“To program tourist offers addressed also to the needs of older people and people with disability is more a “must” than economic opportunity” said Fabio Cacioli, senior manager of Travelability. “As an organization, we are proud to be among the first companies in Italy to be able to guarantee quality and reliability to this target which is often forgotten by tour operators. Thanks to our experience Tuscany, which is one of the world’s major tourist destinations, is ready to accommodate elderly people who need assistance, offering them the opportunity to travel with all the comforts and safeties they have at home.”
The introductory speech was given by MEP Isabella Del Monte, MEP and lecturer on tourism for the Committee on Transport and Tourism of the European Parliament. She underlined the need for a sustainable mobility at community level, also illustrating the benefits deriving from the sharing economy and focusing on the diversification of the offer, in favor of increasing low-season activities.
Among the speakers the participation of Furio Honsell, Mayor of Udine and president of the Covenant on Demographic Change, was much appreciated: he focused on promoting age-friendly policies and the need to develop a silver economy. The purpose is very clear: create all conditions of care, entertainment and well-being that enable a healthy, peaceful and happy ageing, also through the promotion of accessible, and at the same time exciting, vacations.
In front of a packed audience of stakeholders of the tourism and hotel sector, alongside of associations working for older people and people with disabilities, an agreement was signed between Travelability, Region of Tuscany and Federalberghi. It aims at promoting the culture of accessibility to facilities and tourist services, promoting joint initiatives at EU level to consolidate such policies and, at the end of the year, see concretely what has been done in favor of people in need of special attention in order to enjoy the tourist heritage.
