Best practice

in accessible tourism
What are regional marketing organisations and their partners doing?
GNTB 360° asked the regional marketing organisations (RMOs) how they cater to international visitors
with disabilities or restricted mobility in their federal state and which specific services they offer this
target group. Here are some examples of best practice:

Saxony tory of barrier-free accommodation. All

Art and culture for all of the information published in the
brochures has been verified in person by
The ‘Barrier-free Saxony’ brochure and staff who were trained in 2012 in collabora-
online database currently lists a total of tion with NatKo.
438 disabled-friendly accommodation es- www.barrierefrei.thueringen-entdecken.de
tablishments and leisure attractions
across Saxony that have been certified in
“Since 2012, tourism providers in
person for their accessibility. The emphasis
Saxony have been attending
is on tourist destinations in the category of
workshops as part of the Barrier-free
art and culture. An excellent example is
Saxony project to find out how they
the Grassi Museum of Ethnography in
can go about offering accessible
Leipzig. All its exhibition rooms are acces-
products and services, also with
sible for visitors with impaired mobility.
regard to service quality, and how
Especially, but not only, for blind and
they can be more sensitive to “Our brochures on barrier-free travel
partially sighted visitors, this ‘hands-on
people’s needs.” were particularly well received in the
museum’ displays 100 or so original objects
Austrian, Swiss and Dutch markets.
from different cultures that can be Hans-Jürgen Goller, Managing Director of
TMGS Tourismus Marketing Gesellschaft The online information is also
touched. They are integrated into the exhi-
Sachsen mbH available in English.”
bition as a whole and most are labelled in
braille and large print. The museum offers Bärbel Grönegres, Managing Director

tactile tours for groups, and tours with Thuringia of Thüringer Tourismus GmbH

sign language interpreters for visitors who Third-party auditing of barrier-free

are deaf or hard of hearing. Films in tourism
German sign language are also available Saarland
on the museum’s website. The museum Thüringer Tourismus GmbH (TTG) has Theatre for the partially sighted
can also arrange special tours for adults been actively involved in barrier-free travel or visually impaired
and children with learning difficulties or since 2001. Its main communication tools
physical disabilities. are the ‘Barrier-free Thuringia – Travel tips The Saarland offers a variety of barrier-
www.sachsen-barrierefrei.de and leisure activities’ brochure and a direc- free services, particularly in the area of

12 www.germany.travel