New Guidelines Highlight Potential of Accessible Travel

The United Nations’ tourism body, in partnership with ONCE Foundation and the Spanish Association for Standardization, emphasizes the need for greater accessibility in global travel. The call comes amidst observations that many destinations and tourism businesses have yet to fully integrate accessibility features despite a global population of 1.3 billion people living with significant disabilities.

To coincide with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the partners have spotlighted the economic and social benefits of making tourism more accessible for persons with disabilities, seniors, and those with specific requirements. The focus aligns with the ISO 21902:2021 Standards on Accessible Tourism.

Current data shows that 1.3 billion people live with significant disabilities, 1 in 6 people will be aged 60 and over within the next five years, and two to three additional clients often accompany travelers with disabilities. Unleashing the potential of this demographic could significantly boost the tourism industry.

Within the European Union, over 70% of the 80 million persons with disabilities can afford to travel. Meanwhile, the potential markets in Asia and the Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean have 690 million and 85 million people, respectively.

The UN Tourism, ONCE Foundation, and Spanish Association for Standardization have created guidelines to help destinations and businesses capitalize on this potential. The guidelines align with the International ISO 21902:2021 Standard on Accessible Tourism and target various sectors, including national tourism administrations, accommodation and food and beverage companies, travel agencies and tour operators, the transport sector, heritage sites, cultural institutions, and organizations working in protected nature areas.

The guidelines offer strategic recommendations for improving accessibility in tourism. These recommendations will benefit not just travelers with disabilities but also enhance comfort, service, and quality of life for all visitors and host communities. The Madrid International Tourism Fair FITUR 2025 will serve as a platform to discuss implementing these recommendations further.

UN Tourism has extended its thanks to 15 partners who contributed to this initiative, including the European Accessibility Centre-AccessibleEU, the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT), and the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance (WSHA).