Complete Programme

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Sunday October 5, 2025 - Day 1

10.00 - 14.00

Welcome Tours 

Free, accessible, guided walking tours in Torino 

Limited places, booking required 

14.00

 Accreditation 

Centro Congressi Lingotto 

16.00 - 16.30

 Welcome Ceremony 

 Centro Congressi Lingotto 

- Marcella Gaspardone: Manager of Turismo Torino e Provincia, Italy

- Simon April: Co-President of the 3rd World Summit on Accessible Tourism 

- Maurizio Marrone: Councilor for Social Policy of Regione Piemonte

- Domenico Carretta: Councillor for Sport, Major Events and Tourism of Città di Torino

- Juri Morico: National President OPES - Organization for Sports Education

- Verónica Gómez : Director ISTO Americas – International Social Tourism Organisation 

- Anna Grazia Laura: European Network for Accessible Tourism - ENAT, Belgium

16.30-18.30  B2B Meet&Match and Welcome Cocktail 

Monday October 6, 2025 - Day 2

08.45Accreditation 
09.30 - 10.30

Room 500. Opening Ceremony. Introduced by  Sara Piana, coordinator, CPD Turismabile

Moderator: Marcella Gaspardone, Manager of Turismo Torino e Provincia, Italy

- Maurizio Montagnese: President ISiTT – Istituto Italiano per il Turismo per Tutti, Italy - Co-President of the 3rd World Summit on Accessible Tourism

- Simon April: Co-President of 3rd World Summit on Accessible Tourism

- Alessandra Locatelli: Minister for Disabilities, Italy

 - Daniela Santanchè: Minister of Tourism, Italy 

- Zoritsa Urosevic: Executive Director of UN Tourism, Spain 

- Paolo Bongioanni: Councillor for Tourism of Regione Piemonte 

- Michela Favaro: Deputy Mayor of Torino, Italy 

10.30-11.30  

Room 500 

Plenary session. Beyond Destinations: Accessibility as the foundation of the Tourism Experience 

Moderator: Marcella Gaspardone, Manager of Turismo Torino e Provincia, Italy

- Inmaculada Placencia-Porrero: Senior Expert, European Commission, Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers, and European Representative, UNCRPD Monitoring Committee, Belgium via video link

- Alessandra Priante: President of ENIT - Ente Nazionale Italiano per il Turismo, Italy 

- Anna Grazia Laura: President of ENAT – European Network for Accessible Tourism, Belgium 

11.30-12.00Coffee break
12.00 -13.30 Oral Communications

Room 500 (Session 01) - The future of Accessible Travel 

Moderator:  Ivor Ambrose, ENAT, Belgium

Accessible mobility: ACI Europe's commitment within the legal framework and best practices at Regional Airports. Andrea Andorno: CEO, SAGAT Torino Airport, Chair of ACI Europe Regional Airports Forum, Italy
- ENAC initiatives to protect passengers with disabilities in air transport. Davide Drago: ENAC National Civil Aviation Authority, Italy 
- Wheelchair Travel for the Modern Age: Empowering Individuals, Families, and Communities. John Morris: Wheelchairtravel.org, USA
- Accessibility and Sustainability in Rail Transport: Towards Inclusive Tourism for All. Giampiero Strisciuglio: CEO of Trenitalia, Italy 
12.00 -13.30 Oral Communications

Room Londra (Session 02) - Destinations and Business Development 

Moderator: Neha Arora, CEO, Planet Abled India & Austria

- Fireside Chat with Martyn Sibley, CEO, Purple Goat Agency, UK 
- Accessible Thailand - Tourism For All. Nithi Subhongsang, Thailand
- Fireside Chat with Martin Heng:  Chairman, Board of Directors, IDEAS, Australia
- The benefits of user involvement in Accessible Tourism Research. Karin Marie Antonsen: Nordland Research Institute, Norway
12.00 -13.30 Oral Communications

Room Madrid (Session 03) - European Capitals of Smart Tourism, focus on Accessibility

Moderator: Marco Pizzio, AISM, Italy

- Francesco Tresso: Municipality of Torino, Italy
- Benidorm 4 All: If a destination is not for everyone, it is not complete. Laura García: Visit Benidorm, Spain
- Accessible Breda Involving everyone 'By everyone, for everyone''Nothing about us, without us. Peter Horsten: Breda University of Applied Sciences, The Netherlands
- Accessible Venice: A Bridge to Inclusion. Francesco Bortolluzzi: Municipality of Venice, Italy
12.00 -13.30 Oral Communications

