HOSPITALITY for ALL Accessible Tourism
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HOSPITALITY FOR ALL Accessible Tourism; The fastest growing market in the world! ‘Welcome to Turkey’ CONTENT - Overview - Open Call - Definitions 1) Disability 2) Special Needs 3) Glossary - Facts & Figures 1) International 2) TURKEY 3) Reports - Accessible Tourism 1) What is..? 2) UNWTO 3) ENAT 4) ECA 5) Expo / Fairs - A Niche Market 1) Barrier - free Tourism 2) Social Tourism 3) Health Tourism 4) 65+ 5) Sport Tourism 6) Global Events - Infrastructure 1) Parking 2) Entrance / Halls 3) Rooms 4) Elevators 5) WC 1 - Services 1) Information 2) Accommodation 3) Food 4) Conference 5) Social Clubs - Transport 1) Public Transport 2) Transfers 3) In-house Transport - Emergency Procedures 1) Labelling 2) Training 3) Evacuation - Other Activities 1) Historical Visits 2) Outdoor Activities 3) Cultural Events - Innovation 1) Assistive Technology 2) Mobile Solutions 3) Smart Solutions - Training 1) Staff Training 2) Eco-system Training 3) Customer Awareness - Disability Etiquette 1) Sight 2) Hearing 3) Intellectual 4) Physical 5) Others - Download 1) Facility Evacuation Form 2) Guidelines / Standards 3) UN Convention 4) UNWTO Manuals - Last Word 2 OPEN CALL An open call to everyone in the Tourism sector! Distinguished member of the tourism sector, It’s the ideal time to revive our hospitality that is in the social and cultural DNA of this country in spite of all forms of alienation and politicized prejudices and current ap- proaches to tourism. We should strengthen our priority of high quality service with ‘accessibility for all standards’ and open our doors to all potential guests with special needs. ‘Tourism for all’ can’t simply be reduced to making arrangements for wheelchair ac- cessibility. We need to include everyone in our general service and attitudes including families with kids, people with temporary mobility restrictions, people with special dietary requirements, people with different cultural expectations and of course people who have sight impairments, people with hearing impairments, people with learning difficulties, people with chronic illnesses and allergic reactions, people who have any kind of mobility challenge. We need to include them without any separation, labelling or isolation. Every year around the world 300 million and in Europe 50 million individuals with special needs are traveling. We need to move beyond being a country that is preferred but can’t be visited because of our bad track record for accessibility. This guide simply paves the way. You are the ones to tread the path. It’s your turn. Open your doors to all the beautiful people in the world just as you open your hearts and let’s give everyone a warm WELCOME, together. Ercan Tutal / Founder & Chairman of Alternative Life Association 3 DEFINITIONS 1) DISABILITY1 Disability is an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. An impairment is a problem in body function or structure; an activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action; while a participation restriction is a problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life situations. Disability is thus not just a health problem. It is a complex phenomenon, reflecting the interaction between features of a person’s body and features of the society in which he or she lives. Overcoming the difficulties faced by people with disabilities requires interventions to remove environmental and social barriers. People with disabilities have the same health needs as non-disabled people – for im- munization, cancer screening etc. They also may experience a narrower margin of health, both because of poverty and social exclusion, and also because they may be vulnerable to secondary conditions, such as pressure sores or urinary tract infections. Evidence suggests that people with disabilities face barriers in accessing the health and rehabilitation services they need in many settings. 2) SPECIAL NEEDS Special needs is a term used in clinical diagnostic and functional development to de- scribe individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. Types of special needs vary in severity. People with autism, Down syndrome, dyslexia, blindness, ADHD, or cystic fibrosis, for example, may be con- sidered to have special needs. However, special needs can also include cleft lips and/or palates, port-wine stains, or missing limbs. 1 WHO, http://www.who.int/topics/disabilities/en/ 4 10 Special Needs Organizations: • Easter Seals • Special Olympics • United Cerebral Palsy • The Arc • Friendship Circle International • Goodwill Industries International • Parents Helping Parents • Federation for Children with Special Needs • Special Needs Alliance • Family Voices 3) GLOSSARY Main Icons of Accessible Tourism: There are five main icons that highlight any accessible elements. They are white on a blue background. 