Moscow and the routes of the Golden Ring herself. Now the tourism center "Invatur" organizes excursions in Moscow, the Moscow region, group tours to St. Petersburg, along the Golden Ring, as well as to Turkey, Greece, and the USA.
Vladimir Pukhlyakov, Chairman of the Board of the Charitable Foundation "Social Adaptation of the Disabled and Youth" (Invatur), said that since 2007 they have been organizing trips to the resorts of Greece and Turkey. The package of services for foreign tours includes flights, transfers, accommodation in a hotel equipped for the needs of the disabled, an excursion program, and medical insurance. Some tour operators help to purchase air tickets with significant discounts. So holidays abroad are available to disabled people and according to financial criteria.
Russia without barriers and prospects for the development of tourism accessible to all. Inclusive tourism can only develop if the facilities of the hospitality and tourism industry meet the principle of "accessible and convenient for everyone": from the first drawing of the hotel to the tourist office where you have to buy a ticket.
At present, the tourist market of Moscow and St. Petersburg offers enough wide range suitable means accommodation. Among Moscow hotels, 13 have specially equipped rooms that are ready to accept guests with disabilities (wheelchair users). In the future, their number will increase significantly. This is due to the fact that now the Moscow Committee for Architecture is developing uniform regulatory requirements for the projects of hotels under construction. Hotels with up to 50 rooms will be required to equip at least two rooms for the disabled, and large hotel complexes must allocate at least 3% of their total numbers.
St. Petersburg is more accessible in this sense. Accesses and main museums - the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, the Hermitage and the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg. In general, this list is quite extensive. The "people's" map of barrier-free Russia can be viewed at www.barierovnet.org. It is made up of wheelchair users themselves, the geography already covers 77 cities and 1500 objects.
Starting from 2011, the implementation of the Accessible Environment for the Disabled program will begin in Russia. According to official data, today in Moscow about 70% of urban infrastructure facilities are accessible to the disabled. According to experts in wheelchairs - much less. In Sochi, by 2012, all Olympic facilities will be put into operation in accordance with the standards for accessibility of facilities for sports and recreation.
The availability and level of medical care is one of the main criteria for choosing a place to stay in this segment of the tourist market. This was reminded to the conference participants by Kristina Ionitskaya from the national office of Catalonia. During the reform of the organization of medical care, which lasted 25 years, it was taken into account that the main income of Catalonia is tourism, and 20 million tourists annually choosing Catalonia for recreation are, first of all, people who may need health care. Catalonia is currently a member of the European Accessible Tourism Association. To ensure the right to recreation and tourism, enshrined in resolution 48/96 of the UN General Assembly, in Catalonia, appropriate changes have been made to legislative framework. For travelers with special needs, an adapted infrastructure and a special Internet resource have been created, where you can find information about 21 tourist centers in Catalonia.
In 2009, the Czech Republic joined the European movement "Tourism accessible to all". Monika Lingartova, Director of the Czech Tourist Office, told the conference participants about the available facilities in Czech cities and resorts. The website www.czechtourism.com has created a special section "Holidays without barriers".
Most of the information about hotels and routes available to all in Russia, however, as well as throughout the world, is passed on by word of mouth. On the forums, experienced people who already have experience of inclusive holidays in foreign resorts share information on how to book a hotel, which company is better to contact, how the rules of air transportation “with us” and “with them” are observed. And, as sad as it is to state, all the messages are filled with encouraging phrases that the feeling of a “second-class person” will leave the traveler with special needs immediately after landing at an airport abroad.
We will continue talking about tourism accessible to all this year. At the initiative of the PCT - at the forum on entry and domestic tourism « A New Look to Russia”, which will be held in St. Petersburg from October 13 to 15 within the framework of the international tourism exhibition Inwetex CIS Travel Market 2010. On the initiative of ANTOR - on November 18 in Moscow, where a conference and workshop dedicated to medical and medical tourism, as well as tourism for people with disabilities.
Thus, the Spa&Health 2010 conference actually gave impetus to the development of a new direction in the domestic tourism industry - tourism accessible to all. (Nadezhda Manshina, editor of the www.sankurtur.ru portal, moderator of the Spa&Health conference)
Text: Irina SIZOVA
The first all-Russian forum "Russia without barriers, prospects for the development of affordable tourism" started in Sochi.
More than 100 professionals from the tourism industry, the hotel industry and public organizations for the disabled. Within two days, they will have to work out a plan of measures aimed at creating conditions in our country for recreation and travel for people with disabilities.