Room Lisbona ((Session 04) - Good Practices of DMOs

Moderator:  Daniela Virgilio, IsITT, Italy 

- Embrace the Inclusive Spirit - Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Programme Belfast City Region. Wendi Kane: Belfast City Council, UK
- Access-i, the digitally accessible platform for all. For inclusive tourism based on the real accessibility of places. Axelle Brygo: Access-i, Belgium
- Behind 450 Doors: Ljubljana’s Systemic Approach to Accessible Tourism. Dejan Ristić: Ljubljana Tourism, Slovenia
- Accessible Tourism Strategy for the City of Valencia. Jaume Mata: Fundació Visit València, Spain 
13.30 - 15.00Lunch break
15.00 -16.30 Oral Communications

Room 500 (Session 05) - Accessible Tourism Business

Moderator: Magnus Berglund, Accessibility Business, Sweden

- Accessible Tourism in Queensland and New South Wales, Australia – A Whole-of-State Approach. Bill Forrester: Travability, Australia
- Destination4All – D4A: Local Governance Tools for the Development of Accessible Hospitality. Roberto Vitali: Village for All, Italy
- Towards Inclusive Travel: England’s Strategy for Accessible Tourism Development. Ross Calladine: VisitEngland, UK
- Piemonte for all. Good practices to promote accessible tourism. Giulia Marcon, Paolo Callegaris: Regione Piemonte, Italy 
15.00 -16.30 Oral Communications

Room Londra (Session 06) - Education and Training

Moderator: Anna Grazia Laura, ENAT, Belgium

- AISM (Italian Multiple Sclerosis Society) activities in the field of Accessible Tourism. Holidays houses, Tour operator, advocacy, training, consulting, projects, MICE, international network. Rachele Paolucci: AISM, Accessible Tourism Department and Regional Minister of Tourism Luca Lombardi, Regione Liguria, Italy
- New Educational Content and Teaching Approaches in Accessible Tourism Training: The Games Without Barriers Project. Maria Stella Minuti: INCIPIT Consulting, Italy
- T-Guide. A Certified Training Course for Professional Tourist Guides on Guiding Visitors with Intellectual Disabilities or Learning Difficulties. Themis Havartzi-Stringer: FEG, UK 
- Educating (future) tourism professionals about designing equitable accessible travel experiences. Veroniek Maat: University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands 
15.00 -16.30 Oral Communications

Room Madrid (Session 07) - IT and Technologies

Moderator: Emiliano Deferrari, ENAT, Belgium

- "hilfmir.reisen" - help me travel: The app to match travellers with special needs to travel helpers. Holger Kähler: videlis Seniorenreisen e.V., Germany
- Access Tour Data Project. Tatiana Alemán Selva: ILUNION Accesibilidad Consulting, Spain
- Accessible Itineraries, Engineering & Commercialization for the Paths of Santiago de Compostela in France ! Florian Vallet: Activhandi, France
- Open Data on the accessibility of public transport. William Del Negro: WillEasy Srl. Italy
15.00 -16.30 Oral Communications

Room Lisbona (Session 08) - Accessible Tourism Business

Moderator: Helena Ribeiro, Turismo de Portugal 

- Portrait of European Travellers with Mobility and Access Needs. Ivor Ambrose: ENAT, Belgium
- Enhancing Malaysia's Tourism Economy through Inclusive and Accessible Policies: A Comprehensive Implementation Framework Bee. Abdulla Dalilah: PERKASA Association, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- From Law to Action: Catalonia’s Commitment to Tourism for All. Mònica Santa Eulàlia: Generalitat de Catalunya, Spain 
- TravelAbility and Building an Accessibility Ecosystem in the U.S. Tourism Industry. John Morris: Wheelchairtravel.org and TravelAbility, USA
16.30 -18.00 Oral Communications

Room 500 (Session 09) - Accessible Tourism Business

Moderator: Tatiana Alemán Selva, ILUNION Accesibilidad Consulting, Spain

- From Hashtags to Heritage: How Disabled Youth in China Advance Museum Accessibility. Xun Ji: Rare & Roll, China 
- Dimitrios Buhalis: Bournemouth University, UK
- Turning Inclusive Tourism Business into a Movement, Neha Arora: Planet Abled, India and Austria
- Tourism For All Portugal. José António Bourdain: TourismforAll, Portugal
16.30-18.00 Oral Communications

