APP TOUR YOU,

a European project launched in 2015 and completed in 2017, was based on the concept of fostering Tourism for all. It experimented with new models of training on accessible tourism and information targeted specially to micro enterprises, SMEs and entrepreneurs in the field of tourism. The project provided basic knowledge and some of the key skills needed to serve customers with specific access needs and, furthermore, with the knowledge to communicate the right information on the accessibility features of their establishments.

It gave participants the possibility to acquire new skills, build a net of peers in the tourism business and the opportunity to register their business, free of charge, on the European Directory of Accessible Tourism at www.pantou.org.

Aim of the AppTourYou project

The aim of the project was to improve the training of professionals in the tourism sector allowing them to correctly describe their premises and services in terms of their usability for tourists with specific needs. With this expertise, they can now better respond to the most critical issues facing disabled travellers: obtaining reliable, verified and up-to-date information on the usability of the services provided in their destination, taking into account all the activities they may participate in.

Training tools

APP TOUR YOU offers a blended-learning for motivated entrepreneurs to become tutors of other peers. Furthermore, the project developed a self-learning mobile application (App) to help tourism operators to make a self-assessment of their facilities and to give back the gathered information.

The App was designed and developed through a bottom up approach, with the help of the trained tourism operators. A Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) was also developed for the qualification of hospitality workers in the field of accessibility, with a focus on the collection and distribution of information on the usability of tourism facilities by tourists with specific needs.

The training tools developed by the project allow providers to raise their online profile, with a reliable description of their services, reaching a target market that they usually ignore, as they believe they do not have the experience to provide them with an appropriate service.