Fonte: ROTUR. Revista de Ocio y Turismo; Vol. 2 No. 1 (2009); 157-173
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Resumo: Leisure and holidays constitute a right for everybody but, despite this, little more than half the European population are in a position fully to exercise that right, due to different circumstances. Incapacities, disabilities, whether temporary or permanent, or ageing of the population lead to an increase in the number of people who require special treatment and particular attention. The idea of tourism for everybody responds to ethical fundamentals, which lead to a qualification of tourism destinations as well as greater humanisation. However, we cannot avoid their enormous magnitude in terms of the market, which forces institutions to facilitate the elimination of physical, cultural or social barriers which impede full use of all tourism resources. The first reference to what would be known as “accessible tourism” was made by the World Tourism Organisation, which in the so-called Manila Declaration (1980) showed a clear concern for eliminating all types of discrimination in tourism relations, thus showing a tendency towards the idea of what would become accessible tourism for everybody. That was the start of a journey which aims to end in a situation in which we can all participate in tourism activities on terms of equality.