Room Londra (Session 10) - Education and Training

Moderator: Themis Halvantzi-Stringer, FEG, UK  

- ‘Access and Inclusion Awakening’ in the Outdoors – Parks Victoria’s National Parks Accessibility Evaluation Manual. Ryan Smith: Parks Victoria, Australia. (tbc)
- Training the Next Generation of Tourism Professionals: Co-Designing Research and Education for Accessible Tourism. Marco van Leeuwen: Breda University for Applied Sciences, The Netherlands. 
- Training for Inclusive Tourism: A Swiss Joint and Inclusive Initiative for Travel Agents. Pierre Margot-Cattin: University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland, Sierre, Switzerland 
- Giulio Genti: Secretary General of Fondazione ITS Turismo Academy, Italy
16.30-18.00 Oral Communications

Room Madrid (Session 11) - Mobility and Transport

Moderator: Ivor Ambrose, ENAT, Belgium

- Redesigning mobility with the Flower of Proximity for Inclusive Accessible Tourism: Insights from the UNIQUE Project. Alba Ramírez-Saiz: Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain
- From ship to shore: Enabling accessible excursions with our own bus along Norway's Coastal Route. Sarah Engelhardt: videlis Seniorenreisen e.V., Germany
- Padua in LIS: the city inclusive tourist signage. Consuelo Agnesi, Carlo Di Biase: Architettura Studioinmovimento, Italy
- Exploring the Needs of People with Disabilities in Accessible Tourism.Alina Zajadacz and Pawel Sowa: Adam Mickiewicz University, Geographical and Geological Sciences, Poland
 
16.30-18.00 Oral Communications

Room Lisbona (Session 12) - Good Practices – Projects

Moderator: Katerina Papamichail, ENAT, Belgium

- Rolling through Malta and Gozo: a story of accessible discovery. Maya Francione: Malta Tourism Authority, Malta
- When universal accessibility becomes the first step in an innovative regional approach: museum prescriptions as a therapeutic tool. Daniel Grancho: Picto Access, France
- The national tourism strategy in Germany: Goals, implementation status, challenges, and open questions from the perspective of people with disabilities .André Novak and  Monika Tharann: German Disability Council, Germany
- Adapt2Explore – A Collaborative Model for Accessible Tourism. Heidi Kjærnes and Christian Gyldenøhr: The Sunnaas Foundation, Norway
18.00Close of Day 2

Tuesday October 7, 2025 - Day 3

09.30 - 11.00

Room 500 

Plenary Session. AI and New Technologies for Accessible Tourism 

Moderator: Dimitrios Buhalis, Bournemouth University, UK

- Standards for digital accessibility with AI and new technologies in tourism. Roberto Scano: ICT Accessibility Expert / Digital Competences Expert, Italy 

- The future of tourism: the invisible revolutiion of Artificial Intelligence. Mirko Lalli: Founder and CEO of Data Appeal, Italy

-  Mixed Reality-App "UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Germany". Olaf Schlieper: German National Tourist Board, Germany

-  Empowering Inclusive Travel: Harnessing Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence for Accessible Tourism. Selvakumar Ramachandran: Kerckhoffs Ltd., UK 

11.00-11.30  Coffee break
11.30-13.00 Oral Communications

Room 500 (Session 13) - Accessible Tourism Business

Moderator: Ivor Ambrose, ENAT, Belgium

- From Turismabile to Langhe for All. Daniela Broglio:  IsITT Italiano Turismo per Tutti, Italy
- Insights into Accessible Tour Management: Evidence from Accessible Poland Tours. Małgorzata Tokarska: Accessible Poland Tours, Poland 
- BITA,  the first International fair on accessible tourism. Luca Pozzato: GAL Montagne Biellesi, Italy
- Embedding Universal Design for Accessible Tourism: A Top-Down Approach. Eoin O'Herlihy: Access Consultancy, Ireland
11.30-13.00 Oral Communications

Room Londra (Session 14) - Education and Training

Moderator:  Mathieu Angelo, CAWaB, Belgium

- Accessible EU. Marco Pizzio, AISM, Italy and Roberto Scano, ICT Accessibility Expert, Italy, Italian National Experts at AccessibleEU Resource Centre.
- Training for Inclusive Hospitality: Kéroul’s Expertise in Universal Accessibility. Simon April: Keroul, Canada
- Beyond Theory: Education, Awareness and Continuous Improvement that Break Barriers in Costa Rican Tourism. Verónica Gómez: Director ISTO Americas, for Red Costarricense de Turismo Accesible, Costa Rica
- Awareness and training programme on universal accessibility in tourism - the case of the Azores. Tiago Valente: Access Azores, Portugal
11.30-13.00 Oral Communications