Russia is home to 13 million people with disabilities. No more than 80 percent of them receive tourist services. It is not right. Tourism plays important role in decision social problems, and domestic, inclusive tourism solves them doubly, because it simultaneously provides employment growth, and an increase in the welfare of the country's population, and equality and comfort for people with disabilities in any type of travel. Increasing the level of service for citizens with disabilities in the tourism industry will stimulate the development of a modern competitive tourism market in Russia, - said Nikolai Korolev, Deputy Head of the Federal Tourism Agency.
For the development of affordable tourism, the specialists of the Federal Agency have developed a special concept. Its implementation is expected to take two years. The All-Russian Forum in Sochi will help move from a document to concrete actions.
There are two main aspects that will help the development of affordable tourism in our country. First of all, this is the creation of an appropriate infrastructure and training of personnel. An excellent example of such integrated approach became Sochi, which is not accidentally chosen as the venue for the forum on accessible tourism. However, today other tourist destinations are developing in Russia, such as Altai region, Stavropol, Ryazan region, - said Nikolai Korolev.
The development of barrier-free tourism will not do without economic solutions. Today, in various regions of Russia, there are tax incentives for businesses, but they do not apply to investors who invest in creating an accessible environment.
It should be noted that in recent years in Russia there have been major legislative changes in a barrier-free environment. Our country has ratified international convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. Extended until 2020 federal program to create an accessible environment with a budget of 500 billion rubles, - said Flyur Nurlygayanov, First Deputy Chairman of the All-Russian Society of the Disabled.
Appeared in Russia and the concept of social tourism. So far, only representatives of a few regions can take advantage of such recreation, but the Ministry of Culture has already developed a number of approaches, including tax incentives, to disseminate such an experience throughout the country. And one of the first sites for the development of tourism for people with disabilities, according to experts, may be Sochi. In preparation for the winter Olympic Games In 2014, more than 1,400 objects were brought into line with the requirements of a barrier-free environment. Ramps, tactile tiles, special signs, elevators and lifts appeared in the city. Hotels and sanatoriums, beaches, and recreation facilities have become accessible to the disabled. The Rosa Khutor mountain resort has become an ideal example of accessibility. Within the framework of the forum, he was noted national award"5 stars of hospitality" in the nomination "Russia without barriers". The award is aimed at encouraging tourism infrastructure facilities to create accessibility conditions.
The Rosa Khutor resort has created a barrier-free environment for all categories of people with disabilities, including people with limited mobility, and citizens with vision and hearing problems. A comprehensive assessment was taken into account, starting with appearance- ramps, steps, ending with the internal equipment of buildings. According to experts, Rosa Khutor today is an excellent example of the availability of tourist facilities in our country, - said Dmitry Petrov, President of the Leader Fund for Supporting Socially Significant Initiatives.
Have you ever wondered what difficulties people with disabilities face when traveling? For any tourist, the main thing before the trip is to be ready for it not only mentally, but also physically. And for people burdened with temporary or permanent restrictions, as well as for the elderly, this is all the more important.
Sandy beaches, huge pools, great views - this is the standard description of the hotel in one of the most popular tourist destinations. But for a disabled traveler, it is much more important to see in this description whether there are handrails or ramps on the territory of the hotel, because just a couple of steps can make the golden sand of the beach inaccessible to him. With such a rapid pace of development of the tourism industry, which we are seeing today, and close international communication, including the exchange of experience among participants in the tourism industry, in fact, there are no complex barriers to affordable tourism. As for our country, of course, there is a lack of experience in this area - hence the unpreparedness of staff to serve clients with disabilities, inconvenience in using transport or in accessing tourist places.
HOW IT IS "AT THEM" ....
In Europe, tourism for the disabled is a developed profitable business, each country has up to 20 specialized tour operators.
That is why it is easier for a tourist with disabilities in European countries to assess the complexity of the routes, the saturation and duration of the trip. Indeed, when drawing up the route, it is necessary to take into account all the recommendations of the attending physician, coupled with the wishes of the tourist and his family members. All travel details must be designed in accordance with the specifics of the client.
The mandatory presence of a relative or friend of a traveler with special needs is not always required. If this is not directly related to a medical factor, and is not an essential condition for the safety of life and health of a tourist, then it entirely depends on the desire of the traveler. He can go on a trip with his relatives, friends or with a personal assistant.
If necessary, an assistant can be provided for the duration of the entire trip or at the necessary moments.
AS an EXAMPLE - SLOVENIA
In recent years, Slovenia has become much better adapted to meet the needs of persons with disabilities.
Ljubljana, Maribor, Ajdovščina and many tourist spots should be highlighted among the Slovenian cities that systematically improve accessibility for the disabled. In Europe 70% total number people with disabilities travel. Demand for "accessible tourism" (accessible tourism - the term most often applied to tourism for people with disabilities) is constantly growing.