5 Accessible to blind people and the visually impaired Accessible to the deaf and hearing impaired Accessible to wheelchair users and the motor impaired Accessible (with help) to wheelchair users and the motor impaired Accessible to people with learning disability Additional icons to indicate accessibility services or resources: Other icons are used to indicate the adapted facilities that each museum, establish- ment, service, etc. offers visitors with special needs. They are blue on a white back- ground. Guide dogs are admitted or the amenity provides bowls of water There are elements in Braille (descriptive labels, signage, leaflets, etc.) Audio description is provided (live, on the audio guide, recorded, etc.) There are tactile elements for everyone or for blind people There is a magnetic or induction loop Tours in sign language (SL) or sign-language interpreters are available Information is provided in large print or there are optical aids 6 FACTS AND FIGURES 1) INTERNATIONAL The travel & tourism sector has developed into an industry with an annual economic impact (direct, indirect and induced) of around 6.5 trillion U.S. dollars worldwide. In 2012, the number of international tourist arrivals exceeded the one billion mark for the first time, an increase of almost 50 percent compared to ten years earlier. Interna- tional travelers from China, Germany and the United States are amongst the biggest spenders worldwide. The global hotel industry generates approximately between 400 and 500 billion U.S. dollars in revenue each year, one third of that revenue is attributable to the United States. Some of the biggest hotel chains (groups) are the InterContinental Hotels Group, Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide, Accor, Starwood Hotels & Re- sorts, and the Wyndham Hotel Group. Three of the most important hotel performance indicators are the Average Daily Rate (ADR), the revenue per available room (RevPar), and the occupancy rate. 7 • The tourism economy represents 5 % of global GDP • Tourism employs 1 out of every 12 people in advanced and emerging economies • International tourism ranks fourth (after fuels, chemicals and automotive products) in global exports, with an industry value of US$1 trillion a year, accounting for 30 % of the world’s exports of commercial services or 6 % of total exports. • Tourism is the main source of foreign exchange for one-third of developing coun- tries and one-half of LDCs • 1 job in the core tourism industry creates about 1,5 additional or indirect jobs in the tourism-related economy • The number of international arrivals grew from 25 million international arrivals in 1950 to an estimated 806 million in 2005, corresponding to an average annual growth rate of 6.5% • The number of tourist trips is expected to continue to grow for the next decade, with the number of international tourist arrivals expected to reach 1.6 billion by 2020 and attaining 2.6 billion in 2050 (UNWTO) 2) TURKEY / REPORTS2 As the 6th most popular tourist destination in the world and well on its way to attracting more than 40 million tourists annually within the next couple of years, Turkey continues to present vast investment opportunities in both the established and newly-developing subsectors of the industry.3 With its favorable location, existing potential, mega pro- jects, and ambitious targets set for 2023, the tourism sector continues to grow at a rate that outstrips its bed capacity. Even though there has been a surge of investments in the last several years, there is still ample room for new ventures. Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia both have untapped potential for culture tourism as well as the increasingly popular boutique hotel concept, which blends well with the characteristic nature, history, and culture of the regions. Here are some essential facts and figures about the Turkish tourism sector:4 2 https://www.statista.com/markets/420/travel-tourism-hospitality/ 3 http://www.invest.gov.tr/en-US/sectors/Pages/WellnessAndTourism.aspx 4 http://www.unep.org/resourceefficiency/Business/SectoralActivities/Tourism/FactsandFig- uresaboutTourism/tabid/78771/Default.aspx 8 • Turkey is currently the 6th most popular tourist destination in the world, attracting more than 30 million tourists annually and continuing to show positive growth year-on-year. • The tourism sector has set annual targets of 50 million tourist arrivals and revenues of USD 50 billion by 2023. • According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the number of foreign travelers arriving in Turkey in 2015 was 39.4 million, while total turnover of the tourism in- dustry that same year was USD 31.4 billion. • Growth in the Turkish tourism industry has been above the global average in recent years, and the direct contribution of the industry to the current account deficit in 2015 was 80 percent, while its contribution to GDP reached 4.37 percent the same year. • By the end of 2015, there were 13,615 registered accommodation facilities. 9,188 of these facilities were licensed by their respective municipalities, while the re- maining 4,427 held tourism operation licenses. The combined total bed capacity of these facilities exceeds 1,250,000. • There are currently 281 projects in the pipeline that would add 74,130 much- needed beds to Turkey’s short supply.