In Nizhniy Novgorod 27 July 4th All-Russian Tourism Forum “It’s time to travel around Russia” was held, whose participants discussed the difficulties, challenges faced by travelers with disabilities when traveling. According to forum participants, about 70% people with disabilities are ready to travel around Russia and are sufficiently solvent. However, not all travel agencies regard disabled people as a source of income and offer them separate programs. Associations of people with disabilities note problems with transport accessibility, poor awareness of living conditions and lack of accessible environment. So far, they are creating all possible routes on their own with the participation of a few tour operators.

On Thursday, participants of the IV All-Russian Tourism Forum “It’s time to travel around Russia” in Nizhny Novgorod discussed the prospects for inclusive tourism. According to the Social Fund of Russia, in 2022 lived in the Nizhny Novgorod region 266 thousand. citizens with varying degrees of disability. According to official statistics, the share of inclusive tourism in foreign countries is 11%, however, in Russia it does not exceed 0,5%, said Nizhny Novgorod Duma deputy Roman Ponomarenko.

According to him, On average, the demand for additional services among people with disabilities is 20% higher due to special needs: “People with disabilities as tourists are interesting for business. They are conservative, and in Russia there are not many hotels and routes available for them. And if the region provides conditions for them, such tourists not only often return, but they also begin to tell everyone else about the region.”.

Inclusive tourism requires additional development of tourist routes and nuances, notes director of tour operator Ariadna Group Elvira Elistratova.

According to her, most routes need to be adapted to specific needs. Standard routes may not be suitable. Vyacheslav Tsaregorodtsev from the Nizhny Novgorod rehabilitation center for the visually impaired “Camerata” believes, that tourist routes should be accessible to people with various disabilities: "There are people, who find it difficult to obtain information, others find it difficult to get to a certain place. Besides, these are not always people with disabilities, there are mixed groups. The ideal model of accessible tourism is when the tourism product is convenient and comfortable for everyone.". Deputy director of Camerata Marina Roshchina believes, that there should be special products for certain restrictions. According to her, there are things, which are of interest specifically to blind people, you need to do something special for them. for example, the center created a 3D model of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin with all the buildings and relief features. Now specialists from the Nizhny Novgorod tourism department have asked for similar models of key buildings in the city, which will be installed next to them, so that blind people can familiarize themselves with them during excursions.

Would like to travel around Russia 70% people with disabilities, noted the head of the club for young disabled people “Edelweiss” Nadezhda Shtreker. However, most of them believe, that tourism products are not sufficiently adapted, convenient and comfortable. “Often we see very few of these travelers, because the services offered are not entirely suitable for them. At the same time, employment of people with disabilities is actively developing, they have more opportunities to realize themselves. And they are ready to spend good money on their vacation, to have a quality rest. Very often, tour operators greatly underestimate the solvency of people with disabilities.”, - says Mrs. Strecker.

Mr. Ponomarenko adds, that many travelers with disabilities are surprised by the fact, that some hotels have everything they need, and staff are trained to care for people with disabilities. However, hoteliers often do not advertise information about such rooms., but there is no register of hotels equipped for disabled people. Therefore, travelers are forced to look for a place for a long time, Where to stay. Future hotel projects take into account accessibility requirements, but already operating hotels, located in historical buildings, it is usually not possible to adapt to the needs of disabled people due to cultural heritage protection restrictions. Mrs. Elistratova added, that almost every hotel has one or two rooms adapted, but there is no information about them: "To find out, have to call hotels, go and see the numbers for yourself".

So far, organizations of people with disabilities independently publish visualizations of routes for their members on their own websites.

Another serious problem is the lack of special transport for disabled people, said the chairman of the public organization "Invatur" Andrey Bulanov. In particular, his organization has the only minibus purchased at its own expense, wheelchair accessible. "Invatur" turned to the authorities for help in purchasing transport, but was refused. According to Mr. Bulanov, transport problems have existed for a long time. “When was the 2018 FIFA World Cup, we were waiting for a Frenchman in a wheelchair. For him it was necessary to find a car with a lift for the whole day. I searched, I connected all my friends, and social security reported, that they only carry on schedule. Then we had difficulty finding an option for a fee and unofficially, but the Frenchman did not come", — Andrey Bulanov shared.

There are also accessibility problems in the river fleet: Disabled tourists are interested in traveling on high-speed boats to historical cities. And one woman in a wheelchair had to be carried by the crews of two Valdayevs at once.. Besides, Not all Nizhny Novgorod cafes and restaurants are equipped for disabled people.

The event participants agreed to summarize their comments and suggestions and submit them to the regional government and other legislative and executive authorities.

Vladimir Zubarev

Tourism lacks inclusiveness - Kommersant Nizhny Novgorod (kommersant.ru)