• Ade Adepitan, British television presenter and wheelchair basketball player, has been confirmed as the ambassador for the Spanish Tourist Office’s latest #SpainforAll campaign.
• (Industry peers that would like to like to share any insight or consider joining the ‘Spain for All’ campaign on an advisory panel can register their interest here)

Ade Adepitan has been confirmed as the official ambassador for ‘Spain for All’, a campaign from the Spanish Tourist Office underlining the country’s commitment to improving accessibility and social inclusivity within the travel and tourism sector.

‘Spain for All’ comprises of a number of different initiatives aimed at creating dialogue, sharing key learnings, and building a roadmap for better tourism inclusivity from a social and accessibility standpoint. The campaign includes a travel industry advisory panel with the aim of collating feedback to identify key challenges and opportunities and help build a roadmap towards positive progress.

Adepitan has spent significant time in Spain having lived in Zaragoza and has travelled the length and breadth of the country both personally and professionally. His ambassadorship role includes consultancy services for the advisory panel, personal feedback on his own experiences of travelling around the country as a wheelchair user, and endorsement of the campaign. He is also playing a role at Spain Sustainability Day taking place on 17 April 2024, with a part of the day dedicated to social sustainability and accessibility.

Ade Adepitan says:

“I am ecstatic to work alongside the Spanish Tourist Office on the ‘Spain for All’ campaign.  This type of campaign can truly have a life changing impact on one of the most neglected communities in the world. The disabled community!

Overall, I already rank Spain highly when it comes to accessibility provisions and infrastructure, but we need to educate everyone who works in the tourism industry about how to cater for people with disabilities. We should not be seen as a burden and should be treated with the same respect as all paying customers.  When you are dealing with a person with a disability, you should not make assumptions about what they can and can’t do.  Ask them what they need and listen to them, listen to hear and not to challenge, and always have a can-do attitude.

I believe this campaign could be one of the most important moments in the history of Spanish tourism. The disabled community has billions of pounds of spending power, but until now nobody has ever taken a serious look at how to give us that 5-star service experience.”

This campaign follows a UK survey conducted by Opinium on behalf of the Spanish Tourist Office in December 2023 which asked 1800 UK adults for their thoughts on how accessible Spain is as a travel destination with 86 percent of respondents considering Spain to be ‘very or quite’ accessible.

“Manuel Butler, director of the Spanish Tourist Office (UK), says:

“We are delighted to have Ade Adepitan on board as the ambassador for ‘Spain for All’.  Having spent time all over Spain, from Zaragoza to Ibiza, Ade is the perfect champion to support the Spanish Tourist Office’s objective of making Spain accessible to all. We hope to learn from Mr Adepitan and our peers in the travel industry to better understand the challenges people with accessibility needs face as we continue to advocate for a more inclusive travel sector.”

Last year, the Spanish Tourist Board in the United Kingdom announced its new campaign, ‘Spain for All’, which underlies the country’s aspiration to be a welcoming destination for all. With an ongoing commitment to improving accessibility, eliminating discrimination, and improving diversity within the travel sector, the Spanish Tourist Board is dedicated to making an accessible Spain the reality.  

Below are four recommended accessible activities and initiatives for travellers to Spain.

Explore Valencia's initiatives for travellers with speech, language and communication barriers

The charming historic city of Valencia is one of Spain’s most famous destinations and is a popular choice to visit throughout the year. Pictogram imagery can be found across the city, aiming to improve accessibility for visitors with speech and communication difficulties, including those on the autism spectrum disorder. A map of the city featuring these pictograms can be downloaded here, meaning that those who might find a standard map challenging can navigate the city and feel less overwhelmed when doing so. For those with impaired vision, Visit Valencia also offers audio recordings of the six main routes around the city, helping all visitors to discover the city. 

Ascend the walls of Ávila in a wheelchair

Every year tourists flock to take in the view from the 1,000 year old medieval walls of Ávila,  Castile and León. Refurbishments to this monument include accessible entrances to certain parts of the wall for travellers with reduced mobility or wheelchair users. The Ávila Visitor Centre also loans out wheelchairs for reduced-mobility visitors to the town so that they can enjoy their visit in greater comfort. Enterprises like these made Ávila the first ever city to receive the Access City Award from the European Commission (2011), marking the city’s work to creating an environment accessible to locals and visitors alike. 

Ávila was also highlighted as an example of accessibility at the International Congress on Tourism for All, organised in Spain by the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT). Find out more about the accessible enterprises in Ávila that have contributed towards the city being recognised as one of the most accessible in Spain here.  

