Policy objective: PO4 - A more social and inclusive Europe implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights

Specific objective: SO 6 - enhancing the role of culture and sustainable tourism in economic development, social inclusion and social innovation

Typology: Standard project

Short description of the project: The DATIS project addressed the common challenge of digital accessibility and social inclusion in the tourism sector for older people and people with disabilities in the Italy-Slovenia cross-border area. Despite the area's remarkable cultural and natural tourism potential, at the beginning of the project the local tourism sector still had limited awareness of the importance of digital accessibility. In particular, the accessibility of websites and applications for booking tourist accommodation and services often fell short of the standards set out in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Communication skills for interacting with people with different disabilities were also often inadequate. This limited the ability of these target groups to plan their trips independently and make full use of the tourism offer available in the area.

The DATIS project contributed to improving digital accessibility and social inclusion in the tourism sector for older people and people with disabilities in the Italy-Slovenia cross-border area, thereby promoting the development of inclusive and accessible tourism. This was achieved through an in-depth study of travel experiences and needs, a jointly developed action plan, a web interface and mobile applications, training for tourism professionals and the implementation of two pilot actions. The project adopted an innovative, multidisciplinary and participatory approach, with the active involvement of end users with disabilities at every stage of the project, as well as collaboration between Italian and Slovene partners with complementary technological, social and tourism-related expertise.

In the first phase, a quantitative and qualitative study was conducted with the direct involvement of end users to analyse the state of digital accessibility of the tourism offer, both from a technological and a communication perspective. Based on the findings, a Strategy and Recommendations for improving digital accessibility in the tourism sector in the area were developed. Subsequently, four cross-border training workshops were organised for 100 tourism professionals from Italy and Slovenia, with end users actively involved as trainers. A multilingual manual on digital accessibility in tourism, including case studies and practical examples, was also produced.

The DATIS web portal provided information on the digital accessibility of tourism services in the cooperation area. It was developed in compliance with the WCAG and validated by users with disabilities. Two pilot actions in Italian and Slovene museums were implemented to test innovative solutions with the involvement of people with different types of disabilities.

The main results of the DATIS project were:

• an in-depth analysis of the state of digital accessibility in the tourism sector within the cooperation area;
• guidelines and a common strategy for improving digital accessibility;
• training on digital accessibility for 100 tourism professionals;
• educational material on digital accessibility in tourism;
• the DATIS portal;
• an analysis and report on the two pilot actions, including an assessment of digital accessibility at the San Michele Museum carried out by members of Coop Mosaico and at the Exhibition of Industrial Heritage in Ajdovščina carried out by members of the ZDSSS (Slovene Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired).

All these activities and results contributed to improving the digital accessibility of tourism services for the benefit of people with disabilities and to the development of more inclusive tourism in the cross-border area.

Cross-border cooperation was essential for sharing knowledge and experience between the Italian and Slovene partners, involving end users from both sides of the border, developing shared solutions and raising international awareness of the importance of digital accessibility in tourism. The lead partner brought more than a decade of experience in the field of digital accessibility to the project, together with a team of experts that also included people with different disabilities. The transfer of expertise from Slovenia to the wider Programme area and the exchange of good practices and experience between the Italian and Slovene partners made it possible to identify and disseminate innovative approaches developed locally in the field of accessible and inclusive tourism.

The joint training of tourism professionals on both sides of the border encouraged networking and promoted the adoption of shared standards for digital and communication accessibility. An awareness-raising and dissemination campaign covering the entire cooperation area enabled the project to achieve a broader and stronger impact in promoting positive change.

The cross-border DATIS web portal made it possible to reach a larger number of users and provide consistent information on the accessibility of tourism services in the area. The establishment of an international network of tourism professionals also contributed to raising awareness of the importance of digital accessibility and social inclusion.