Genoa, October 26, 2018 – Costa Cruises, AISM (Italian Multiple Sclerosis Association), and the Costa Cruises Foundation presented the results of a joint project aimed at making vacations increasingly accessible for people with reduced mobility. For the first time in the cruise sector, customers with disabilities will be able to participate in tours at each destination at no extra cost, with accessibility verified by AISM in accordance with the most advanced international best practices.
The new programs, called “Adagio Tours,” will be available for booking from January 1, 2019, on Mediterranean cruises aboard the Costa Diadema, the company’s flagship vessel. At each port of call, at least one accessible group excursion will be offered, suitable for all passengers, including those with reduced mobility, at no extra charge. The current itinerary includes visits to the cities of Genoa, Marseille, Barcelona, Palermo, Rome, Palma de Mallorca, and Cagliari. “Adagio Tours” have been developed with the needs of all guests in mind, offering those who wish to experience their chosen destinations at a different pace, with more time to discover or rediscover them. They are therefore particularly suitable for parents with strollers, seniors, or guests with limited mobility.
The programs for these tours were designed, tested, and verified in collaboration with 15 women with multiple sclerosis, trained and selected by AISM through the “WAT! Women Accessibility Tourism” program, funded by the Costa Cruises Foundation. These women—some employed, others students, recent graduates, or part-time workers, and all passionate about travel and tourism—attended 160 hours of training both on land and aboard Costa ships, learning from the expertise of AISM and a team of Costa Cruises excursion experts. Following this training, which began with some tours already included in the Costa catalog, they contributed to the planning of the new tours, testing them directly to ensure that all details related to accessibility, route planning, and tourist experiences were taken into account, allowing guests to fully enjoy local attractions. Furthermore, the skills developed during this initiative will help these 15 women find employment in the field of sustainable tourism.
“AISM has focused on people, their rights, and research for 50 years. Our goal is to achieve a world free of multiple sclerosis, and we also seek to guarantee full inclusion and opportunities so that all people with multiple sclerosis can live their lives beyond this disease. Therefore, the priorities of our 2020 Agenda include access to stable employment and the right to inclusion, which also means accessible tourism. AISM works to achieve change that generates a real impact on people's lives. The social value of our actions, as an Association, lies in achieving changes that benefit everyone in the community who has mobility or similar challenges. This change must be widely disseminated and implemented in all contexts of civil society ,” explains Mario Alberto Battaglia, President of AISM.
“With the cooperation of AISM and the contribution of our Foundation, we have addressed the issue of accessible tourism responsibly, with the aim of making significant changes in people's lives. This project, which is truly innovative in the world of cruises, is an important step towards the inclusion of people with disabilities, ensuring that there are no more differences and that everyone can share the same experiences when they are on vacation. I hope that our initiative will spread throughout the sector in the future. We are certainly committed to extending it to the other ships in our fleet,” says Neil Palomba, President of Costa Cruises.
Adagio Tours complements the other services Costa already offers its customers with disabilities on board its fleet. All of the company's ships include cabins fully equipped with all the necessary amenities and free of architectural barriers. Guests requiring special assistance can also benefit from complimentary travel for a companion staying in the same cabin. Priority embarkation and disembarkation services and reserved seating in the theater, pool decks, and buffet restaurants are also guaranteed.