Discover Madrid

The capital has attractions to suit a range of travellers, including those with additional needs and disabilities. Madrid Tourism Board’s Accessible Tourism Guide, downloadable here, provides a plethora of ways to enjoy Madrid and supports travellers with any barriers they may face. With seven accessible tourism routes of interest and information on accessible accommodation, restaurants, attractions and transport to name a few, the guide is the perfect resource both before and during a trip to Madrid. Accessible Madrid also arranges accessible tours of Madrid and the surrounding area, alongside advice on travel in and around the capital. 

Take an accessible tour of Montserrat, Barcelona

The UNESCO-listed site of Montserrat, just outside Barcelona, is home to breathtaking rock formations and the eponymous Montserrat Monastery, the spiritual heart of Catalonia and the location of the mythical 12^th-century Black Madonna (Mary). Accessible Spain Travel have created a Montserrat Half Day Accessible Excursion to allow travellers with reduced mobility enjoy a visit to Montserrat. The tour is tailored for wheelchair users and those with limited mobility, with highlights of the tour including a scenic mountain drive and a visit to the Basilica of Montserrat, with weekday tours also providing the opportunity to enjoy hearing one of the most famous choirs in Europe – Escalonia de Montserrat.

The list recognises villages which are excellent examples of rural tourism with accredited cultural and natural assets, that preserve and promote rural and community-based values, products, and lifestyle. Included destinations must have a clear commitment to innovation and sustainability in all its aspects – economic, social and environmental.

The three villages in Spain: Alquézar, Aragon; Rupit, Catalonia; and Guadalupe, Extremadura, all meet the criteria. 

Alquézar, Aragon

The small medieval village of Alquézar is situated in Huesca, Aragon, by the foothills of the Pyrenees and within the Sierra Natural Park near the Canyons of Guara. The town holds samples of rock art which are declared a World Heritage Site in the Vero River Cultural Park. The collegiate church of Santa María la Mayor, declared an Historic-Artistic Site, stands above the village with a cloister of Romanesque capitals and its organ, as well as numerous hermitages.

The town has worked to create a sustainable tourism model to combat regional depopulation by making rural tourism a business activity linked to heritage, the environment, and people. After its success, the Aragonese Government is looking to extend similar plans to other municipalities within the area.

Click here for more information. 

Rupit, Catalonia

The Medieval town of Rupit lies a day trip (98km) from Barcelona. The village is famous for its stony houses, streets, squares, and bridges which are indistinguishable from the surrounding cliffs. The name Rupit even derives from the latin rupes, meaning cliff - or rock. The historic centre boasts the Sant Joan de Fabregues church and Rupit Castle, dating back to the 10th century AD. The thousand-year-old village now relies on tourism, offering services ranging from mountain biking guided tours to the Sallent Waterfall, to exploring Pedretes Cave, underneath the Rupit hanging bridge.

Click here for more information. 

Guadalupe, Extremadura

Located in the region of Las Villuercas in Cáceres province of Extremadura, Guadalupe is a historic village with cobbled streets and traditional architecture, including heritage buildings like the 14th Century Royal Monastery of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The typical mountain village, declared an Historic-Artistic Site, grew under the wing of the Royal Monastery of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Guadalupe is also an excellent showcase for the regional cuisine. Local dishes tend to be simple but with ingredients of excellent quality: Iberian sausages, ajoblanco (a cold soup with almonds, garlic, bread and olive oil), migas (breadcrumbs with chorizo and bacon) and caldereta de cordero (lamb stew).

Click here for more information. 

The ‘Accessible French Way of the Camino de Santiago’ will feature geolocation technology which will allow pilgrims with disabilities, especially blind people, to guide themselves along the entire Camino and locate different hostels to stay. The initiative will also evaluate the accessibility of accommodation options along the route. The project has been launched now as Spain is celebrating Xacobeo 2021, the Compostela Holy Year when pilgrims are most inclined to make the pilgrimage, and has received recognition from the Xacobean Council as part of the official programme. The ground-breaking project will make the Camino de Santiago accessible and provide equal opportunity for those with disabilities that wish to tick off a true bucket-list item.

The Director of Tourism of the Government of Navarra explained that "the Camino de Santiago is a fundamental element of Navarra's heritage, and also a priceless tourist resource that offers many different route options for people making the journey. However, the most important thing is not just completing the Camino de Santaigo walk, but also the experience along the way.  So it should be universally accesible so that everyone can partake in the experience given its suitable routes, accommodation and services. The walker has to be able to travel, take in their surroundings and discover the Camino de Santiago without limitations. It is also a fantastic trip to reactivate tourism in a safe, sustainable, inclusive and innovative manner."