Geographical Europe. Not all countries are represented. We are not looking for“ country” representation as such. Our members have to be committed to share our principles, to adopt and follow the ENAT Code of Good Conduct, and to work in their own country and at the international level, within the activities that we promote: to promote and develop Tourism for All, aiming at the maximum inclusion of the end users both in terms of being able to enjoy leisure activities( Art. 30 of the UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities), as well as to get job opportunities in the open labour market.
What is ENAT’ s primary purpose? Our primary purpose is, as noted above, to make Tourism for All accessible to everybody and to promote it in Europe and around the world. This general statement, however, is the headline for a lot of initiatives which are aimed at involving different stakeholders, both public and private, to act in their own field, towards the recognition of rights, the design of tourist products accessible and usable by everybody, to plan destinations to become more friendly towards people with specific access needs, including seniors who are representing a huge potential and real market in Tourism.
What are ENAT’ s top five major accomplishments over the past ten years? There are major areas where ENAT has been actively working to increase the confidence of travellers, as well as the competitive positioning of the tourism industry.
ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS ENAT’ s work on standards for accessibility in the tourism sector continues as we take part in two major International and European initiatives on this subject. An ISO Working Group on " Accessible Tourism for All”, was established in 2017 under ISO Technical Committee 228 Tourism Services, to help develop a Standard on“ Tourism for All”. This project is led by the UN World Tourism Organisation and Fundación ONCE, Spain, with whom ENAT enjoys a close working relationship, having developed several guidance documents with them for the tourism industry. The ISO Tourism for All voluntary Standard promises to be a valuable reference, that will help to align policies and practices in accessible tourism at international level. As such it should provide a much-needed technical basis for businesses and public sector bodies to invest and develop new tourism services to serve the growing accessible tourism market, within the broad framework of sustainable development.
ENAT is also acting as official liaison organisation with the European Committee for Standardization( CEN), in the Technical Committee for Mandate M / 420“ Public Procurement for an Accessible Built Environment”. This work involves developing a new European Standard which is intended to support EU Public Procurement and the European Accessibility Act, which is expected to be passed by the European Parliament in 2018.
WORLD TOURISM FOR ALL QUALITY PROGRAMME This unique certification programme is the culmination of several years of development, responding to the need for defined and consistent quality criteria for accessible tourism training, service delivery and marketing. The World Quality Programme will provide a guided pathway for service providers to improve and qualify their business, leading to the Quality Label, recognising their commitment to access and inclusion for all, enhancing staff competence and ensuring first-class customer service.