A C C E S S I B L E H O L I D AY S I N S A X O N Y

Detailed and reliable descriptions of individual offers pro-

vide trust in the journey and pleasure during the holiday.
The free brochure “Sachsen Barrierefrei” (Barrier-free
Saxony) presents 92 accessible accommodations and
379 accessible cultural and leisure facilities in every
Saxon holiday region and in the metropolises Dresden,
Leipzig and Chemnitz. The focus lies on touristic
destinations, especially in the sector of art and culture.
All offers can also be found in the online database at
RRIEREFREI.
SACHSEN BA
UN TER KÜ NFT
IT
E, KU LTU R, FRE
IZE
www.visitsaxony.com.

Contact
Tourism Marketing Company of Saxony
Bautzner Strasse 45–47 · 01099 Dresden · Germany
Phone: +49 (0)351-491700 · info@sachsen-tour.de
www.visitsaxony.com
Contents
Tourism for all 4 Best practice in accessible tourism 12
What are regional marketing organisations
and their partners doing?
Accessible tourism 6
A challenge and an opportunity
for Destination Germany Germany’s hotel industry 18
Barrier-free for a competitive edge

Professional partnerships 8
The GNTB collaborates with specialist organisations International key players 20
on barrier-free travel Germany as a barrier-free travel destination

Barrier-free travel 10
By rail and air

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Design and layout: M.A.D. Kommunikation, www.mad-kommunikation.de

Translation: LingServe Ltd., www.lingserve.co.uk
Printed by: Druckerei Hassmüller Graphische Betriebe GmbH & Co. KG, www.hassmueller.de

Photo credits: All pictures provided by the German National Tourist Board, except: panthermedia P. 6; Imagefoto AG (Quelle Fränkisches
Seenland) P. 9; Photographer Jens Goerlich P. 11; Studio Prokopy/ Tourismusverband Ruppiner Seenland e.V. P. 14/15; TMB P. 16/17;
Studio Prokopy/ Tourismusverband Ruppiner Seenland e.V. P. 20/21

3
ACCESSIBLE HOLIDAYS IN THE SUN

Enjoy carefree holidays in SouthWest Germany. The region offers all

sorts of opportunities to meet people and explore the countryside, thanks
to excellent barrier-free, accessible facilities. All are listed in our special
Accessible Holidays brochure, listing what you can do by region, clearly
marked with symbols.

Ask for the free brochure: T +49 (0) 7 11 / 2 38 58-0

Or order online by email: prospektservice@tourismus-bw.de

www.tourismus-bw.de/barrierefrei
Tourism for all
Dear reader,
Tourism should be accessible to everyone as a matter of
course – and that is why the German National Tourist Board
(GNTB) has been working for many years to develop and pro-
mote tourism products and services that make it possible for
every traveller to discover all that Destination Germany has
to offer. This commitment is evident from our close colla­
boration with our partners, the Association of Barrier-free
Destinations, the National Coordination Board Tourism for
All (NatKo) and the Tourism for All working group of the Ger-
man federal states. At the German National Tourist Board,
barrier-free travel is being developed as part of our inno­
vations management, highlighting just how important this
subject is for our work, now and in the future.
Looking ahead, accessibility will continue to be a key factor
for tourism. Demographic change means that the proportion
of older people is rapidly growing, especially in industrial
nations. Barrier-free travel is therefore increasingly becoming
an indicator of quality for tourism services and a competitive
advantage for travel destinations.
This year, to raise awareness of this subject within the
tourism industry, the GNTB is once again hosting a Barrier-
free Tourism Day at the ITB. This all-day event at the world’s
largest tourism trade fair will give key decision-makers
from companies, specialist organisations, associations and
political bodies an opportunity to find out more about acces-
sibility and inclusiveness and to discuss current trends,
opportunities and innovative ideas.
Barrier-free travel is also the theme of this brochure. We want
to get the message across that this is about more than pro-
viding a selection of suitable products and services for people
with restricted mobility. The entire service chain – from how
destinations are promoted, how people obtain information
and how they book, to where people stay, where they eat
and what they experience on holiday – must be critically
reviewed, refined and brought together as a network to
cater for everyone, whether it’s people with disabilities,
older travellers or young families.
Thanks to a huge range of initiatives by special-interest
groups and political bodies, public awareness of the mani-
fold requirements of barrier-free travel has increased signifi-
cantly. The tourism service sector has understood and is
responding to the call. Together with our partners we will
continue to work on making tourism in Germany accessible
to all.
Yours,
Petra Hedorfer
Chief Executive Officer
of the German National Tourist Board
Discover Destination Germany at
www.germany.travel
Follow us at
www.facebook.com/visitgermany
www.twitter.com/GermanyTourism
www.youtube.com/user/DestinationGermany
5
 Accessible
tourism
A challenge and an opportunity for Destination Germany

Accessible travel for all is a key requirement for the tourism industry in the 21st century.
The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) is working to meet this requirement and to expand
accessible tourism in Germany as part of its newly established innovations management. To tie
in with its wider sustainability objective, the GNTB is positioning Destination Germany as an
attractive travel destination for people with disabilities and restricted mobility.

