Presentation of pilot initiatives on the development of accessible tourism in the Braslav region was held at the recreation center “Drivyaty”
On February 25, 2025 at the recreation center “Drivyaty” of the National Park “Braslav Lakes” a starting conference on the presentation of two pilot initiatives aimed at the organization of accessible tourism in the Braslav region was held: pilot initiative “Accessible Tourism in Braslav” by Euroregion Lake Land (Braslav Regional NGO for Cross-Border Cooperation)and pilot initiative ‘Inclusive Beach’ by the Territorial Social Service Center of Braslav District.
About 40 people participated in the event in offline and online formats. Among them were residents of the Braslav region, representatives of public administration authorities, tourism specialists, and representatives of other pilot initiatives.
During the conference, the participants were presented with the main ideas and goals of the implementation of the pilot initiatives “Accessible Tourism in Braslav” and “Inclusive Beach”, as well as their tasks and expected results.
The main idea of the pilot initiative “Accessible Tourism in Braslav” is to develop accessible tourism by developing adapted inclusive tourism products and training specialists of tourism sphere, as well as adapting the acquired knowledge on the territory of Braslav region.
Among the planned activities of this pilot initiative is to conduct an online course “Accessible Tourism” to build the capacity of specialists of the tourism sphere and develop their skills and competencies in developing tourism products for persons with disabilities. Training on this course is already underway. The participants of the course are deepening into the problem of inclusive tourism, sharing effective examples of joint work in organizing recreation for people with disabilities, listening to lectures, doing homework. It is planned that at least 20 specialists of the tourism sphere will undergo online training.
Also, as part of the pilot initiative “Accessible Tourism in Braslav” it is envisaged to equip the recreation center “Drivyaty” with elements of barrier-free environment. In particular, it is planned to remodel several rooms for persons in wheelchairs, equip the swimming pool complex with two electric elevators and purchase three electric scooters for persons with mobility difficulties to visit hiking trails. These upgrades will provide year-round recreation for persons with disabilities and seniors.
Another pilot initiative “Inclusive Beach” was presented during the conference. Its main idea is social rehabilitation and adaptation of people with disabilities and development of adaptive tourism in Braslav district by creating an inclusive beach integrated into the city public beach.
The sustainability of the pilot initiative lies in the following aspects:
- in the season of work the beach functions daily under the condition of favorable weather (from 18 degrees Celsius) from 9 am to 18 pm;
- During the summer season, every day during the working day there is a staff on duty at the beach, ready to assist people with various types of musculoskeletal disorders;
- beach operation is only possible with the help of volunteers;
- hotels and cafes receive an additional incentive to create an accessible environment;
- lifeguard station is located right next to the beach, whose staff keeps the area under constant monitoring.
The pilot initiatives “Accessible Tourism in Braslav” and “Inclusive Beach” are being implemented with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Republic of Belarus within the framework of the Joint Project “Support to the Efforts of the Republic of Belarus in Nationalization and Localization of SDGs” funded by the Government of the Russian Federation.
The implementation of these initiatives will contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals 3, 10, 11 and the other SDGs by the Republic of Belarus.
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