The European initiative TouriSME, a community initiative of the Interreg IIIC Regional Operation Plan, reaches its conclusions this year. What will its lasting effect be?
The Community of Valencia, along with the Province of Limburg, Holland, the Sachsen-Anhalt region of Germany, and the region of North East England, is involved in the European project TouriSME, a community initiative of the Interreg IIIC Regional Operation Plan. For the Generalitat, the European Affairs Office of the President and the IMPIVA are also included. The aim of Interreg is to generate interregional exchanges of experience and knowledge, and to create a working network linking administrations, association and various public and private sector agents of the various regional members.
The Valencia Tourism Agency, which is part of the Tourism Consellería, is involved in four subprojects of the TouriSME programme: Natural Patrimony and Tourism, Accessible Tourism, New Markets, and Tourism Structures. On the occasion of the 4th Interregional Operation Plan Conference, held in Valencia, in October, 2005, the Valencian Agency of Tourism, organised a parallel visit for the English delegates participating as associate members of the Agency in the “Accessible Tourism” subproject.
The English associates, accompanied by a Tourist-Information Office representative, visited three tourism spots: the Fallero Museum and two hotels in the city of Valencia. As a result, the English members independently and of their own volition prepared a report on the accessibility standards of the places they had visited, which overall was quite favourable.
Prior to their visit, a meeting took place in the Tourism Centre CdT of Valencia, in which the heads of accessibility matters in the Valencian Agency of Tourism and the Social Well-being Consellería explained to the English delegation the legislation, plan of action and aid programmes that the Generalitat has undertaken in order to improve accessibility to tourism destinations and products in the Community of Valencia.
The British delegation was favourably impressed by the aid plan of the Valencian Tourism Agency for the adaptation of tourism establishments for the disabled, and they highlighted the high standard of accessibility to the beaches of the Community of Valencia.
The Interreg IIIC TouriSME programme will terminate in 2006. Till then, the Valencia Tourism Agency will continue working with its associates in the Accessible Tourism project, who attended the X International Tourism Forum of Benidorm, where 150 representatives discussed the infrastructure and service differentiations in destinations. Especially noteworthy was the round table discussion on the subject of accessible tourism and the adaptation of tourism infrastructures and services to the needs of new market segments.
Source:
Conselleria de Turisme
www.comunidad-valenciana.org