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 attention to details, the many initiatives and the diverse offers make of this region one of the most appreciated destinations for millions of tourists. In order to promote a tourist offer open to all, within the Forlì-Cesena Province a number of initiatives has been developed, aimed at providing more information and more chances to experience a pleasant and comfortable holiday on sunny beaches, green mountains or looking at artistic and cultural treasures.
Among such initiatives there is the Accessible Tourism Project, aimed at providing correct and reliable information to every tourist.
The Guide contains detailed information on 140 facilities (91 hotels, 7 room rental facilities, 5 hostels, 8 campsites, 22 farm holiday facilities, 6 holiday houses and 1 Bed & Breakfast), which have opened their doors to operators who are trained on accessibility and identification of architectural barriers, in order to provide a picture of the different accommodation possibilities. The information have been collected by means of a survey, drafted according to the IG-VAE methodology (Guaranteed Information for the Evaluation of Accessibility and for one’s own Needs), already used for previous qualified projects: “Italy for All”, STARe”, the “Accessible Tourism” publication by the Parma Province, as well as within the CARE project. The Guide aims at being a useful and flexible tool, with descriptions in Italian and in English of every structure and the indication of the accessibility degree for the different typologies of disability, from pregnant women to people on the wheelchair. Pagination and graphics, too, have received a great deal of attention.
The Website www.provincia.forli-cesena.it/turismo has been made with the same aim: for each facility included in the Accessible Tourism Project, you can find details on the schedules used for the evaluation, the layouts of rooms and bathrooms and the degree of accessibility of every functional space, thus making it easier and quicker to receive in-depth information.