Benidorm arrives at the end of the 2018 Accessible Destination Award

Benidorm has reached the end of the 2018 Accessible Destination Award, which is delivered annually by Thyssenkrupp Home Solutions entity and which distinguishes cities that bet on tourism without barriers. The city has obtained the highest score of all the municipalities of the Valencian Community that had reached the second phase of the contest. In total, the city has achieved 6,142 votes online -through the web www.destinoaccesible.es-, compared to 2,789 collected by the second ranked, Cullera.

In this way, Benidorm will represent the Valencian Community in the final phase of the contest, which already has five editions and in which citizen participation is fundamental, since it has been the fans and followers in the social networks of Thyssenkrupp that have proposed to the candidates and an online popular vote that has determined who the finalists are.

The acting mayor, Ana Pellicer, thanked "the citizen support we have received and that has allowed the name of Benidorm to sound again at the national level as a synonym of accessible tourism". Pellicer recalled that "before starting the popular vote, Thyssenkrupp verified that Benidorm has a comprehensive accessibility plan, that we have accessible routes and that we have an adapted catering offer, essential requirements to be eligible for this award".

In this regard, he pointed out that "in the last two and a half years, Benidorm has developed numerous and continuous actions to advance the objective of Universal Accessibility, both in tourism and urban scene." Thus, in addition, various Accessibility Plans to eliminate architectural barriers throughout the city through the construction of downspouts and lugs; adapted traffic lights have been installed for people who are deafblind; and collaboration agreements have been signed with the State Platform for People with Physical Disabilities (PREDIF). As a result of this collaboration, Benidorm has been included in the 'Guide to Accessible Urban Getaways' and the entity has created three experiences accessible by Benidorm after analyzing more than fifty municipal services and hotel and restaurant establishments.

The final phase of the Accessible Tourism Destination 2018 will be from October 15 to November 15, a period in which Benidorm will compete with the winning municipalities of each Autonomous Community.

In previous editions the cities of Cáceres, Luga, Avilés and Soria received this award.