In the European Union alone, there are ic changes will cause this figure to rise in thing from travel planning and transport
now some 80 million people with disabili- the coming years. That will mean an in- to accommodation, eating out, shopping
ties or restricted mobility – around crease in the number of tourists with and leisure activities.
16 per cent of the population. Demograph- special requirements – covering every-

6 www.germany.travel
Accessibility as a hallmark of tourism
in Germany
Barrier-free travel is therefore set to become
an important quality indicator for tourism
services in the 21st century – and ‘tourism
for all’ will become a key factor in the com-
petitiveness of travel destinations. The core
target group for barrier-free travel does, af-
ter all, cover an extremely broad spectrum:
from people with physical or mental disabil-
ities to young families and older travellers.
To meet the requirements of this growing
target group and to position Germany as
an appealing travel destination for people
with disabilities, the GNTB has put barrier-
free travel at the centre of its international
marketing activities. “Together with our
partners, we aim to develop and market
reliable, quality-assured products and
services throughout the travel and hospi-
tality industry,” says Petra Hedorfer, Chief
Executive Officer of the GNTB. “The GNTB
is responsible for promoting this varied
offering to an international audience and
to establish accessibility as an important
facet in the core brand values of tourism in
Germany.”
Multi-channel marketing of barrier-
free travel
For many years now, the GNTB has been
using its 30 foreign representative offices
and agencies and all its communication
channels to promote accessible tourism. In
June 2013, the GNTB launched its new
microsite on barrier-free travel for the
British market which will be continually
updated with new content and promoted
intensively through various channels. To
develop barrier-free tourism to Germany
in specific markets, the GNTB holds prod-
uct workshops in those markets with trade
associations, academics and travel indus-
try professionals. The subject is also an
ever-present feature at trade fairs and
workshops. Indeed the GNTB’s second
‘Barrier-free Tourism Day’, which it orga­
nised in close collaboration with the
National Coordination Board Tourism for
All (NatKo), was attended by more than
200 trade professionals at the ITB travel in-
www.germany.travel/barrierfree
dustry conference in 2013. For key market
players, the GNTB runs barrier-free fact-
finding tours and press tours. It has also
organised photoshoots in various
regions of the country to generate high-
quality images for advertising barrier-free
tourism in Germany around the world.
Tom Jamison, Editor of Able Magazine, Glasgow (UK)
‘GOLD – You can do more than you think’, a
documentary that follows three disabled
athletes preparing for the 2012 Paralympic
Games in London, is one of a number of
promotional films supported by the GNTB.
Accessibility
is essential for around
10 per cent of the
population, helpful for
30 per cent
around
and can make life easier
for every visitor.
Source: Dr Rüdiger Leidner, Dr Peter
Neumann and Markus Rebstock,
Executive Board, European Institute
Design for All in Germany (EDAD)
The GNTB also uses advertisements to
position Germany as a cosmopolitan and
friendly travel destination that offers a
warm welcome to all its visitors. The ‘Barri-
er-free travel… Germany is open to all’
campaign, in particular, is aimed at encou­
raging people with disabilities or restricted
mobility to take a holiday in Germany. The
subject is, of course, also communicated
via media reports – in the press, on the ra-
dio, on television and on social media sites.
“The German National Tourist Board
has set a new gold standard with
their ‘barrier-free’ concept. ‘Accessibility’
can often mean a second rate ramp
around the back, by the bins. ‘Barrier-
free’, as I have seen in Germany, means
that everyone is treated to a first class
reception irrespective of ability.”
7
 Professional
partnerships
The GNTB collaborates with specialist organisations on barrier-free travel
The growing demands in the field of barrier-free travel can only be met if all relevant parties make a
concerted effort. And that is why the GNTB collaborates with partners from the tourism industry and
organisations for the disabled, most notably the Association of Barrier-free Destinations in Germany
and the National Coordination Board Tourism for All (NatKo).

The aim of such collaborations is to give
and receive specialist support, to regularly
share information, to conduct joint mar-
keting activities and to work intensively
with politicians, authorities, businesses
and key market players.
Dr Carmen Hildebrandt, Spokeswoman for
the Association of Barrier-free Destinations in
Germany
Association of Barrier-free Destinations
in Germany: an end-to-end service
chain is essential
The Association of Barrier-free Destina-
tions in Germany and its member towns,
cities and holiday regions are committed
to the development of accessible tourism
in Germany. The association works tire-
lessly to improve travel products, facilities
and services for visitors with restricted
mobility, learning difficulties or hearing or
visual impairments. Its main communica-
tion tool is the website www.barrierefreie-
reiseziele.de. The association became a
GNTB sponsor in 2010, and since that time
has been an active partner at tourism
trade fairs such as the ITB, GTM and WTM
and has helped to organise press tours and
fact-finding tours for key market players.
“To make travel in Germany easier for
people with disabilities, we need a service
chain that is barrier-free throughout,” says
Dr Carmen Hildebrandt, spokeswoman for
the Association of Barrier-free Destina-
tions in Germany. “For this, we need clear
and binding policies that must be adhered
to. And all key decision-makers have to be
made aware of the topic.”
The association puts particular emphasis
on how people travel to, from and within
their holiday destinations, and on cultural
institutions such as museums and theatres.
“Our objective is for planners and regula­
tory authorities to consider the aspect of
accessibility in all building projects, and
that all parties will come to regard acces-
sibility as a matter of course similar to fire
safety and heritage preservation,” says
Hildebrandt.

Accessibility – learning from the experts

“On 26th Feb I attended a workshop at the German National Tourist Office in
London to establish the requirements for promoting accessibility travel from the UK
to Germany – a concept called ‘Barrier-free travel’. We discussed methods of assisted
travel, different levels of accommodation, inspiring activities for all ages and for a wide
variety of needs. In short: how visitors to Germany could experience the fullest, most
enjoyable and most barrier-free holidays possible. It was a fantastic day and really
exciting to be involved right from the start of the campaign.”

