The Spanish Tourist Office Announces New Campaign “Spain For All”

Thursday, Dec 07, 2023 0

The campaign underlines the country’s commitment to improving accessibility and social inclusivity within the travel and tourism sector.

Travel industry peers that would like to like to share any insight or consider joining the advisory panel can register their interest here.

In a move towards fostering accessible tourism and promoting social inclusivity, the Spanish Tourist Office (UK) announces the launch of its new campaign “Spain for All”, underlying the country’s aspiration to be a welcoming destination for all, with an ongoing commitment to improving accessibility, eliminating discrimination, and improving diversity within the travel sector.

‘Spain for All’ will comprise of a number of different initiatives aimed at creating dialogue, sharing key learnings and building a roadmap for better inclusivity from a social and accessibility standpoint to enable more visitors to Spain to immerse themselves in the rich culture, history, and natural beauty of the country.

Manuel Butler, director of the Spanish Tourist Office in the UK says:

“In Spain, we place strong emphasis on putting frameworks in place for equal opportunities, to expand social rights and reduce the gaps and prejudice between different groups. Our aim is to create geographic and economic sustainability with a socially inclusive tourism model that spreads the benefits around the country, 365 days of the year. To work towards greater equality, good governance and public policy is vital but we also want to learn from our peers in the travel industry and create dialogue to better understand both the challenges and the opportunities as we advocate for a more inclusive travel sector.”

At policy level, accessibility regulations and support for those with disabilities have been in place in Spain for over 40 years. City infrastructure in Spain must meet accessibility requirements, with many setting the benchmark for accessibility by winning or being shortlisted for the European Commission Access City Awards over the last 20 years: including Ávila, Barcelona, Bilbao, Burgos and Castellón.

Visitors to Spain can obtain accessibility support and information through Spain Is Accessible; a seal of approval used by Spanish institutions to standardise the accessibility criteria across multiples sectors such as culture, food & wine, nature, sun & beach, health & beauty – to name just a few. The site offers information and support for travellers with disabilities and allows users to filter access to different attractions and destinations dependent on their individual needs. Other initiatives include Spain’s ONCE Foundation, formed in 1988, which reduces discrimination and improves the lives of those with disabilities from an accessibility, inclusion, and employment perspective. It is ranked among the world’s largest social business groups and is a global benchmark for disability organisations.

Looking specifically at tourism services and infrastructure within Spain, public transport is becoming more accessible especially within the large cities and newer Metro networks. In Madrid, around 70% of the Metro network is currently accessible and around 90% in Barcelona. Accessibility standards also apply to accommodation providers in Spain. Ilunion and Ilunion Hotels, part of ONCE, aim to bring more people with disabilities into the travel workforce, as well as providing a network of adapted hotels.

The first phase of the ‘Spain for All’ campaign includes the creation of an advisory panel with the aim of collating industry feedback to identify key challenges and opportunities and help identify a roadmap towards positive progress. Other actions to follow will include a consumer survey, panel discussions and a content campaign.

Industry peers that would like to like to share any insight or consider joining the advisory panel can register their interest here.