Success of Destinations for All World Summit
Back to the press releases listThe second edition of the Destinations for All World Summit, held in Brussels, Belgium, was a huge success. Organized by the Collectif Accessibilité Wallonie-Bruxelles (CAWaB), this event took place on October 1 and 2, bringing together more than 400 participants from 42 countries for in-depth discussions about accessible tourism.
Kéroul was proud to be an active participant in the Summit. Isabelle Ducharme, Chairwoman of Kéroul, and her counterpart at CAWaB, Vincent Snoeck, acted as co-presidents of the event. Ms. Ducharme also led a number of plenary sessions and co-presented a talk with André Leclerc, Chief Executive Officer of Kéroul, entitled How to ensure a taxi service accessible to everyone in each of our communities? In addition, Lyne Ménard, Assistant Director at Kéroul, co-presented a talk with Francis Paradis, Assistant Deputy Minister responsible for business partners and client services for the Ministère du Tourisme du Québec, entitled Financial assistance for the accessibility of tourist establishments in Québec.
The second edition of the Destinations for All World Summit was an opportunity to take stock of the achievements made since 2014 through nearly 100 presentations. The concept of the accessible tourism chain guided the choice of topics, which included: destination management, hosting and security, accommodation, transport and mobility, and leisure products and activities. Participants came away from these two intense days full of ideas to implement in their own communities.
By the end of the Summit, it was clear how much discussions regarding accessible tourism have evolved in four years. That disabled clients wield a great deal of clout has clearly been proven; influencers are now a force to be reckoned with; labeling is useful but insufficient; and a tourist’s experience is not limited to infrastructure. Industry professionals must now improve communication among each other to promote synergy and boost their impact.
In conjunction with this event for trade professionals, an accessible vacations show was also held for the general public. This enabled visitors to discover accessible tourist destinations around the world. Québec was well represented thanks to the attendance of Jean-François Lavoie, Director, Development and Partnership at Kéroul, and Isabelle Trotzier, head of the Europe office for QuébecOriginal.
The attendance of the Kéroul delegation was made possible through the financial support of the Ministère du Tourisme du Québec, the Alliance de l’industrie touristique du Québec, Canada Economic Development, the Ministère des Relations internationales, the Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Occupation du territoire and the Office des personnes handicapées du Québec.
The first edition of the Summit was held in Montréal in 2014, at Kéroul’s initiative. More than 360 participants from 31 countries came out to share their knowledge and experience regarding accessible tourism. The event culminated with participants signing the A World for Everyone declaration, a veritable plan for action on the local, national and international scales to promote the accessibility of infrastructure, buildings and tourist services. The document was used as a basis for the second edition of the Summit.
The resounding success of the second edition demonstrated yet again the benefits of sharing industry best practices, and a third edition is already in the works. The host city has not yet been chosen, but a steering committee has already been formed to oversee the event’s organization. Kéroul has joined the committee alongside a number of other organizations dedicated to tourism around the world.
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Contacts
Isabelle Ducharme
Kéroul
514 252-3104
Vincent Snoeck
CAWaB
0486 47 71 60
About Kéroul
Founded in 1979, Kéroul is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the development of accessible tourism and cultural establishments, activities and services in Québec. As the Ministère du Tourisme du Québec’s key consultant in matters of accessibility, Kéroul trains front-line staff, assess the accessibility of tourism and cultural establishments, and manages the Programme d’accessibilité des établissements touristiques (tourism establishment accessibility program).
About CAWaB
The Collectif Accessibilité Wallonie-Bruxelles (CAWaB) is a Belgian non-profit association that works to defend the rights of persons with disabilities and promote accessibility. This is the focus of CAWaB initiatives, as are its educational and awareness-raising efforts. It represents some 20 local associations in order to provide a single voice and to guarantee the validity and ability to replicate actions on an international, federal, regional or community level.
