Popular television presenter Ade Adepitan is probably the last person you would reckon on bumping into on a holiday in Spain.
But the chance of doing so has increased after the former Paralympic wheelchair basketball player was announced as the official ambassador for ‘Spain for All’, a campaign underlining the country’s commitment to improving accessibility and social inclusivity within the travel and tourism sector.
‘Spain for All’ comprises of several initiatives aimed at creating dialogue, sharing key learnings, and building a roadmap for better tourism inclusivity from a social and accessibility standpoint.
Adepitan has spent significant time in Spain having lived in Zaragoza and has travelled the length and breadth of the country both personally and professionally.
His ambassadorship role includes consultancy services for the advisory panel, personal feedback on his own experiences of travelling around the country as a wheelchair user, and endorsement of the campaign.
“I am ecstatic to work alongside the Spanish Tourist Office on the ‘Spain for All’ campaign,” said Adepitan.
“This type of campaign can truly have a life changing impact on one of the most neglected communities in the world. The disabled community!
“Overall, I already rank Spain highly when it comes to accessibility provisions and infrastructure, but we need to educate everyone who works in the tourism industry about how to cater for people with disabilities.
“We should not be seen as a burden and should be treated with the same respect as all paying customers. When you are dealing with a person with a disability, you should not make assumptions about what they can and can’t do.
“Ask them what they need and listen to them, listen to hear and not to challenge, and always have a can-do attitude.
“I believe this campaign could be one of the most important moments in the history of Spanish tourism. The disabled community has billions of pounds of spending power, but until now nobody has ever taken a serious look at how to give us that 5-star service experience.”
The campaign follows a survey conducted in the UK on behalf of the Spanish Tourist Office. 1800 UK adults were asked about their thoughts on how accessible Spain is as a travel destination and 86 percent of respondents considered Spain to be ‘very or quite’ accessible.
For more information on Spain as a tourism destination, please visit www.spain.info
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