Carrie-Ann Lightly, Tourism for All (tour operator), Kendal, Cumbria

8 www.germany.travel

Dr Rüdiger Leidner, Honorary President of NatKo
NatKo: helping the tourism industry
to learn from affected travellers
National Coordination Board Tourism for
All (NatKo) is a non-profit organisation
that has been promoting barrier-free trav-
el since 1999 and has been a GNTB sponsor
since 2011. In partnership with associa-
tions for the disabled, it acts in an advisory
capacity and helps members of the tour-
ism industry – from small family business-
es to large organisations – to develop bar-
rier-free products and services. The agency
is currently working with the
German Seminar for Tourism (DSFT) to de-
velop a nationally recognised certification
scheme for barrier-free travel services.
The GNTB is able to call on NatKo for
advice on all aspects of ‘barrier-free travel’
and ‘tourism for all’. In 2013 NatKo organ-
ised the Barrier-free Tourism Day at the
ITB – and is doing so again this year with
the support of the GNTB. “The great
response we received showed how seri-
ously the tourism industry is taking the
subject,” says Dr Rüdiger Leidner, Honorary
President of NatKo. “Nonetheless, Germany
remains only a medium-size player when
it comes to barrier-free tourism. The
German travel industry still needs to do a
lot more to stay competitive in this sector.”
Barrier-free tourism is not a niche
market for disabled people
Leidner believes one of the biggest
challenges lies in persuading tourism or-
ganisations that barrier-free tourism is not
a niche market for disabled people: “Barrier-
free travel is sustainable tourism in the
broader sense, and has the capacity to
make the German travel industry more
competitive as a whole both now and in
the future. That’s why every opportunity
should be taken to increase the degree of
collaboration among the main actors in
barrier-free tourism. However, we can only
do this if we receive the necessary political
and financial support.”
9
 Barrier-free travel
By rail and air
Transport can make or break barrier-free travel – and that means not only how people get to and
from their destination but also how they get around once they’re there. Deutsche Bahn and Lufthansa,
the GNTB’s key transport partners, have recognised the signs of the times. They offer passengers with
restricted mobility a wide spectrum of services and see this as an essential part of modern-day
customer care and an investment in the future.
Deutsche Bahn: an impressive track
record in accessible travel
Deutsche Bahn is regarded as a leader in
barrier-free travel throughout Europe. For
years now, the German rail company has
offered extensive services for people with
restricted mobility. The first port of call for
German and international passengers is
Deutsche Bahn’s mobility service centre
(MSZ), which provides information on
specific services and offers, organises the
necessary assistance for boarding, chang-
ing and leaving trains, and is responsible
for tickets, seat reservations and other
services. Deutsche Bahn provides further
information online at www.bahn.de/
barrierefrei and in its brochure ‘Mobility
for the Disabled – Services for Mobility-
Impaired Customers’.
Deutsche Bahn develops its barrier-free
services in close consultation with dis­
abled people. Indeed this is how Deutsche
Bahn’s barrier-free travel centres were
set up: today 40 travel centres are
equipped with a tactile guidance system
for visually impaired people, lowered coun-
ters for wheelchair users and inductive
hearing loops, which allow hearing-aid
wearers to communicate with Deutsche
10 www.germany.travel
Bahn staff without wires or interference.
Some 6,800 new ticket machines have
Service staff at
also been made more accessible. Deaf Deutsche Bahn help
customers can use the email address passengers with restricted
deaf-msz@deutschebahn.com and find
mobility to board, change
sign-language videos on important travel
considerations online at www.bahn.de.
and leave trains at over
300 stations across
At over 300 stations, customer service Germany. In 2012, they
personnel will offer to help travellers with
responded to around
550,000
restricted mobility to board, change and
leave trains. Since late 2012, passengers
calls
have also been able to get assistance at for assistance.
unmanned stations from on-board staff,
provided they give advance notification.
Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance trains are
largely barrier-free with low access doors,
tactile lettering and symbols, wheelchair
spaces and disabled toilets. All local trains
should be barrier-free from 2017. Deutsche
Bahn is also modernising around 100 sta-
tions a year, with new lifts among the
many improvements to accessibility.
Paving the way for barrier-free
package tours
Ellen Engel-Kuhn, head of the disability
“As a transport provider for the tourism in- liaison office at Deutsche Bahn
dustry, we believe that strategic alliances
in the tourism industry are extremely im-
portant,” says Ellen Engel-Kuhn, head of
the liaison office for disability matters at
Deutsche Bahn. “And we attach particular
importance to our collaboration with the
German National Tourist Board and its part-
ners.” Together with the Association of
Barrier-free Destinations in Germany,
Deutsche Bahn is working on improving
the range of travel packages for people with
restricted mobility. The company already
offers trips that people can put together
using a modular system at www.bahn.de/
reiseziele-barrierefrei. This includes every-
thing from outward and return travel to
transport connections, accommodation,
excursions and cultural activities (see also
www.bahn.de/kultur-barrierefrei).
Lufthansa: hassle-free flying for
disabled passengers
“We cater to the needs of international
passengers with restricted mobility on a
very individual basis,” says Jens Bischof,
who is in charge of sales, marketing and
products at Lufthansa. “In addition to new
wheelchairs, electric vehicles and special
lounges, we focus above all on training our
employees. Through this training, our
ground staff and flight attendants receive
comprehensive instruction on dealing
with the particular needs of passengers
with restricted mobility.”
Passengers with restricted mobility can
call Lufthansa on +49 (0)800 838 4267 to
find out about barrier-free services and to
request assistance during their trip. The
Medical Operation Centre takes care of
more specialised services, for example if a
passenger requires oxygen on board.
Lufthansa has special check-in counters for
disabled passengers. Travellers requiring
Jens Bischof, Member of the Executive Board for
assistance can also be brought to and Sales, Marketing and Products at Lufthansa
from the aircraft and given help with
connecting flights. Lufthansa provides
wheelchairs for this or organises the trans-
port of the passenger’s own wheelchair,
both at no extra charge. Germany’s biggest
carrier works closely with airports on these wheelchairs on board the aircraft, and
matters: “In Frankfurt, our largest inter- guide dogs travel free of charge. Passen-
continental hub, we founded a joint ven- gers with visual or hearing impairments
ture with Fraport in 2008,” explains Jens benefit from a separate safety briefing,
Bischof. “The company FraCareS GmbH individual assistance in the event of delays
offers services for passengers with restricted or other travel disruptions, and various
mobility.” Lufthansa provides special other special services.

