BACKGROUND

The World Tourism Organization considers the right to travel a fundamental human right for happiness. The World Health Organization, on the other hand, underlines that the values of the world belong to all people. Individuals with disabilities, however, face discrimination and accessibility issues in various settings including archaeological sites, museums, and hotels. Studies indicate that individuals with disabilities refrain from traveling or do not feel comfortable at their destination due to architectural shortcomings, issues in transfer vehicles and discriminatory attitudes from tourism professionals.

PROJECT GOALS

• A training program on accessibility will be offered to one person each from four civil society organizations active in İstanbul, Muğla, Samsun and Şanlıurfa in culture and tourism.
• The training programs will be provided to at least 300 tourism workers in these four target cities to raise awareness of accessible tourism.
• The tourism faculties of a university in each of the four target cities will be visited and at least 200 students will be briefed on the matter.
• The Accessible Tourism Training Program will be shared as open source on the website.
• A “Guideline for Accessible Tourism” will be prepared to guide organizations that will work on accessible tourism.
• A guideline on working with young activists will be prepared for the adults.
• The “Accessible Tourism in Turkey, Status and Opportunities Report” will be prepared, which includes information on the current accessibility of digital travel portals, practices set forth in the current laws and legislation, and the best practices abroad.
• An “Accessible Tourism Summit” will be organized in İstanbul.

Testimonials