Athena na cestách

To find ways in both the Moravian-Silesian Region and in the whole of the Czech Republic to develop accessible tourism was the aim of the round table organized in May by the ATHENA project focused on promotion of accessible tourism. All participants of the round table agreed that the Moravian-Silesian Region has great potential regarding barrier-free tourism. To make use of this potential, however, a joint effort of all tourism stakeholders will be necessary.The meeting was attended by representatives of the Moravian-Silesian Region, the city of Ostrava, the city of Třinec, the Tourism Cluster of the Moravian-Silesian Region, Association of Travel Agencies, the Czech Tourist Club and the representatives of transport companies Veolia and Audisbus. The participants discussed not only the good and bad examples encountered so far in practical experience of accessible tourism; within the round table suggestions and proposals for solutions were made and specific steps to increase accessibility of the region were negotiated.

The accessibility of transport is crucial for tourism of people with specific needs. The sales manager of the bus transport company Veolia Transport Morava a.s. Jiří Šrajer admitted that the amelioration of accessibility of regional lines is quicker than the process of barrier removal within long-distance lines. He pointed out: “We build partnerships with individual municipalities to coordinate the creation of accessible stops. Gradually the numbers of accessible lines are also increased.” Even a barrier-free line can become inaccessible for disabled persons. Often the problem lies within the access to the barrier-free stop, since the landscape planning does not register barrier-free routes.

The AUDISBUS organization presented its RadioBUS project. This service enables the possibility to order a bus via telephone in the surroundings of Rychnov nad Kněžnou thanks to regional dispatching. Minibuses adjusted for persons with specific needs have been introduced into the public transport system in that area. Personal assistants are also available on the buses. To make maximal use of the minibuses, the irregular transport dispatching increases their effectiveness. If needed, the minibuses can be hired for charter transport to the Orlické Mountains or to Beskydy. The carriers’ representatives agreed that it is necessary to initiate a joint meeting of carrier companies within the region to discuss the possible development of the system to support accessible bus transport in the Moravian-Silesian Region.

For the participants of the round table, education plays a key role in the development of accessible transport. “At the moment, there are projects such as Rout of understanding (Cesty za poznáním) and ATE for Europe which aim at the education of students of secondary schools in the field of tourism and of accommodation facilities staff. Nevertheless, education in the field of accessible tourism should be compulsory at least for these branches of study and should be an integral part of school curriculum,” noted Miroslav Kovář, headmaster of the AHOL vocational secondary school of tourism. One of the subsequent steps to promote accessible tourism therefore is to appeal to the Ministry of Education to incorporate the subject into vocational schools.

For the development of accessible tourism it is necessary not only to make the services available, but also tourist routes and sights. In cooperation with the Czech Tourist Club and the Tourism Cluster of the Moravian-Silesian Region, tourist routes will be mapped from the point of view of accessibility to wheelchair users potentially with extended criteria of accessibility to people with vision impairment. The Czech Tourist Club is one of the most active subjects in mapping accessibility of tourist routes. The organization not only creates criteria of accessibility, divides routes according to difficulty and marks them, but also participates in the creation of routes. At the meeting, the Club representatives negotiated the creation of new accessible routes in the Ostrava Region with the representative of the Ostrava City Council. “The Czech Tourist Club is keenly interested in creating an accessible route Halda Ema. We hope to get sufficient funding with the aid of the city council within the project of destination management in the Ostrava Region,” said Mojmír Nováček form the Czech Tourist Club.

Certification of quality can also promote the creation of barrier-free facilities and tourist routes and sights. “Assessment of accessibility will become a part of the certification process. Managers of tourist facilities will thus be motivated to make adjustment for better accessibility or to construct their facility with regard to accessibility principles,” added Mrs Šagátová.

The main objective of the project ATHENA that is financed by the European Social Fund by means of the Operational Programme Human Resources and Development, and by the state budget of the Czech Republic, is to support the development of human resources and employment in the sphere of accessible tourism in the Czech Republic applying the experience and inspiration from other EU-member countries. Its activities focus mainly on the increase of awareness and understanding of this issue by employers in the tourist industry, bodies of state administration and educational institutions, as well as by disabled persons, non-profit organizations associating with or employing such persons and by the general public. The project which ends in May 2011 is operating mainly in the Moravian-Silesian Region, Hradec Kralove Region, South Bohemian Region and the capital city of Prague. For more information on the project and its outputs, please visit www.project-athena.cz