Room Madrid (Session 15) - Key technologies for Accessible Tourism

Moderator: Emiliano Deferrari, ENAT, Belgium 

- Addressing Global Accessibility Gaps Through Tourism & Collaborative AI. Eyra Abraham: Lisnen Inc., Canada
- How "My Easy Access" help people with mobility constraints to enjoy the exciting city of Marseille with full confidence and peace of mind. Anne Dionisi-Fung: Association Tourisme et Handicap, France
- Making Cities and Attractions Accessible through Deaf-Friendly Tourism. Filip Verstraete: Deaf Flanders, Belgium
- Ontrack - mobile application: Empowering blind and visually impaired individuals with safe, independent, and barrierfree urban navigation. Paul Kalcher: CEO ontrack, Austria
 
11.30-13.00 Oral Communications

Room Lisbona (Session 16) - Good Practices – Accessible Cultural Heritage 

Moderator: Laurel Van Horn, Director of Programs, Open Doors Organization, USA

- Castello di Rivoli as a destination for all. Good practice examples from the experience of the Education Department - Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art. Brunella Manzardo:  Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art, Italy
- The process of implementing the ISO 21902 standard in Portugal. Helena Ribeiro: Turismo de Portugal 
- Accessibility of Cultural Heritage- The importance of the new ISO standard 5727:2024 - Accessibility and usability of the built environment — Accessibility of immovable cultural heritage — Principles.  Katerina Papamichail: ENAT, Belgium
- Cultural Routes and Social Inclusion: Assessing Accessibility Practices in Europe. Leonardo Porcelloni: University of Genoa, Italy
13.00 - 14.30Lunch break
14.30-16.00 Oral Communications

Room 500 (Session 17) - Accessible Tourism Business

Moderator: Francesca Carmagnola, Director, ITS Piemonte, Italy

- Creating an accessible tourism offer for Northern Norway. Martin Lobert: Accessible Tromsø, Norway
- A network to promote the employment of people with disabilities in cultural and tourism settings. Giovanni Minucci: Il Tulipano, Cooperativa Sociale, Italy - B.I.L.T Network project, Beauty, Inclusion, Work and Talent, Italy
- Accessible Tourism Business: Commercialization of Accessible Tourism Itineraries in Nepal and the region. Pankaj Pradhananga and Suman Raj Timsina: IMPACT Adventure DMC, Kathmandu, Nepal
- Inclusive Silence Procession. Claudia Lorena Peralta Antiga: H. Ayuntamiento de San Luis Potosí, México
14.30-16.00 Oral Communications

Room Londra (Session 18) - Employment and skills development in Accessible Tourism 

Moderator: Emiliano Deferrari, ENAT, Belgium 

- For a Sustainable and Inclusive Tourism: the New Tourism Professions Portal. Francesco Felici: Director of Italian Ministry of Tourism
-  Inclusive Safety in Tourist Destinations: Principles, Strategies, and Application. Elisabetta Schiavone: Soluzioni Emergenti srl., Italy
- A Customer Journey Model: An Essential Tool for Developing Sustainable Tourist Destinations. Nordbø Ingeborg: Head of Department of Business and IT USN School of Business Oslo, Norway Oslo, Norway
 
14.30-16.00 Oral Communications

Room Madrid (Session 19) - Key technologies for Accessible Tourism

Moderator: Selvakumar Ramachandran,  Kerckhoffs Ltd., UK 

- AI for Accessible Air Travel Empowering Inclusive Mobility with Chatbots and Co-Creation. Nadeja Anpilogova: Your Accessible Flight, Accessibility Department, Portugal
- DANOVA NEXT – Smart transport network for accessibility of passengers with disabilities and reduced mobility in the Danube region through innovative services. Andrea Donda: ARGO - progettare l'Europa - Italy
- Challenges and issues involved in standardizing geographic information for mapping the tourism travel chain. Amiaud David: ADERA, La Rochelle Université, France 
- AURA®: Unlocking the Economic Value of Accessibility in Tourism.  Andrea Boudeguer: BAU Accesibilidad, Architecture and Inclusion, Chile
 
