The second World Summit on Accessible Tourism – Destinations for All was held in October 2018.
The conference was held in Brussels and Melissa James of Inclusive Tourism was invited to present. Her presentation was titled Advocacy Initiatives for Accessible Tourism and discussed the importance of collaboration between stakeholders including government departments, tourism operators and people with disabilities.
Melissa shared her experience of working with these various stakeholders to achieve outcomes that benefit the community as a whole. From putting together Accessible Experience Guides in the lead up to the Commonwealth Games, to running educational workshops in partnership with the likes of Destination Gold Coast. Working with tourism operators, helping them to identify and remove barriers and connecting them with people with lived experience to improve their understanding of access. And of course the importance of staff training in disability awareness.
The presentation was well received and has since generated a high level of interest in the services Melissa and her company Inclusive Tourism has to offer.
