GNTB presents programme for the 13th Accessible Tourism Day at ITB

Germany

The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) has published the programme for the 13th Accessible Tourism Day on 5 March 2025. This year's event will focus on the prospects for the development of accessible tourism over the next ten years, including holidays for children and young people, as well as accessible nature experiences.

Petra Hedorfer, CEO of the GNTB, explains: "Accessibility is an integral part of our sustainability strategy, which includes socially responsible tourism products as well as climate and environmentally friendly travel. Progress in the digital transformation, such as the planned integration of barrier-free offers into the GNTB Knowledge Graph, strengthens Germany's position as an attractive travel destination for people with a need for inclusive offers."

The political significance of inclusion will be outlined in opening statements by the Federal Government Commissioner for Tourism, Dieter Janecek MdB, the Federal Government Commissioner for the Interests of People with Disabilities, Jürgen Dusel, and André Nowak, spokesperson for the Tourism Working Group at the German Disability Council.

Lina Mazhar Annab, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities of Jordan, will give a keynote speech, followed by Kristy Durso, TravelAbility Ambassador, Wheel the World Partner and founder of the Accessible Travel Network.

International experts from Germany, Croatia and Jordan will then present best practices from their countries. ‘Accessible tourism in 10 years’ is the topic of a panel discussion with representatives from UN Tourism, ENAT European Network for Accessible Tourism, Pro Bahn, the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance and Sozialverband VdK Deutschland, among others.

Anna Graf from Arvato Systems will discuss the opportunities and risks for accessibility through artificial intelligence, Sven Niklas from the Federal Centre for Accessibility will explain the Accessibility Reinforcement Act and Isabella Hren from Bayern Tourist GmbH will present the future opportunities of the ‘Travel for All’ label. Other items on the programme include a panel discussion on inclusive travel for children and young people and a presentation on barrier-free nature experiences.

The 13th Accessible Tourism Day will take place as an on-site event on Wednesday, 5 March 2025, from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the City Cube at Messe Berlin. Participants also have the opportunity to take part online. An ITB ticket is required for on-site participation. Online participation is free of charge.

The ‘Accessible Tourism Day’ is sponsored by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection and supported by Messe Berlin/ITB. The GNTB is organising the event in cooperation with the state working group ‘Tourism for All’, the working group ‘Easier Travel - Barrier-free Holiday Destinations in Germany’ and the Tourism Working Group of the German Disability Council (DBR). Participants can follow the event in German and English (with simultaneous translation), sign language and written interpreters will also be available.

Further information on the event and the registration option for the online version are now available at www.germany.travel/tdbt.