Travelling can be a major challenge for the 15% of the world´s population who live with some form of disability. More than 1 billion people face physical, sensory, cognitive and cultural barriers on a daily basis, as well as difficulties in finding clear and accurate information on the accessibility of the tourism facilities, services and experiences, offered by destinations and service providers. The pandemic has supposed new obstacles and brought along new limitations.

The recently published ISO 21902 Accessible Tourism for All is a major achievement towards making our sector more accessible. It has been designed as a comprehensive international standard to benefit all, including people with disabilities and specific access requirements, seniors, families with young children and people with temporary disabilities, allowing all to enjoy travel and tourism on an equal access basis.

Measuring and monitoring accessibility, at a global level, is still in its infancy, as our sector usually relies on estimates from research projects or specialized observatories. For decision- making on future development in the sphere of accessible tourism, specific qualitative and quantitative data is needed. Such will not only help to better understand the actual needs and behavioural patterns of the travellers with access requirements, but will also make the business case of Tourism for All more evident for the private sector and public investments.

This fourth technical webinar will discuss, besides the new ISO Standard, experiences and lessons learned by selected experts and Members of the UNWTO International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO) in the field of measuring and monitoring accessibility. The webinar stems directly from the 11 mandatory key issue areas for INSTO members, who recently included accessibility in their sustainability agenda.