In 2012, chaperone services

for passengers with reduced
mobility were provided around
584,400 times by
Frankfurt Airport.
Approx.  70 per cent
of those were people with
connecting flights. The number
for 2013 is expected to have
risen to 630,000.

11
 Best practice
in accessible tourism
What are regional marketing organisations and their partners doing?
GNTB 360° asked the regional marketing organisations (RMOs) how they cater to international visitors
with disabilities or restricted mobility in their federal state and which specific services they offer this
target group. Here are some examples of best practice:

Saxony tory of barrier-free accommodation. All

Art and culture for all of the information published in the
brochures has been verified in person by
The ‘Barrier-free Saxony’ brochure and staff who were trained in 2012 in collabora-
online database currently lists a total of tion with NatKo.
438 disabled-friendly accommodation es- www.barrierefrei.thueringen-entdecken.de
tablishments and leisure attractions
across Saxony that have been certified in
“Since 2012, tourism providers in
person for their accessibility. The emphasis
Saxony have been attending
is on tourist destinations in the category of
workshops as part of the Barrier-free
art and culture. An excellent example is
Saxony project to find out how they
the Grassi Museum of Ethnography in
can go about offering accessible
Leipzig. All its exhibition rooms are acces-
products and services, also with
sible for visitors with impaired mobility.
regard to service quality, and how
Especially, but not only, for blind and
they can be more sensitive to “Our brochures on barrier-free travel
partially sighted visitors, this ‘hands-on
people’s needs.” were particularly well received in the
museum’ displays 100 or so original objects
Austrian, Swiss and Dutch markets.
from different cultures that can be Hans-Jürgen Goller, Managing Director of
TMGS Tourismus Marketing Gesellschaft The online information is also
touched. They are integrated into the exhi-
Sachsen mbH available in English.”
bition as a whole and most are labelled in
braille and large print. The museum offers Bärbel Grönegres, Managing Director

tactile tours for groups, and tours with Thuringia of Thüringer Tourismus GmbH

sign language interpreters for visitors who Third-party auditing of barrier-free

are deaf or hard of hearing. Films in tourism
German sign language are also available Saarland
on the museum’s website. The museum Thüringer Tourismus GmbH (TTG) has Theatre for the partially sighted
can also arrange special tours for adults been actively involved in barrier-free travel or visually impaired
and children with learning difficulties or since 2001. Its main communication tools
physical disabilities. are the ‘Barrier-free Thuringia – Travel tips The Saarland offers a variety of barrier-
www.sachsen-barrierefrei.de and leisure activities’ brochure and a direc- free services, particularly in the area of

12 www.germany.travel
cultural tourism. Saarland State Theatre
in Saarbrücken, for example, rolled out
an innovative feature for its 2012/2013
season: before selected ballets, an intro-
duction in sign language was given so that
people who were deaf or hard of hearing
could share in the experience as well. The
theatre is planning its first performance
with audio description in 2014, making
the experience accessible to blind and
partially sighted visitors. at the leading specialist trade fairs
www.barrierefreies-saarland.de
“To target our intended audience,
we regularly place advertisements
in relevant magazines and we exhibit
Rehacare and Rehab. We also work
with the region’s disabled associa-
tions.”
disabled guests, and handbike tours of the
scenic surroundings are also available.
Whether it’s a multi-sensory tour of a city
or palace, culinary experiences catering for
special diets or water-based trips with Rolly
Tours in Rheinsberg, tourism in Branden-
burg is tailored to the needs of all visitors.
www.barrierefrei-brandenburg.de

Andreas Braun, Managing Director

of Tourismus Marketing GmbH Baden-
Württemberg “Our website for the Brandenburg
region offers more than 800 verified
listings in the categories accommo­
Brandenburg dation, leisure and eating out. An
A hotel designed especially
“For our website, which provides accessible design with a screen reader
for disabled people
extensive information on ‘holidays function and plain language content
for all’, we trained special assessors was important to us, so that we could
The Haus Rheinsberg lakeside hotel in the
who visit selected businesses along make the information available to as
Ruppiner Seenland region was designed
the tourism service chain to gather many users as possible.”
specifically for guests with restricted
information on accessibility.”
mobility. All of the hotel’s amenities, in- Dieter Hütte, Managing Director of TMB
Birgit Grauvogel, Managing Director of Tourismus-Marketing Brandenburg GmbH
cluding the sauna, swimming pool, hotel
Tourismus Zentrale Saarland GmbH
bar, bowling alley and gym, can be used by

Baden-Württemberg
Barrier-free in town and country

Baden-Württemberg provides barrier-free

travel information online and in a print
brochure. All of the listings – from hotels
and restaurants to sights and attractions –
have been certified for their accessibility in
accordance with DIN norms and accepted
standards. Exemplary providers in Baden-
Württemberg include the North/Central
Black Forest Nature Park with its ‘nature
tour for all’, the Mercedes-Benz Museum
in Stuttgart, which regularly runs special
events, and Europa-Park, which strives to
make its themed worlds as barrier-free as
possible.
www.tourismus-bw.de/Themen/
Barrierefrei

