Only a town able to meet the most demanding needs will be able to welcome everyone
What are the origins of the CARE project?
First and foremost, it was an original idea of the Italian Tourism Department which, at the end of the last century, set up “Italia per tutti” (Italy for all), the first actual social inclusion project aimed at disabled tourists, but it also arises from an increasingly heartfelt need: including elements of ethic awareness in tourism. Words like responsibility, sustainability, ethics and accessibility are no longer used only by an extremely sensitive minority. Rather, they are becoming more and more crucial, key elements of a broader concept of Quality. And not just tourist service quality but, in a broader, more general meaning, quality of life for everybody: tourists and citizens. We must take care (hence the acronym CARE) of guests and citizens, think of their well-being and let them participate in the decisions they are affected by because, after all, we are all citizens and sometimes guests. The project, as described in this web site, is ambitious and complex, but it has already shown the first results and given the first positive outcomes, with the cooperation of our partners and of the skilled collaborators and technicians working on it.
The most complete research in Europe
The research into and analysis of the demands which residents and tourists with special needs make of a host city is fundamentally important It is the most current and exhaustive European study ever made, involving as it does 6,545 interviews with residents and tourists with special needs. It has emerged that in order for a city to be hospitable people must be cordial and helpful, information must be clear and correct, architectural barriers must be removed, public transport must enjoy greater accessibility and people’s identities must be valorized. Those interested in this research may find it and other information on the project at the e-mail address info@interreg-care.org.
Project CARE’s aim for the future is the creation of a network of accessible services and structures between cities in Europe using the same methodology to detect accessibility. A hard task but also an opportunity to create a fine example of civilized living.
A good example from the Forlì-Cesena Province
A striking example of adoption and comparison of the methodologies of the Accessible cities of the European Regions - CARE project methodologies is no doubt the one given by the Forlì-Cesena Province.
Two new instruments for a tourism for all were publicly presented on Friday, March, 4th 2005, in the Council Chamber of the Forlì-Cesena Province: the “Guide to Accessible Accommodating Facilities” and the new on-line Tourism Website.
Romagna and its people have always been characterized by the vocation of hospitality;
The hospitable City Charter
Another important goal that has been achieved by the European Project CARE – Accessible Cities in European Region is the HOSPITABLE CITY CHARTER, a useful instrument to start the process of spreading the good practices a city should know to be able to host all the different types of tourists.
Partners of the CARE project have prepared and approved this Charter that so far represents a unique document that the project aims at promoting on the whole European territory. The Charter contains all the key principles that a city which wants to join the CARE network of hospitable cities shall follow, from the acknowledgement of the citizens’ right to equality and equal opportunities to viewing the tourist as a contemporary citizen; from the commitment to improve access and information to tourist sites to the definition of the concept of positive communication.
The Charter has been approved by the CND (Italian’s National Disability Council) and by FISH (Italian Federation for Overcoming Handicaps).
