Tourists with access needs want and have the same rights as other tourists to consume highly appealing and trendy tourism products. In order to ensure access to this type of products, this project is based on culinary tourism. It is important to notice that culinary tourism is a trendy type of tourism product nowadays and its popularity is increasing. Furthermore, this type of
tourism product can be consumed all year round. Taking into account that facing seasonality is also important in some European regions, an added value is placed here when we aim to focus on a tourism product that can work both during high and low seasons.
In this project, we mainly focus on sensorial disabilities. To provide access to people with sensory disabilities is a key issue especially when talking about culinary products because food and drinks are a pleasure of the senses.
This project aims at reaching as many SMEs included in culinary tourism products as possible. Many of them are family managed and with few workers. Normally, they are not experts in integrating accessibility and “Universal design” concerns to their products. In this project, the perfect scenario for teamwork will be created and fostered in order to enhance management skills and tools.
This project will include activities such as training to integrate “Universal Design Schemes”, and the creation of a network where there will be cooperation between private and public entities. This network will be the platform to enhance exchanges of good practices, experiences, challenges and benefits of making products accessible.
The main purpose of this project is to provide tourism managers and entrepreneurs with the tools and skills that will help then when creating and developing food tourism products and also with the knowledge on Capacity Buildnig Schemes. From the first moment, the project takes into account this provision of equal opportunities must start by: (1) raising awareness of the potential of this market segment among tourism stakeholders and (2) training them with the aim of giving tourist a dignifying and equal tourism experience. The project focusses on gastronomic tourism. This project will include 3 tourism regions within 3 member states (Catalonia, Flanders and South Yorkshire).
Nele Bylois
Mariet Janssen