13
 Bavaria
Barrier-free Bavaria
As part of a 2013 campaign to promote the
umbrella brand ‘Bavaria. Summer. THE
ORIGINAL’, a brochure was created in
collaboration with HANDICAP magazine,
presenting authentic Bavarian attractions
that are accessible for disabled visitors.
These include King Ludwig’s castles,
romantic towns, the Bavarian national
parks and scenic natural landscapes.
www.bayern.by/tourismus-fuer-alle
“At a regional level, the Franconian
Lakes, Lake Chiemsee and the Allgäu
have already implemented extensive
measures for barrier-free holidays,
which we are now beginning to roll
out across Bavaria. We also want to
make people aware that continuing
to break down barriers benefits all
visitors. By doing all this, we are
creating a sound basis on which to
introduce the planned nationwide
classification system in Bavaria.”
Dr Martin Spantig, Managing Director
of Bayern Tourismus Marketing GmbH
Jens Huwald, Managing Director of
Bayern Tourismus Marketing GmbH
Schleswig-Holstein
Project promoting barrier-free
tourism
In April 2013 the Schleswig-Holstein
Tourism Agency (TASH) launched a two-
year project as part of a major regional
business development programme. The
aim of this ‘Barrier-free Tourism in
14 www.germany.travel
Schleswig-Holstein’ project is to position
Germany’s northernmost federal state as
a barrier-free destination and improve
disabled facilities at places where holiday-
makers visit. The German Hotel and
Restaurant Association in Schleswig-
Holstein and eleven pilot regions are
taking part in the project. Partnerships are
also up and running with clubs and
associations for disabled people.
www.sh-tourismus.de/de/barrierefreier-
urlaub-in-schleswig-holstein
“We are using the current year to
intensively expand the barrier-free
travel network with our project
these is available online and in a brochure.
partners and cooperation partners in
www.barrierefrei.gastlandschaften.de
the tourism and community sectors
and to encourage cross-pollination
by holding joint events.”
Christian Schmidt, Managing Director of
Tourismus-Agentur Schleswig-Holstein
GmbH
Rhineland-Palatinate
Information for businesses and visitors
“In order to continually improve
Rheinland-Pfalz Tourismus GmbH (RPT)
barrier-free tourism in Rhineland-
is assessing its tourism providers one by
Palatinate and to increase accessi­
one, looking at how they cater for disabled
bility, we have held one-day seminars
visitors, people with restricted mobility
in which already more than 300
and people suffering from food intoleran-
participants have been sensitised to
ces, and publishing its findings in a data­
the needs of this diverse target group.
base. In what are known as crystallisation
We have also developed a two-tier
points, RPT is working with local tourism
certification system and, in 2013,
professionals to come up with ideas for
certified 95 businesses that meet our
improving accessibility throughout the
accessibility requirements. ”
service chain. The result is a collection
of short breaks offered in five regions Dr Achim Schloemer, Managing Director of
Rheinland-Pfalz Tourismus GmbH
of Rhineland-Palatinate. Information on