14.30-16.00 Oral Communications

Room Lisbona (Session 20) - Good Practices – Access to the Natural Environment  

Moderator: Mathieu Angelo, CAWaB, Belgium

- The project “A-Mare il Mare”: Making Friuli Venezia Giulia’s coastline an excellency of accessibility and inclusion. Alessia Del Bianco Rizzardo: PromoTurismo FVG, Italy
- Blue Flag beaches award scheme and the Greek “Beaches for Everyone” Investment Programme. Johann Durand: Blue Flag International, Denmark and Katerina Papamichail: ENAT, Belgium
- Accessibility and ecology in the natural environment. Maud Dupuis: Polymorphe Design, France  
- LIBERVIE: A Cross-Border Commitment to Inclusive Heritage and Accessible Tourism in the Verbano-Cusio-Ossola and Ticino Regions . Cinzia Zugolaro and Gaia Galeotti: Università del Piemonte Orientale, Dipartimento di Studi per l'Economia e l'Impresa, Italy
16.00-17.30 Oral Communications

Room 500 (Session 21) - Accessible Tourism Business

Moderator: Bill Forrester, Travability, Australia

- Open Doors Organization 2024 Market Study, Research Among Adults with Disabilities: Travel and Hospitality. Laurel Van Horn: Open Doors Organization, USA
- Accessible Tour of Switzerland - building a barrierefree tour through Switzerland by train, boat and wheelchair taxi. A successful initiative of Claire & George Foundation and 13 tourism destinations. Susanne Gäumann: Claire & George Foundation, Switzerland
- Accessible holidays: Alpitour World Barrier-Free Project. Gianmaria Patti Alpitour S.p.A., Italy
- TUI UK&I Accessible Holidays Strategy: Leading the way in non-specialised Accessible Travel. Marina Snellenberg: TUI, UK and Ireland
16.00-17.30 Oral Communications

Room Londra (Session 22 - Good Practices of DMOs 

Moderator: Rachele Paolucci, AISM, Italy

- Kéroul: A Catalyst for Accessibility in the Tourism and Cultural Sectors. Simon April: Kéroul, Canada 
- Ravenna, models for tourism and inclusion. Maria Grazia Marini: Municipality of Ravenna, Tourism Department, Italy
- Tourism for All: Accessible Holidays in Bavaria. Monica Tetzner, Bayern:  Tourismus Marketing GmbH, Germany
- Accessible tourism achieved by European territorial cooperation (Interreg). Alise Lūse and Agnieszka Stokowiecka: Generalitat Valenciana, Spain
16.00-17.30 Oral Communications

Room Madrid (Session 23) - Key technologies for Accessible Tourism

Moderator: Xun Ji, Rare & Roll, China

- Modeling the Travel Planning Process for Families with a Child with a Disability. Louise Rabier: École des sciences de la gestion - Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada 
- An Accessible Digital Guide to Southern Queensland Country: Enhancing Inclusive Regional Tourism. Ryan Smith: Inclusive Tourism, Australia 
- AI for accessible community travel: the WheelTribe pilot project. Eleonora Censorii: Destination Everywhere  Accessible Travel Srl, Belgium
 
 
16.00-17.30 Oral Communications

Room Lisbona (Session 24) - Good Practices – Projects

Moderator: Ross Calladine, VisitEngland, UK

- Adaptation for participation – needs for assistive devices for activity in Accessible Tourism. Tor Erik Heyerdahl Nyquist: Beitostølen Helsesportsenter, Norway
- Natur'Accessible - trails adapted to people with disabilities in Walloon Nature Parks. Jerome Chaplier: Fédération des Parcs Naturelles Wallonie, Belgium
- Promoting Accessible Tourism Through Inclusive Sea Sports: The TILIAVENTUM Experience in Lignano Sabbiadoro (Italy). Daniele Passoni:  Tiliaventum asd, non-profit sport association, Italy (tbc) 
- AACtively in Aosta Valley: An inclusive tourist guide for children with complex communication needs. Patrick Creux: La casa di sabbia Onlus, Italy 
17.30 – 18.30 

Room 500. Closing Session 

A New Agenda for Accessible Tourism 

Introduced by Igor Stefanovich: UN Tourism Coordinator for Accessibility, Cultural Tourism and Indigenous Peoples, Spain

- Simon April: Co- President of the 3rd World Summit on Accessible Tourism, Kéroul, Canada. 

- Barbara Casagrande: Secretary General Italian Ministry of Tourism

- Igor Stefanovich: UN Tourism Coordinator for Accessibility, Cultural Tourism and Indigenous Peoples, Spain

- Roberta Alverà: Deputy Mayor of Cortina, Italy 

- Ivor Ambrose: Managing Director, ENAT, Belgium. 

- Giovanni Ferrero: Director CPD – Consulta per le Persone in Difficoltà, Italy