All public buildings and tourist sites that are not yet handicap-accessible usually have at least a few dedicated parking spaces at the entrance.
In the Slovenian capital, even the main railway station is equipped for access by people with disabilities. A very high percentage of city buses have low thresholds and sound announcements about the names of stops.
Also, toilet rooms for the disabled are usually equipped almost everywhere. In many Slovenian cities pavements of a special configuration have been built. Every day there are more and more low-lying ATMs for more convenient access for the disabled, as well as ATMs using Braille for the blind and visually impaired.
One of the most popular Slovenian tourist attractions, Ljubljana Castle, can be reached by a funicular that is equipped for disabled access. People with disabilities are also taken care of at the Ljubljana Zoo. Also, without any problems, disabled people can get to the main city post office.
Convenient access for the disabled is also organized in some of the city's museums and galleries.
IN RUSSIA
Russian tour operators today offer various sightseeing tours around the Golden Ring, Moscow, St. Petersburg and so on as "affordable tourism".
EXOTIC COUNTRIES
No matter how surprising it may sound, but traveling to exotic countries is almost more affordable than traveling to some parts of Europe. New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Singapore, South Africa, China - these areas are now actively developing, tour operators specializing in affordable tourism work in these countries. They offer active recreation, cruises - a wide variety of tours for people with disabilities.
STATE QUALITY MARK "TOURISM FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES"
This brand offers people with disabilities complete and reliable information about special services and equipment throughout the country. It brings together institutions where the quality of service best satisfies customers.
The mark is awarded to all professionals in the tourism sector, i.e. hotels, restaurants, attractions and leisure facilities.
The badge is assigned on a voluntary basis. Each institution can apply and fill out a special questionnaire, which assesses the degree of accessibility of visiting for people with disabilities.
If this first stage is successfully completed, an independent assessment is carried out, activities are monitored and all special equipment is registered.
The badge is assigned by the association "Tourism for people with disabilities" for 5 years, and can be extended after passing control for compliance with certain requirements. It can be of 4 categories: for people with defects in the motor-motor system, vision, hearing and with mental disabilities.
Accessible tourism(accessibleTourism) or, as it is often called, tourism for all (tourismforall), is one of the most dynamically developing segments of the tourism market. There is practically no information about affordable tourism in Russian. There are also no expert studies of the capacity of the Russian market of affordable tourism. In the Russian Federation, there are 13.074 million (Rosstat, 2009) disabled people and about 2 million children with disabilities, about 3 million sick diabetes, about 15 thousand patients are now on hemodialysis. About half of the disabled with limited mobility (in wheelchairs) are young people under the age of 40. They are active life position learn new professions. Inclusive education will also bear fruit. Demand in the tourism market, accessible to all, will grow in the coming years.
According to the UN, there are about 650 million people with disabilities in the world (about 10%) (of which about 200 million are children with disabilities), in Europe, people with disabilities make up from 22% to 37% of the population (Eurostat, 2007) - a total of 60 million.
And quite different statistics: there are 32,000 working disabled people in Moscow. About 1,000 blind people work in the call center on Ogorodny Proyezd. It is planned to open another such call center, almost twice as many. There are other projects to create jobs for the disabled, maybe not so large-scale. In addition, many have family, friends, and everyone has a desire to discover something new, to travel. “Don't worry too much about my rights, better pay attention to my wallet!” Jesus Hernandez, head of the Spanish Society for the Blind, advised representatives of the tourism industry.
Disabled people travel less actively than other EU citizens: from 37% in the UK to 53% in Germany. Meanwhile, 11% of all tourist trips in Europe and 7% worldwide are made by travelers with special needs, most often in the company of family members or friends.
Over the past 10 years, experts have noted a dynamic growth in this segment of the tourism market, although even abroad it is still difficult to call it massive. However, the demand for affordable tourism is growing all over the world, and originates in Russia.
The meaning of the terms that define what tourism is for people with disabilities has been the subject of scientific discussions for more than 20 years. In addition, the term "Tourism accessible to all" is enshrined in international legal acts.
One of the reasons for low demand is fear and inevitable discomfort caused by limited mobility or cognitive abilities in people with visual and hearing impairments, as well as a narrow understanding of the term “accessible tourism” and confusion around this concept.
In the Russian tourism market, you can find various offers for people with disabilities: "travel for the disabled", "paratourism", "disabled tourism", "tourism for the disabled", "tourism for the deaf", "tourism for the blind", "rehabilitation tourism", "correctional and educational tourism".