Mecklenburg-Western
Pomerania
Best practice in an innovative
competition
The ‘Tourism for All in Mecklenburg-
Western Pomerania’ award was launched
in 2010 by the region’s tourism board. The
idea behind it was to find best practice
examples for future marketing activities
but also to recognise, and rectify, existing
shortcomings. The winners of the award
to date include the towns of Güstrow
and Stralsund, the Combi Tri barrier-free
sailing boat, the Gesundheitsinsel Rügen
association, which has demonstrated out-
standing expertise in putting together
customised barrier-free programmes,
the Hanse Kogge Best Western Hotel in
Koserow, which offers coach trips and spa
treatments for wheelchair users, and the
Plau am See Youth Hostel, recognised for
its sporting activities for disabled people.
www.barrierefrei.m-vp.de
(Verein Ohne Barrieren e.V.)
“Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
has been actively engaged in barrier-
free tourism for almost 13 years. The
regional website www.barrierefrei.
m-vp.de (operated by Ohne Barrieren –
Without Barriers) was set up back in
2001 and now lists well over 1,000
tourism providers along the service
chain that are certified barrier-free.
In 2009 we also worked with the
Ohne Barrieren association to found
the Tourism for All Service Centre.”
Bernd Fischer, Managing Director of
Tourismusverband Mecklenburg-
Vorpommern e.V.
Bremen
State-wide barrier-free audit
By 2015, around 1,000 Bremen-based com-
panies and organisations in the areas of
tourism, culture and leisure, hotels and
hospitality, healthcare, education and
sport will have been assessed in person
“We hope that people with
disabilities or restricted mobility
will enjoy discovering Bremen with
our ‘Barrier-free Bremen’ city guide.”
Peter Siemering, Managing Director of
Bremer Touristik-Zentrale, Gesellschaft
für Marketing und Service mbH
for their accessibility and profiled together
with detailed information. Information
on accessibility in Bremen is available in
a user-friendly format at www.bremen.de
and www.bremen-tourismus.de/barrierefrei
Saxony-Anhalt
Luther 2017 will be accessible to all
“Saxony-Anhalt’s aim is to work
towards full accessibility across the
tourism service chain. But this
doesn’t just mean barrier-free
access to information media. The
entire offering at the destination,
and after the trip, must also meet
the accessibility criteria.”
Bettina Quäschning, Senior Manager at
Investitions- und Marketinggesellschaft
Sachsen-Anhalt mbH (IMG)
Saxony-Anhalt is expecting a high number
of visitors for the anniversary of the
Reformation in 2017, and not only from
Germany. The Saxony-Anhalt tourism
office, together with all its partners, aims
to achieve full accessibility step by step
across the tourism service chain. The
Luther 2017 project is a model of how this
complex task is being put into practice.
Even today, its brochures, website and app
are largely barrier-free. Accessibility is also
being built into the key visitor attractions
as part of the renovation of historical
Luther sites and the redevelopment of
tourism infrastructure.
www.sachsen-anhalt-tourismus.de
15
 Hessen
Barrier-free in Frankfurt – including
for partially sighted or visually
impaired visitors
Tourismus+Congress GmbH Frankfurt am
Main (TCF) has been specifically catering
for travellers with disabilities, restricted
mobility and other special needs since 2011
with its brochure ‘Barrier-free Frankfurt’.
A highlight are the TCF’s guided tours,
which have been specially adapted to be
barrier-free. The ‘Feeling Frankfurt’ tour
was devised specifically to meet the needs
of blind and partially sighted visitors and it
features lots of anecdotes, tactile objects
and tastings. All public tours offered by TCF
can be made step-free on request and sign
language interpreters can also be booked.
A tactile map of Frankfurt city centre has
also been available for blind and partially
sighted visitors since May 2013.
www.frankfurt-tourismus.de/
barrierefrei.html
16 www.germany.travel
areas of the city and public transport
services also offer extensive barrier-free
facilities. Two accessible tourist routes are
currently being developed that will allow
visitors to tour Berlin in comfort. At the
2013 ITB travel fair in Berlin, the Mayor of
“TCF is leading the way among
travel destinations in Hessen with
its ‘Frankfurt am Main barrier-free’
project.”
Stefan Zindler, Head of Tourismus- und
Kongressmarketing HA Hessen Agentur
GmbH
“Berlin is well on the way to becoming
a barrier-free travel destination. We
Berlin are optimising our tourism products
Berlin on the way to becoming
and services and want to convey the
a barrier-free city
message: everyone is welcome in
Berlin, everyone should feel at home
Numerous museums, attractions and
here.”
sports facilities in Berlin are already
attuned to the needs of visitors with Burkhard Kieker, Managing Director of
Berlin Tourismus & Kongress GmbH
restricted mobility (disabled visitors). Public
Berlin, Klaus Wowereit, was presented
with the 2013 Access City Award by the
European Commission and the European
Disability Forum in recognition of his
efforts to make Berlin a barrier-free city.
www.visitberlin.de/de/informieren/
ueber-berlin/barrierefreies-berlin
Lower Saxony
Taking mobility into the future
Many towns and regions in Lower Saxony
already offer barrier-free services and
infrastructure to cater for domestic and
international visitors from this market
segment. The city-break destination of
Hannover offers a guidance system for
people with restricted mobility, for exam-
ple, and the Autostadt in Wolfsburg serves
as a barrier-free world of discovery for its
international visitors. In 2014, Tourismus-
Marketing Niedersachsen GmbH (TMN) is
launching a major project with regional
partners to further develop the infor­
mation and services available for these
target groups throughout Lower Saxony
and to ensure that improvements are
continually made.
www.reiseland-niedersachsen.de/
barrierefreies-reisen
“Many locations in Lower Saxony
have already invested heavily in
developing barrier-free tourism.
These include many towns, cities and
health resorts, but also regions and
partners on the North Sea coast and
on the East Frisian islands.”
Carolin Ruh, Managing Director of
Tourismus Marketing Niedersachsen GmbH
North Rhine-Westphalia
New development project
“Many places and regions in North
Rhine-Westphalia have already
developed innovative products and
services. In the Eifel region, the
spectrum ranges from barrier-free
services on the internet to tours with
trained rangers and specially
designed walking trails. In Soest, the
innovative Guide4Blind technology
makes it possible for blind and
visually impaired visitors to explore
the town independently. And in the
state capital of Düsseldorf, disabled
people from Germany and abroad
will find barrier-free services covering
everything from transport and
accommodation to tourist activities.”
Dr Heike Döll-König, Managing Director of
Tourismus NRW e.V.
Accessibility is increasingly proving to be a
valuable quality criterion and will grow in
importance in our regional tourism strategy
as well over the next two years. We have
joined the national initiative run by the Ger-
man Seminar for Tourism and NatKo and
were able to launch a new development
project at the beginning of the year. By the
end of 2015, we want to increase the num-
ber of tourism products and services for
disabled visitors and to see marked im-
provements in accessibility along the entire
tourism service chain in North Rhine-
Westphalia. The project aims to raise
awareness among regional tourism part-
ners, to train and certify tourism providers,
to create best practice guidelines and to
make our customer website barrier-free.
www.dein-nrw.de
Hamburg
New possibilities for people with
special requirements
The underground, suburban railway and
bus network in Hamburg is already largely
adapted to the needs of disabled people.
Around 90  per  cent of all buses are low-
floor vehicles equipped with ramps and
kneeling systems (enabling the driver to
lower the side of the bus). At many under-
ground and suburban train stations,
“Hamburg’s objective is to offer
people with special requirements
a high-quality stay. To make the
experience hassle-free from the
outset, information is readily
available before, during and after
the trip: our website features an
extensive section on disabled-
friendly restaurants, hotels,
theatres and travel.”
Dietrich von Albedyll, Managing Director
of Hamburg Tourismus GmbH
special features such as grooved paving
stones with coloured stripes, acoustic
signals and contrasting markings are help-
ing visually impaired passengers to find
their way. “Passengers can use the HVV
travel planner to find information about
the facilities available on their route and to
plan accordingly before they arrive in
Hamburg.”
www.hamburg-tourism.de/infos/
unterwegs-in-hamburg/hamburg-
barrierefrei/verkehrsmittel
17
 Germany’s hotel industry
Barrier-free for a competitive edge
Accommodation providers in Germany are doing more and more to meet the needs of visitors with
disabilities. The services and facilities offered by some places go well beyond disabled-friendly rooms
and barrier-free restaurants. An increasing number of hotels are training their staff to better respond
to the requirements of this constantly growing target group. Some are even offering disabled-friendly
vehicles, wheelchairs for hire or guidance systems for the blind. GNTB 360° polled the opinions of
all GNTB members from the hotel sector. Here’s what they had to say.

