The beginnings

Accessible Romania by Sano Touring becomes National Contact Point of the Entity – European Network for Accessible Tourism

Founded in 2006 within a project carried out by nine organisations from six member countries of the European Union and operating since 2008 as a non-profit organisation based in Brussels, ENAT has undertaken the mission to transform destinations and tourism services into products accessible to all and to promote accessible tourism worldwide.

ENAT is today the most representative organisation at global level aimed at researching, promoting and practicing accessible tourism – tourism aimed at people with disabilities, seniors, people experiencing travel difficulties or those travelling with children.

Present worldwide and counting World Tourism Organisation and International Organisation for Social Tourism (ISTO) among its honorary members, ENAT gathers more than 200 organisations: national and regional agencies and committees for tourism, cities, Destination Management Organisations, private companies active in tourism, non-profits, disability organisations, educational institutions, experts and accessibility professionals.

Accessible Romania by Sano Touring, member of ENAT since 2016, is currently the only tour operator in the country that promotes Romania as a destination for accessible tourism.

Cristina Căluianu, the agency’s founder, declares: “Accessible Romania by Sano Touring promotes accessible tourism in Romania since 2015 and gained international recognition. Through customer opinions and reactions, membership to organisations and global initiatives where we promote Accessible Romania using the same criteria and standards as the rest of the countries where this type of tourism is promoted and supported by governmental and private initiatives for over 30 years, through the continuous participation of our staff in specific training programs organised at international level, we managed to place Romania on the international map of accessible tourism.”

The designation as ENAT National Contact Point represents for Accessible Romania by Sano Touring a major recognition of its activity in promoting Romania, its specificity and a wide variety of local experiences to foreign tourists with special needs.

As ENAT National Contact Point, Accessible Romania by Sano Touring becomes the “interface” in relation to all local actors, from state institutions to private companies, with the main aim of raising awareness and understanding the need for accessibility in all areas related to travel and tourism in Romania.

By providing information in Romanian about the ENAT network and recruiting new members, Accessible Romania by Sano Touring will support increasing the number of locations where all tourists are welcomed in safe and comfortable conditions, increasing the tourist attractiveness of Romania as “destination for all”, while delivering a real support at local level in accomplishing ENAT’s mission:

• To support the development and dissemination of good policies and practices in accessible tourism;
• To develop know-how and expertise on accessibility in tourism;
• To provide a platform for those who support accessibility in tourism which represents a representative voice vis-à-vis national institutions whose actions have a direct influence on the tourism sector;
• To promote accessible tourism as a means of combating discrimination against persons with disabilities and supporting wider social inclusion at national level.

Cristina Căluianu: “We aim to raise awareness of accessibility needs of people with disabilities at the level of local tourist and cultural management. For example, the number of hotels with adapted rooms and offering adequate services for the different types of special needs is insufficient. Also, staff in tourism and cultural institutions are not ready for proper interaction with people with disabilities, and most of the tourist attractions are inaccessible – and we want to change these realities. Through the projects we carry out together with partners from the country and abroad, we aim to contribute, in the long term, to improve the accessibility of tourism products and services in Romania, so that our country can truly become a welcoming destination for all. The main beneficiaries of our efforts in this regard are primarily people with disabilities in Romania, who will be able to enjoy more tourist and cultural experiences accessible in their own country. If you carry out your activity within an organisation related to tourism in Romania, from structures that provide tourism and cultural services, to educational institutions of any level, we warmly invite you to join us in supporting accessible tourism. At the same time, however, raising awareness of the needs of persons with disabilities is at our disposal, for everyone, starting with the respect of specially designed parking spaces and by educating themselves and loved ones in this regard. We are waiting for you to visit our website and our social media, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn Accessible Romania by Sano Touring pages.”.