Inclusive and accessible tourism that democratizes the visitor experience both in ports and destinations is one of Valenciaport according to Francesca Antonelli, Head of Marketing and Cruises at the Port Authority of Valencia and Senior Vice President of Medcruise, in her speech at the 62nd MedCruise Assembly (Association of Mediterranean Cruise Ports).
The event, which this year was held in the city of Corfu (Greece), was attended by the Mediterranean cruise ports associated with MedCruise and focused its discussions on: the challenges faced by the association's members and operators; the challenge of allocating berths; as well as the inclusion and real accessibility of cruise passengers, both on the ship itself and in the cities they visit.
The panel discussion, moderated by Antonelli, focused on "Accessible Tourism," addressing both the profile and needs of cruise passengers. "The average age of tourists on family cruises is 54, while on luxury cruises it's 64. We are facing an aging tourism sector that requires specific accommodations. Furthermore, there is a percentage of cruise passengers with special needs who want to visit us, and therefore, we must develop a strategy that integrates them and meets their needs," Francesca Antonelli emphasized.
Raising awareness and educating the entire value chain have proven to be the necessary first step towards achieving true accessibility both on ships and at destinations. In this regard, actively listening to different groups and understanding their expectations “is the first step towards building truly inclusive tourism, where everyone is welcome,” Antonelli added.
This panel highlighted the enormous market of people with accessibility needs who "want to travel by cruise ship." "It's not just a matter of social responsibility, it's also a business issue, since a percentage of potential visitors rule out destinations because they are inaccessible."
Among the measures agreed upon at the meeting to address the challenge, the need for collaboration between the government, shipping companies, port authorities, terminals, tour operators, excursion service providers, and destination managers stands out. “We need to reduce the fear of making changes, even small ones. It's not necessary to tackle everything at once; sometimes, small things are a great help, and implementing them doesn't involve a significant financial outlay,” Antonelli concluded.