DEHOGA I The German Hotel and Restaurant Association (DEHOGA) has kept the subject
of accessibility on the agenda since the Disability
Discrimination Act (BGG) was passed in 2001/2002.
In 2004 and 2005, DEHOGA and NatKo hosted
30 ‘Hospitality for All’ seminars, providing practical
and theoretical training to around 450 hospitality
workers and employees in tourism associations.
Today, this course still forms the basic content of Marcus Smola, Managing Director of Best
Western Hotels Deutschland GmbH
training in the regions and federal states and at
the German Seminar for Tourism.
hearing. For excursions, the hotel has a
Ernst Fischer, President of the The targets agreed with Sozialverband VdK
disabled-friendly coach with a lift for
German Hotel and Restaurant Deutschland, BAG Selbsthilfe (German association
Association boarding, a lift inside the bus for seating
of self-help organisations), the German society
guests and a disabled toilet on board.
for the deaf, the German society for the blind & visually impaired and the advocacy
organisation for self-determined living have served as a benchmark for the stand-
A&O Hotels and Hostels
ardisation and classification of barrier-free hospitality since 2005. We are delighted
that the standards established for the hotel and restaurant industry are now being
People with restricted mobility or disabili-
formally transferred to the tourism industry as a whole as part of the new classifi­
ties are most welcome at all A&O hotels
cation system, and further developed, and we hope that this system will become
and hostels, and our specially trained staff
standard across the industry.
are sensitive to their needs. All hotels offer
wheelchair-friendly rooms. We will get in
Best Western Hotels Koserow on the Baltic island of Usedom is touch with our guests in advance and on
Deutschland GmbH a fine example. The building has full
wheelchair access, and for guests with
Best Western Hotels in Germany are restricted mobility or visual impairments,
managed as individual businesses, so it’s the hotel offers 16 disabled-friendly apart-
difficult to gather information about our ments suitable for wheelchair users and
services as a whole. We do know, however, 20 disabled-friendly double rooms. Ten
that many of our hotels provide custom- further rooms are specially equipped for
ised services to cater to this target group. partially sighted guests and there are Ludwig Ottenbreit, representative of the
The Hanse-Kogge Best Western Hotel in twelve rooms for guests who are hard of management board, A&O Hotels and Hostels

18 www.germany.travel
an individual basis to discuss the local
facilities. In the spirit of inclusiveness, we
do not offer special programmes for
people with restricted mobility, but en-
courage all guests to participate in activi-
ties. At A&O, it’s not only the facilities
themselves that are important, but the
sensitivity of our staff to the needs of our
guests.
NH Hoteles
Almost all of our 60 or so NH hotels in
Germany have barrier-free rooms. The NH
Hotel on Alexanderplatz in Berlin, for
Maarten Markus, Managing Director of the
Central Europe Business Unit and USA NH Hotels
example, is specially equipped for blind
and partially sighted guests. All the infor-
mation panels – from signs and infor­
mation on the landings to room numbers –
are translated into Braille and prism
lettering. The lifts have voice announcers,
and the stairs, entrances and exits have
floor-level markings. In addition, all staff at
the hotel are trained in assisting blind and
partially sighted guests.
Ringhotels
We have published our ‘Ringhotels travel
planner’ brochure to provide our guests
Susanne Weiss, Managing Director and
Member of the Board at Ringhotels
with an overview of hotel amenities. It lists
every one of our hotels and provides
details on whether there are wheelchair-
accessible rooms and, if so, how many.
We also have fully accessible hotels such
as the Teutoburger Wald Ringhotel in
Tecklenburg, which only in May was certi-
fied a barrier-free hotel by the VdK Sozial-
verband. The individual Ringhotels will get
in touch with guests with restricted mobil-
ity to discuss their needs. Depending on
the type of disability involved, it is then
possible for the hotel to decide which
room is suitable and whether all areas of
the hotel can be used by the guest.
Maritim Hotelgesellschaft mbH
Of the 38 Maritim Hotels in Germany,
23 have at least one disabled-friendly room,
whereby the suitability of the rooms can
René Halla, Director of Global Sales
at Maritim Hotelgesellschaft mbH
vary depending on the type of disability
involved. For this reason, our service staff
clarify the guest’s requirements at the
time of booking and recommend the hotel
that is most suitable.
Accor Hospitality Germany GmbH
At Accor, the term ‘diversity’ has a pro-
found ethical and social meaning that
extends far beyond the constant coming
and going of people from a huge range of
cultures and countries at our hotels. To
foster this diversity, we also focus on the
needs of people with restricted mobility
and disabilities, and have drawn up build-
ing design policies for all our brands, which
Michael Mücke, Head of Accor Germany and
Vice President of ibis and ibis Styles in Germany,
Austria and Switzerland
provide information and guidelines to
investors and franchisees. We are always
striving towards accessibility throughout
the hotel. This includes putting disabled-
friendly rooms on the ground floor and
near lifts, and ensuring all public areas are
accessible for wheelchair users.
Grand City Hotels GmbH
At Grand City Hotels, we want guests with
restricted mobility to feel at home and en-
joy their stay with us. Which is why many
of our hotels are specially tailored to the
needs of disabled people. At the Wyndham
Stralsund HanseDom Hotel, guests can
stay in barrier-free rooms and even enter
the wave pool at the Hansedom water
park in one of our wheelchairs.
In July 2013, three rooms at the Radisson
Blu Park Hotel & Conference Centre in the
Radebeul district of Dresden were refur-
bished to become disabled-friendly. In
addition to the barrier-free facilities at
many Grand City hotels, guests with
restricted mobility will receive the best
possible assistance from our attentive
staff.
Bart Beerkens, Commercial Vice President at
Grand City Hotels
19
 International
key players
Germany as a barrier-free travel destination
Accessibility is an important component of sustainable tourism. The GNTB has already started
extensive sales and marketing activities in this area in a number of key source markets, gaining
valuable insights for its future strategy. GNTB 360° asked key players from the travel industry,
academia and the media for their take on Germany as a barrier-free travel destination.

