Nature access to all

Closed

The project develops the chain of accessible nature tourism sites in the core Central Baltic area in Latvia, Estonia and Finland. 14 existing nature sites in three regions (western Latvia, western Estonia and southwest Finland) are being improved to become accessible to all, including people with disabilities, seniors, young families travelling with baby-strollers, people with temporary injuries. The improvements made together with previous experience in partner countries will serve as the basis for developing of an accessibility check-list for nature sites and share best practice examples with the tourism industry, local authorities and park administrations on most effective and simple accessibility solutions to break the stereotype of accessibility being expensive and complicated. New solutions on accessible products and services are also being developed to faciliate not just the most commonly targeted physical access, but also the more neglected access for people with visual, hearing and cognitive impairement that requires specific focus on accessible materials, such as tactile objects, Braille & audio materials, easy-to-comprehend signs and texts. A set of marketing activities are being pursued to brand the chain and promote the whole Central Baltic region as a single destination and one of the most accessible regions in Europe for nature tourism. An Internet platform and Travel guide is developed to publish the chain and list all the accessible nature sites in the core region in Latvia, Estonia and Finland. These information tools are so far the only information sources listing all accessible nature destinations which cover more than one country in the region. They will serve as a comprehensive information source to all foreign and local travellers and, particularly, the disabled persons to enjoy the natural and cultural heritage of the region and facilitate sustainable nature tourism.

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