Benidorm, Colombia, Port Aventura World and the Costa Rican Accessible Tourism Network, winners of the 1st FITUR 4all Awards

The International Tourism Trade Fair, FITUR 2024, in collaboration with IMPULSA IGUALDAD, has announced the winners of the first edition of the FITUR 4all Awards. Thus, the jury, made up of experts in tourism, accessibility and inclusion, has determined that Benidorm, Colombia, Port Aventura World and the Costa Rican Tourism Network were the participants that most closely aligned with the objectives of inclusion in tourism in the Inclusive National Destination, Inclusive International Destination, Inclusive Company and Inclusive Organisation categories, respectively.

These awards recognise the efforts of destinations, companies and institutions in the development and promotion of accessibility in the tourism industry and were created with the aim of providing visibility, thanking and encouraging the commitment to move towards inclusive tourism.

Benidorm has been awarded a prize in the Inclusive National Destination category with an exemplary proposal with which it achieves a palpable inclusive reality in the destination and in the tourist value chain.  Through the Benidorm Tourism Accessibility Plan, they have drawn up a roadmap that consolidates Benidorm as an exclusive and accessible destination. Among the actions included in this Plan are the creation of a guide to accessible tourist resources and experiences, a guide to accessible hotels, "Hoteles4all", a study of tourist transport in the city, the development of a tourism social innovation workshop with training and awareness-raising sessions and a map of the city in Braille, among the variety of projects.

"Travel as a Tool for Inclusion" was the Colombian project awarded in the category of Inclusive International Destination. Through their proposal, they have succeeded in implementing seven specific programmes, strategies and actions to ensure accessibility and inclusion in the country. Furthermore, the participation, valuing and inclusion of vulnerable communities and territories enables the generation of new economic and entrepreneurial opportunities, as well as a better quality of life for citizens. They plan to develop a variety of projects in the near future, including guaranteeing minimum accessibility in 180 attractions in the country, measuring and implementing actions to eliminate barriers and promote accessible tourism in 10 destinations in the country; a programme for Smart Tourist Destinations or a project for animal welfare in tourist activities, among others.

Port Aventura World, for its part, has been recognised as an Inclusive Company at the first edition of the FITUR 4all awards  with a proposal that improves accessibility to all the park's attractions. The highlight of this point is the creation of an innovative experience that uses virtual reality on a mobile platform so that people with reduced mobility can experience PortAventura's new UNCHARTED attraction as if they were riding it. They also have staff trained to assist people with disabilities and special needs, as well as maps showing the accessible locations of their facilities, where the Dreams Village space stands out. Among other initiatives they propose is a "special bracelet" so that people with reduced mobility or disabilities of the autism spectrum do not have to queue to access attractions and shows.

Finally, the Costa Rican Network of Accessible Tourism has been awarded as Inclusive Organisation for its great work to promote inclusive tourism. Its actions have included a variety of legal projects, national indicators, university training, a tourism app, environmental management of plastic, donations of adapted clothing and social movements for students with disabilities.  They have also developed the specialisation programme "Tourism for All" in collaboration with the State University, which includes resources and tools to promote inclusion in tourism. They will soon implement a technological app called REAL TRAVEL that will offer tourist information in accessible formats.

The awards ceremony will take place on 25 January at 1 pm at the North Convention Centre as part of FITUR, which is being held from 24 to 28 January at IFEMA MADRID. In addition, they will receive a seal that can be used in physical and digital media.

Check out all the information about the new FITUR 4all section here: https://www.ifema.es/fitur/4all