Often this also includes "social tourism" - travel subsidized by the state from funds allocated for social needs ( the federal law"On the basics of tourism activities in the Russian Federation" 132-FZ of November 24, 1996)
Abroad, the terms are used - "tourism for all", "accessible tourism", "inclusive tourism", "barrier-free tourism".
It is difficult to say which term will take root in Russia. Low-budget tours are often called affordable tourism, and inclusive tourism is a tourist product in which transport services are paid at the same time as meals, accommodation and other tourist services - "all-inclusive".
Potential consumers of this segment of the tourism market are not only the disabled and the elderly, but also their guardians and members of their families, families with small children.
Inclusive tourism (fr. inclusif - including, lat. include - conclude, include) - a process of tourism development, which implies the availability of tourism for everyone, in terms of adapting the infrastructure of tourist centers and tourist display facilities to the various needs of all people, including , the disabled, the elderly, their caregivers and family members, people with temporary disabilities, families with small children.
The concept of inclusive tourism is traveling around the world. Its foundation is Universal Design, whose seven principles were formulated and implemented over 30 years ago by wheelchair architect Ron Mays and colleagues at North Carolina State University. Universal design is also reflected in the regulatory legal acts of the Russian Federation - GOSTs, SNIPs, standards. An accessible environment created according to the principles of universal design is vital for 10% of the world's population, 40% of the population needs it and is convenient for everyone.
Disabled tourism is a type of recreational tourism designed for people with disabilities.
I noticed an interesting poster on the wall.
A young man was depicted wheelchair, against the backdrop of a modern airport. The poster read the affirmative title "Traveling is the right of everyone." This call or slogan was spinning in my head for some time. And, indeed, I realized that there are so many interesting places in this world that I long to see and which are already ready and adapted for me - tourist in a wheelchair.
What is the name of tourism for the disabled?
When I started to delve into the topic tourism for people with disabilities, the first thing I realized - I got confused in the terminology. Some call this type of tourism "social" or "tourism for all" also heard the definition "invaturism", others call this type of tourism - "Inclusive Tourism".
Often "Inclusive tourism” is confused with the tourist term “all inclusive” - “all inclusive”, I just want to note that not everything, but EVERYTHING without exception, including disabled tourists.
I have also heard the phrase "rehabilitation" tourism Yes, I agree that tourism can be a good rehabilitation - both physical and moral, but I would not choose such a name, somehow gloomy ...
In Western sources about tourism for people with disabilities, the phrase “ accessible tourism», which in translation into Russian means - "accessible tourism". I like this definition. I don't understand the phrase at all. "disabled tourism", sounds somehow worn out, with a humiliating aftertaste.
"Accessible Tourism", in the broadest sense, includes transport, information, and even financial.
Why develop tourism for the disabled?
I'm sure niche accessible tourism should develop rapidly. And to bring good profit to the owners of tourist bases, entertainment complexes.
Development and modernization can be financially and socially justified. If we ask anyone wheelchair, where he is resting, most likely we will hear in response - “in a sanatorium”. Not because he wants to go there and it's his conscious choice recreation, but there is simply no great alternative. Nowhere.
The same can be said for people with hearing and vision impairments who need slightly different accessibility. If for wheelchair important - ramp, wide doors, then for - tactile directions, teflocomments, audio description.
Often, when the whole family is going on vacation, they first of all think “what to do with elderly family members, or with a relative who has a disability?”. Leave home alone? No. Take with you on a trip? No. Location and transport are not adapted.
There are not many affordable tourist complexes that can and are ready to accept.
I personally, for the fifth year now, have been ignoring specialized sanatoriums. I do not want to be treated like a patient, and start the notorious "case history". I want to relax and gain new strength and impressions, and not savor the diagnosis. When and where I should be treated or rest, I want to decide for myself.
And not when the state deigns to give me a ticket to a sanatorium, and often at the wrong time for this.
Is it available?
To be fair, it must be said that financial accessibility plays an important role in the topic of affordable tourism. Most four or five star hotels have long had. This is the condition of the tourist market in assigning the "star" of the hotel. But are they affordable for most people with disabilities? I can confidently say “no”. in the world-famous chain of hotels "Radisson Blu" in Kyiv costs no less - about 300 euros per night.
Yes, something to think about...
And away from home, you also want to feel comfortable and not be dependent on other people.
Last year I managed to visit several European countries. For me tourism is a contribution to my self-development and to the quality of my life. This is my personal way to meet interesting people and better know yourself, enjoy new tastes and smells. After each of my trips, I return home refreshed. I want to believe that more wise and patient. And so I want to repeat the call from that poster again "Traveling is the right of everyone". And mine too. 🙂