Turisme de Barcelona relaunches the accessible route Easy Walking Tours

29-06-2023 | Turisme de Barcelona

Turisme de Barcelona will restart the Easy Walking Tours guided visits this week, aimed at visitors with reduced mobility or visual, cognitive, or hearing disabilities. These visits are offered on demand, by appointment, and depart from the tourist information offices of Turisme de Barcelona in Plaça Catalunya. They have a duration of 1 hour and 30 minutes and cover different points of the Gothic Quarter without architectural barriers. The groups are small, with a maximum of 10 people, and services such as portable seats, tactile maps, and sign language are provided. This initiative is supported by the Municipal Institute for People with Disabilities and aims to promote tourism for all and universal accessibility.

Barcelona has been internationally recognized as one of the most accessible cities for travel and has received the Access City Award from the European Commission this year, which recognizes initiatives to eliminate architectural barriers. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 15% of the global population that travels are people with functional diversity. These visitors have a different profile from the usual, extending their stay due to the limitations they face and the need for additional time to move around. They are more demanding travelers when evaluating destinations and are very active on blogs and social networks.

Turisme de Barcelona has implemented various initiatives to promote accessibility, such as training tourism establishment staff in serving customers with motor, visual, intellectual, and hearing disabilities. Additionally, good accessibility practices have been recognized through Sustainability awards, where the hotel chain Ilunion Hotels and Barcelona Zero Limits have been awarded. Regarding culture, Gaudí's main monuments, such as the Sagrada Família, Casa Batlló, and La Pedrera, are accessible, as well as the city's cultural facilities.

Museums offer guided visits and resources such as audio guides, tactile models, and easy-to-read information for people with cognitive disabilities. Some venues, like the Joan Miró Foundation and the Monastery of Pedralbes, offer adapted experiences, such as touching Joan Miró's sculptures and having access to tactile 3D models.

In summary, Barcelona has stood out for its commitment to accessible tourism and the elimination of architectural barriers. The Easy Walking Tours guided visits are an example of the efforts made to ensure that all visitors can enjoy the city on equal terms.