Quebec's Minister of Tourism Signs A World for Everyone Declaration
Back to the press releases listKéroul salutes the leadership of Quebec's Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for the Mauricie region, Julie Boulet, who has signed the A World for Everyone Declaration aimed at promote inclusive tourism. This commitment on the Minister's part comes during Quebec's Week of the Disabled and after the announcement of a $5 million envelope to make tourism establishments accessible to people with disabilities.
"I am very proud that Quebec's Minister of Tourism supports the A World for Everyone Declaration, particularly this year, which has been proclaimed the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations," said André Leclerc, Chief Executive Officer and founder of Kéroul. "The ageing of populations in the West will mean a significant increase in disabilities and, consequently, on the tourist demand. We must prepare ourselves so we can extend a proper welcome to all our visitors," he added.
The Declaration lists 40 specific measures for implementing the UNWTO's Recommendations on Accessible Tourism. These recommendations are for tourism, for travel and transportation businesses, and for the local, national and international authorities. The following are just a few of the measures the Declaration recommends for the national authorities:
- Encourage educational institutions to incorporate training on the welcome and service to ALL VISITORS, and on the accessibility of the built environment and facilities.
- Promote the training of frontline staff in the travel and tourism sectors on the reception and delivery of services to ALL visitors.
- Urge institutions providing public goods or services, including transportation providers, to conduct a review of their accessibility and their service delivery to visitors with disabilities and others with specific access requirements, in order to eliminate barriers and facilitate the provision of services to this clientele.
- Adopt fiscal measures to encourage the owners of existing institutions and private transport companies to do the work required to make their facilities and services
accessible.
Since it was adopted following the 1st Destinations for All World Summit held in Montréal in October 2014, the A World for Everyone Declaration has obtained 311 signatures from 46 countries and 12 international organizations. In Quebec, the cities of Montréal, Victoriaville and Gatineau have signed the Declaration.
The A World for Everyone Declaration is now available in 11 languages. You can view and sign it on line at:
http://www.destinationspourtous2014.com/fr/declaration.
This Declaration will be the foundation document for the next Destinations for All World Summit to be held in Brussels on October 1 and 2, 2018. At that time, summit participants will be asked to report on their progress in inclusive tourism in their community, and to share their success stories. This 2nd Summit will be co-chaired by Kéroul and Belgium's Collectif Accessibilité Wallonie-Bruxelles (CAWaB). For further information on this event, please visit:
http://destinationsforall2018.eu/.
About Kéroul
Kéroul is a non-profit organization dedicated to making tourism and culture accessible to persons with limited physical abilities. Founded in Montréal in 1979, Kéroul has been serving the Ministère du Tourisme du Québec for 30 years as its primary consultant in matters of accessibility.
