UNWTO Promotes Universal Accessibility and Use of Technology in Urban Destinations

Nur-Sultan (Kazakhstan) – October 12, 2019 (travelindex.com) – During the 8th UNWTO Global Summit on Urban Tourism in held in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan on 9-12 October 2019 under the theme “Smart Cities, Smart Destinations”, the World Tourism Organization incorporated sessions on “Making the best of technology in building competitive urban destinations” and “City destinations for all: promoting universal accessibility”.

Making the best of technology in building competitive urban destinations
The session analyzed in which ways technology can help cities to be better prepared and develop and manage tourism in a holistic manner. Innovative and technological solutions in tourism come with the promise of creating future-ready solutions tailored to a destination’s current and future needs. At the same time, collaboration between the public and private sector in the area of technology are increasingly helping cities to anticipate and solve urban challenges and realize “what works”.

During this session Mr. Yong-Tae Joo, Director-General of Seoul Metropolitan Government highlighted how Seoul is incorporating technology in the city’s management to improve the urban environment of the city and the commitment to building a technology pathway into the future for residents and visitors alike.

City destinations for all: promoting universal accessibility
An accessible urban destination is a key requirement of any successful smart city strategy. This session will look into how accessibility in urban destinations is advancing thanks to the increased awareness of the opportunities it brings and to the emergence of new innovative solutions. Experiences and best practices will be presented with the goal of sharing best practices and further advance accessibility in urban destinations across the world.

Mr. Martín Heng, Accessible Travel Manager at Lonely Planet moderated the session and emphasized that over one billion people across the globe have some kind of disability, they travel and are likely to travel with others making it a strong business case for cities to invest time, effort, and resources to become more accessible and inclusive. Cities have to advance universal accessibility in all components of the tourism value chain to ensure all citizens enjoy the benefits of travel, whatever their abilities may be.