In the perspective of improving the quality of tourism services for people with special needs and ensuring the safety of people with disabilities (PwD) during travel through common and consistent approaches, the objectives of the T4proIN project were: 1. To establish common standards and required competencies for instructors and staff in establishments offering travel services to PwD. 2. To develop a training program to enable trainers and staff to work professionally with people with different types of disabilities, understand their needs, and assist in solving problems related to their specific needs. 3. To promote the dissemination of relevant good practices and provide training for trainers and staff working in tourism services. 4. To establish a network of tourist services in the partner area, which can be expanded in the future to provide services and activities for PwD according to appropriate standards. (This is made possible by the autonomous operation of the platform) 5. To increase social inclusion for PwD and ensure equal opportunities in tourism.
In Europe in 2018, there were 713 million international tourist arrivals. The T4proIN project included Spain, Italy, Greece, and Bulgaria, which are among the top ten most visited countries. According to the UNWTO, Spain ranked second, Italy third,Greece eighth in tourist arrivals. Bulgaria also has significant numbers. Tourism mobility is a key inclusion factor for many people and often a hurdle for people with disabilities (PwD). The T4proIN project aimed to address the needs of special tourists and enhance the competence of staff supporting PwD. The tourism industry faced difficulties due to a recession that, over the preceding year and a half, reduced the fortunes of countries where tourism is crucial. Our project emphasized not only the tourism sector but also had a significant social aspect. According to Eurostat, there are 37 million Europeans with a disability, and globally, 15% of the population has some form of disability. Our project aimed to enable these tourists to travel unaccompanied, create services, train staff, and promote accessible tourism for all. We aimed to promote accessible tourism for PwD through various activities, primarily by increasing the knowledge of tourism professionals about inclusive tourism