Tourism for people with disabilities in Italy: an overview

The population with disabilities is constantly growing in the world and in Italy and poses ethical, social and economic problems. The need for greater involvement of people with disabilities in the economy emerges, as a crucial point for a truly inclusive society. The tourism sector must also play its role in a wider reception project. This paper illustrates the evolution and current situation of accessible tourism in Italy, presenting some valuable experiences to propose useful benchmarking to public offices, associations and private companies. Introduction of an adequate review of international literature, a rapid summary of the evolution of the sector and a focus on the main laws is presented. Then it critically described the initiatives implemented in Italy for transport, hotels, restaurants and destinations typical of tourists such as museums, places of worship, natural and archaeological parks, sports facilities and bathing establishments. Despite some limitations, Italy, is a privileged international tourist destination, and can be a valid reference for many other nations that want to develop tourism and accessible tourism, in particular.