Entrepreneurs in the outdoor tourism sector are increasingly recognizing the importance of investing in accessibility, but not just in terms of mobility disabilities or regulatory compliance. With the advent of new perspectives and approaches, accessibility is transforming into a broader and more inclusive concept. Over the years, significant progress has been made in ensuring a tourism experience that is accessible to all people, regardless of age and ability.
This was discussed at Hospitality in the event entitled “Accessible horizons: expanding outdoor tourism for all ages and abilities” curated by Roberto Vitali, CEO and co-founder of Village for All (V4A). Accessibility is no longer linked only to the (old) symbol of the wheelchair: today it includes a vast range of needs related to mobility and sensoriality. However, the aim is not only to comply with regulations, but to offer engaging experiences for all tourists, including those with disabilities.
It is important to consider people and their specific needs, creating a welcoming environment that reflects diversity and inclusion. Investing in accessibility is not just an act of compliance, but also an investment in the future. An accessible environment, in fact, not only improves the experience for all visitors, but can also increase profits and create new job opportunities.
The population is aging
Demographic change is another factor to consider. As the population ages, there is a growing need for accessible facilities for older people, who may be visually impaired or hearing impaired. The concept of accessibility is constantly evolving, and entrepreneurs must be ready to adapt to remain competitive in the outdoor tourism market. Entrepreneurs who invest in accessibility not only meet the needs of tourists, but also help build a more inclusive and accessible society.
The idea is to expand the quality of the tourist offer to all people of all ages and with all abilities. And this path ultimately pays off, even economically, for the efforts made. The testimony of Gianfranco Vitali (Roberto’s namesake, but without any family ties), owner of the Holiday Village Florenz, speaks clearly. In 2006, a project was started that involved all people with motor disabilities. Today the facility boasts 37 barrier-free mobile homes.
Two years ago they began working on a project dedicated to blind people. “In Italy there are two million blind or partially sighted people,” said Gianfranco Vitali, “and there are very few structures ready to host them. We are doing this by inserting tactile paths and with specific measures for blind people. We will also address other disabilities in the future.”
Today between 10 and 11 percent of the revenues of the Holiday Village Florenz derive from people with disabilities, who also frequent the structure from abroad, who tend to have great loyalty and who with their word of mouth contribute to the growth of presences of this type. These are customers who do not ask for discounts, but for services adapted to their disabilities.
Spending capacity is higher
“We are talking about people and tourists who, like everyone else, are looking for experiences,” underlined Roberto Vitali. “The disabled person also pays, and his spending capacity is higher on average, even taking into account that he is a person who hardly travels alone. The World Health Organization claims that disability is a universal experience, because as we age certain abilities are lost or weakened. Our challenge is to offer beauty and design in an accessible environment but which does not convey the idea of a pseudo-hospital environment.”
From here was born, within the event in Riva del Garda, the idea of the “Di Ognuno” (Everyone’s) space, created in collaboration with Lombardini22, a company that deals with design from every point of view by applying the principles of universal design. Seeing the darkness, moving the space, and listening to the silence are three areas where it is possible to experience the difficulties linked to motor and sensory disabilities, to discover that the solutions to overcome them are not necessarily ugly or invasive. For example, even if the law requires access ramps to have a maximum slope of 8 percent, it is enough to go down to 5 percent to make people independent, with minimal impact. Or just use the sense of smell to allow easy identification of environments.
The perfect structure does not exist, but everyone already has something to offer. It is therefore a question of undertaking a journey starting from an audit and understanding how communicate the qualities you already have at home externally, and then work on a plan to improve your offer. “Accessibility is not achieved overnight, but must be seen as an improvement in the quality of one’s offer,” concluded Roberto Vitali. “It should not be considered as the cost of removing architectural barriers, but an investment for the future”.
In the opening photo, from left: Gianfranco Vitali (Holiday Village Florenz), Fabio Poletti (President FAITA Trentino), Roberto Vitali (Village for All)
