Barcelona, March 2017 

Currently, there are many demands in the inclusive tourism market segment that are not being met by the existing offer in destinations. In Europe, there are 83 million potential tourists with functional diversity, and of this total, around 70% have the physical and financial ability to travel.

The province of Girona is adapting its offer to welcome tourists from this segment of the market: specifically, the amount of accessible accommodation is being increased, architectural barriers are being removed in many of the region’s tourist resources, improvements are being made to regular and privately hired transport services for people with reduced mobility and wheelchair users, and there is a growing number of activity companies offering products adapted for people with functional diversity (sailing, aerostatic ballooning, kayaking, horse riding, diving, cycling, paragliding, etc.).

The Costa Brava Girona Tourist Board has announced two items of news: firstly, a diagnostic study is currently being carried out among the 700 tourism companies and entities associated with the Board to identify the destination’s level of accessibility; and secondly, three Joëlette wheelchairs have been acquired by the Board and assigned to Girona’s three natural parks accredited with the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism (La Garrotxa Volcanic Area, the Montseny, and the Montgrí, Medes Islands and Baix Ter natural parks) to help people with reduced mobility enjoy the beautiful natural spaces in our region.

Finally, the second edition of the Costa Brava Inclusive Mobile Filmcompetition is being launched. Promoted by the Elsa Integració association, with the collaboration of the Girona Cinema Festival and the Costa Brava Girona Tourist Board, this competition is designed to present the region as an inclusive tourism destination on social networks.