1 / 22

Mainstreaming Accessible Tourist Venue Information

Mainstreaming Accessible Tourist Venue Information. Spyros Michailidis EWORX SA sm@eworx.gr - Skype: spyrosm. Contents. What do we mean? Why it is needed? Our approach (OSSATE) Outlook and next steps to take. Mainstreaming Accessible Tourist Venue Information.

lucien
Download Presentation

Mainstreaming Accessible Tourist Venue Information

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Mainstreaming Accessible Tourist Venue Information Spyros Michailidis EWORX SA sm@eworx.gr - Skype: spyrosm

  2. Contents • What do we mean? • Why it is needed? • Our approach (OSSATE) • Outlook and next steps to take

  3. Mainstreaming Accessible Tourist Venue Information • Tourist Venue Information is provided via a number of popular resources (DMOs’ websites, Booking intermediaries and so forth). • However, there is little or no online information available about Accessible Hotels, Restaurants, Museums, (Transportation), Concert Halls, Shops, Zoos, Fun Parks, Beaches, …

  4. Accessible Tourist Venue Info – Why it is needed (1) End users • ~50 million disabled people in Europe (EDF)A large minority never go on holiday, although many can afford to… • The ageing (and travelling) population will make up 25% of the European population by 2025Older, active people need accessible destinations! • Towards genuine “Tourism for All” in Destination Europe

  5. Accessible Tourist Venue Info – Why it is needed (2) Stakeholders • Focus on improved accessibility will give a quality lift and greater flexibility of use for destinations, venues, facilities and accommodations • Accessibility opens up new markets, stimulates more varied tourism offers, gives competitive advantage for providers • e-Services will give national accessible tourism information services greater reach – into Europe and the global tourist market.

  6. Accessible Tourist Venue Info – Issues • There is no standard way to measure accessibility • Countries or regions define own Accessibility Schemes and… • Provide incompatible online resources which answer to diverse user needs. • Therefore, online services are fragmented and do not ensure a unified “visitor experience”. • In addition, such online services cannot interface easily with booking engines.

  7. The OSSATE approach - Objective “To establish a high quality, versatile and innovative One-Stop Shop which will offer online and mobile services to stimulate Accessible Tourism in Europe, enabling its users to expand their options and enjoy more competitive and higher quality tourist products and services”. European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT) http://www.accessibletourism.org

  8. Cross-Border Nature of Source Content & Service Information for tourists will include: • Cross-border data from destination providers and public sector organisations, via e-tools and methods that are easy to use. • Cross-border service provision in a way which is user-friendly, accessible, multi-lingual, user-driven and personalised. • New data-gathering approaches and new service approaches, with an accent on quality standards, reliability and trust.

  9. OSSATE – Business Case • Tourism produces directly 5% and indirectly 12% of European GDP. (E.g. Greece: direct 8%): A major economic and industrial sector • Accessible Tourism: moving from market niche to mainstream • Public Service Information: Leveraging the knowledge base of 25 European National Tourism Organisations • OSSATE Project Stakeholder analysis: will identify best practices and new business opportunities • Define Marketing strategy • Create new brand for accessible tourism in Europe: Raise Awareness and stimulate demand • Promote the e-Service • Distribute the service via multiple outlets and pricing structures

  10. Participants and Roles • VisitBritain, Hellenic Min. of Tourism Development, (plus additional tourism organisations joining during the life of the project): Public Service Information on accessible tourism, Dissemination • Univ. of Surrey, School of Management: Academic research, business development and eTourism • Disability Now, TGB & ANLH: Experts in disability and accessibility information systems • EWORX S.A.: Technical and e-Service expertise, co-ordination. • Plus - The OSSATE Stakeholder Forum: Validation and testing by users and providers

  11. OSSATE website http://www.ossate.org

  12. OSSATE focus of work – Studies & Requirements • Study of Accessible Tourism Information Schemes (43 schemes – 19 different countries) and review of e-services in the European tourism sector. • Study on countries policies, regulations and legislations on accessibility. • Survey on user needs for accessible tourism information services. • Establishment of a “harmonised” approach to model accessibility information - 3 level scheme. • Construction of data collection tools for unregistered destinations (self-assessment forms and expert audit checklists). • Definition of framework for interoperability between databases

  13. Study of (Accessible) Tourism Info Schemes (ATIS) • Review of e-services in the ‘mainstream’ European tourism sector resulted in the following findings: • Provision of accessibility information by large commercial provider is relatively scarce • Offered information is rather poor and of ‘uncertain’ quality • Selection of ideas/desirable features for EuropeforAll • Personalised search tools/systems • Integration of ‘service’ information • Use of photographs • Web Accessibility • …

  14. Principles of the OSSATE “Accessibility Scheme” • Harmonised ‘system’ of basic information entities • I.e. typical measurements, descriptions, … • Take into account several information entities used in ATIS across Europe • Descriptive, not prescriptive • User-driven • Expandable and flexible • Usage of criteria and measurements • Veto-criteria, nice to know-criteria

  15. OSSATE “Accessibility Scheme” – a 3-level scheme • Rationale and Objectives • Provide reliable, accurate and detailed accessibility information • Provide database & tools for countries with no schemes • Integrate data from existing schemes into a single database • Meet requirements of different parties (stakeholders) • Include a rather large number of facilities and venue types in the database • Motivate venue owners to provide information  Quite impossible to fulfill with one level of information using one method of data collection

  16. OSSATE “Accessibility Scheme” – a 3-level scheme

  17. OSSATE “Accessibility Scheme” – level 2 modular checklist approach Independent: - Assessment is conducted by trained auditors Verification: - Incorporates items from level 1 self-assessment Extended: - Covers measurements and details, which cannot be reliablyself-assessed and that are necessary for users who want more extensive access information Checklist adapted lavatory Checklist restaurant Checklist lift Lift Adapted toilet Restaurant/ Breakfast room Checklist door Checklist desk Checklist door Desk Checklist parking Checklist entrance hall   Parking Checklist Entrance door Checklist access route

  18. How the service will look like - specifications Web-based portal: Standards-compliant, Open-Source based Interface to Mobile Operators for PDA/smartphone access (ASK-IT?) User interface: accessible, multi-lingual, and allowing personalised search functions Interfacing modules to existing national + regional tourist information databases Data-gathering and admin tools for new venues and first-time “accessible tourism information schemes” User feedback/ratings of venues posted on Web

  19. OSSATE Business Model (in progress) A Network Approach • Network consisting of an EU coordinator and one leading organisation per country. • National networks and the European network • The national network acts as an aggregator for content at the national level, drawing together all stakeholders. • The established pool of existing resources per country is then further aggregated at the European level on a coordinated website. • Thus, the EU network leverages national knowledge and expertise and enables the expansion to a pan-European reach.

  20. Roadmap EuropeForAll.com will be launched in January 2007 in Brussels at a conference hosted by the EC. On-going data collection for both Level-1 and Level-2 venue. New venue types are being specified (questionnaires, checklists etc). Services are being finalised and tested. New partners coming in – collaborations are sought and very welcome (DMOs, booking agencies, content providers, technology providers and so forth).

  21. Thank you! Spyros Michailidis EWORX SA http://www.eworx.gr Email: sm@eworx.gr

More Related