Studies on accessible tourism provide
an insight into required services
“Accessibility has become increasingly
important throughout Germany in recent
years. This also applies to the products and
facilities offered by the tourism industry.
Accessibility covers not only the structural
aspects but also transport, information
and communication systems and services.
Unfortunately the principle of accessibility
is mainly used only in the context of dis­
abled people, although it is now well
known that accessible services make life
Dr Peter Neumann,
Managing Director of NeumannConsult
easier for every traveller and are an indicator
of quality. Here in Destination Germany,
there are still significant shortfalls in infor-
mation and communication. The develop-
ment of accessible travel is gaining
momentum through studies on the eco-
nomic potential of barrier-free tourism.
These include the EU’s OSSATE project and
two studies commissioned by the Federal
Ministry for Economic Affairs, ‘Economic
Impulses of Accessible Tourism for All’
(2003) and ‘Accessible Tourism for All in
Germany – Success factors and quality
measures’ (2008). At the present time, the
EU Commission is also working on three
studies on barrier-free tourism. The find-

20 www.germany.travel

ings are due to be presented at a European
conference at the beginning of 2014. Other
important drives towards expanding
barrier-free tourism are expected, which
will certainly be of great benefit to the
tourism providers in Germany.”
Germany actively involves the
relevant people
“As a parent of a 6 year old severely disabled
child, it has been fantastic to see how
Germany has had the foresight to consider
accessibility to such a degree that, rather
than assuming what visitors need, they
have actually involved people who face
mobility challenges and asked them
how access and communication can be
improved.”
David Stratton, and-me.org.uk
(Help for families with disabled children),
Glasgow
Germany – a travel destination
with few barriers
“As to our experience and knowledge,
Germany is one of the countries where the
individual city hotels, restaurants and other
public places offer accessibility for most
people. Germany also is one of the coun-
tries which does best in thinking about the
small details and obstacles, which can be a
major hurdle for some people. As our main
goal for our customers is to travel on equal
terms with all others, without limits, and
as those people also appreciate the short
travel time from Denmark, we send our
customers to Germany – a country with
much accessibility and few limits!”
Susanne Nielsen, SUS Travel & Consulting,
Denmark
Model information strategy
“I attended the Germany Travel Mart (GTM)
in Stuttgart to assess Germany’s offering for
disabled visitors. My expectation that the
people I arranged to meet with wouldn’t
have information was proved wrong. Nota-
bly the tourism boards for Frankfurt and
Düsseldorf pulled out complete ‘Barrier-
free’ guides including information about
suitable accommodation, attractions and
sightseeing. I was very impressed with the
amount of information that Germany has
to offer for disabled people and this is set to
Accessible travel as a future
opportunity for German tourism
“The ‘Barrier-free travel – Germany is open
to all’ project is a very important step for-
ward for the German National Tourist
Board in providing better information for
people with restricted mobility. In parti­
cular, the ongoing consultation with
experts on accessibility during the design
stages of the website and campaign is
Dr Victoria Eichhorn, Lecturer in Tourism,
School of Hospitality and Tourism Manage-
ment, University of Surrey, UK
ensuring that the right content is reaching
its intended audience. The professional for-
mat benefits not only end customers with
restricted mobility but also tourism provid-
ers, who also derive commercial benefits.
The increasing number of older people,
who rely on accessible services, similarly
carries with it a positive commercial dimen-
sion. The long-term commitment to acces-
sibility initiatives will ultimately sustain
and improve the competitiveness of the
German tourism sector.”
increase with the GNTB’s ‘Barrier-free travel’
campaign. I hope to be very involved with
this and will continue to write about devel-
opments in Germany.”
Craig Grimes, ‘Accessible Everything’ blog
at www.craiggrimes.com
21
Barrier-free in Brandenburg
Our travel portal with more than 800 offers is your door to a delightful city or palace tour,
an exotic culinary excursion or simply a no-fuss visit to the water‘s edge!

Information & Agency +49 (331) 2004747

www.barrierefrei-brandenburg.de
 Your specialist for accessible travel
for wheelchair users and people with special needs

Your accessible Germany experience

We welcome guests from Germany, Europe, Australia, China,
Japan, Canada, New Zealand, USA and the whole world.
Selection of our highlights:
· Oktoberfest in Munich · Hamburg with harbor tour
· Rüdesheim/Rhein and Loreley · Castles and palaces along the Neckar River
· City breaks (Heidelberg, Dresden, …) · The Black Forest
· Berlin on several occasions · Bavaria with Neuschwarnstein

We organize trips for wheelchair users/people with special needs.

Full service with personal pick-up from airports, seaports (Hamburg, Rostock, …) and train stations in wheelchair
accessible vans or buses. Round trips including wheelchair accessible accommodation. Organization of nursing
care and mobility equipment and much more.

Further information:
www.germany4all.com · www.accamino.de
Or give us a call: Tel. +49.30.749 243 91

Visit us at the IRMA from 27th until 29th of June 2014

Accessible Tourism at the Travel and Mobility Fair in Bremen
www.mobilitaetsmesse.de REHA-, REISE- UND MOBILITÄTSMESSE
 EIFEL • ERFURT • FRANCONIAN LAKES
LUSATIAN LAKELAND • MAGDEBURG
EAST FRISIA • RUPPINER LAKES
SAXON SWITZERLAND

EAST FRISIA

Holidays for everyone

in eight German regions

We are committed to making

all aspects of your stay as
enjoyable as possible. Take
advantage of everything that
barrier-free Germany has to offer.

www.barrier-free-germany.com