UN Tourism: Accessible travel “a game changer” for destinations and businesses

All Regions
3 Dec 2024

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

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

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.

UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili says: "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 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.