- It has also worked with other leading companies such as Grupo Viajes El Corte Inglés, Iryo and Cabify, among others.
Valencia | February 20, 2025
Valencia is hosting these days the IV Accessible Tourism Congress organized by Impulsa Igualdad and TUR4all together with the Valencian Community, the Valencia City Council and the Visit Valencia Foundation, which has brought together experts, institutions and companies to address the importance of accessible travel for all travelers as a strategic pillar for the sector.
During February 19 and 20, the city of Turia has become the capital of "the most open and sustainable tourism, the one that welcomes with open arms all travelers regardless of their accessibility needs and age, a dis-friendly tourism", as pointed out by Envera, one of the organizations that participated in the Congress.
Its general director, Enrique Grande, moderated this morning the round table 'The value chain of accessible tourism: accessible and sustainable transport' with the participation of Ainhoa Serrano, manager of Social Impact of Iberia; Federico Torres, manager of Strategy and Sustainability of Iryo; Jonathan Chacón, Accessibility lead of Cabify; and Carlo Castellano, president of AsoPMR.
These experts in sustainable and inclusive mobility have agreed that a tourist's experience starts from the moment the decision to travel is made, so the whole process must be easy and accessible, from reservations and purchase of tickets and accommodations to the destination, including transportation and the information available to prepare the trip.
Envera - Iberia's social work - is a non-profit organization with a history linked since its foundation to the world of travel and to the care of people with disabilities, especially intellectual disabilities, throughout their lives. Dis-Friendly SealThis has led this NGO to develop the Dis-Friendly Seal, a recognition of quality for those companies that are "friendly to people with disabilities, the elderly or have any kind of accessibility requirements".
Envera points out that the first reason for choosing a destination is the treatment given to the traveler, even before the previous information and the price, and stresses that tourists with disabilities or elderly people are a "very attractive client for the sector", since "they have money to travel, they do it in a non-seasonal way and it is a multi-customer tourism".
According to the Observatory of Tourism Accessibility in Spain, people with disabilities spend an average of 30% more on travel than tourists without special needs, a relevant fact if we take into account that there are 20 million Europeans with disabilities who have expressed their desire to visit our country (Marca España) and that the numbers of people with disabilities.
During the roundtable, Serrano pointed out that, for Iberia, integral accessibility is fundamental since "we can all have special accessibility needs" and presented some of the innovative initiatives that the airline is developing, such as the HÁBLALO appapp, recently presented at Fitur, which breaks down communication barriers that passengers may have, whether or not they have a disability, for example, because they speak another language.
Iberia also stresses the importance of training all employees, since inclusion and diversity must be part of the culture of companies as a backbone of their social sustainability strategies.
For his part, Grande wanted to "thank such excellent speakers for sharing your knowledge and, above all, for the commitment that you have from your different companies and organizations to make accessibility, as a core part of sustainability, a reality that allows tourists, whatever their needs, the freedom to travel wherever they want and not just where they can".
Another of the leading tourism agents that participated in the conference was Grupo Viajes El Corte Inglés, whose Director of Sustainability, María de Andrés, agreed with the other speakers that accessible tourism is an important line of business and highlighted the efforts they are making, together with entities such as Envera, to offer the best experience to their customers.
As has been repeated throughout the various meetings held during these days, "accessibility must be consolidated as a strategic pillar and a standard of the tourism industry," as stated by Miguel Carrasco, director of the Accessibility, Tourism and Inclusive Leisure Area of Impulsa Igualdad, in an interview conducted by Envera in Industry Talks on the occasion of the Congress.
A reference event that in its fourth edition has managed to consolidate and that has been inaugurated by José Manuel Camarero, regional secretary of Turisme Comunitat Valenciana; Paula Llobet, councilor delegate of Tourism, Innovation and Investment of the City Council of Valencia; and Francisco Sardón, president of IMPULSA IGUALDAD.
