Benidorm and Predif present at Fitur the 'Digital Guide of accessible hotels', with the resources of 60 establishments

Benidorm already has a specific guide on the accessibility services offered by its hotel plant; a living document prepared by the Representative Platform for People with Physical Disabilities (Predif) and that was born from the collaboration of this entity with  Benidorm City Council and with the accommodation sector of the city.

The mayor, Toni Pérez, and the director of Predif's Accessible Tourism area, Miguel Carrasco, presented today this 'Digital Guide to accessible hotels' during the Madrid International Tourism Fair (Fitur), together with the president of Hosbec, Fede Fuster, and Luz Marina Gil, tourism technician at Predif.

Toni Pérez highlighted that "this guide is a reflection of the commitment of the Benidorm accommodation sector with inclusion, with providing a tourist experience accessible to all". "A goal -he assured- that we share local Administration and private initiative, that we work constantly to advance towards the universal accessibility of our destination".

The mayor assured that "in Predif, Benidorm has found an ally not only to outline strategies and objectives in terms of accessibility but also when testing the effectiveness and scope of the actions we undertake to consolidate ourselves as the sun and beach destination most accessible and inclusive in Spain”.

Predif's "criterion" and "evaluation" are "certified guarantee that this work and collective commitment is progressing on the right way".

The 'Digital Guide of accessible hotels' includes the resources and characteristics of 60 establishments in Benidorm, informing the user about the conditions of physical, visual, auditory, cognitive, or other types of accessibility offered by each of them in their facilities and services, as stated by the director of the area of Accessible Tourism of Predif.

Specifically, it reports on the existence of parking spaces and toilets reserved for people with reduced mobility, adapted rooms or support resources for the pool. Also, if the establishment has staff with knowledge of sign language or trained in dealing with people with accessibility needs; as well as the availability of a magnetic hearing loop or menus for people with food intolerances.

The sample of establishments is made up of three five-star hotels, 35 four-star hotels, 21 three-star hotels, and one two-star hotel.

Carrasco explained that when preparing this guide "we have audited all the hotels in Benidorm and we have detected that practically 50% meet universal accessibility criteria"; and he has highlighted that through this document these criteria are valued and "Benidorm as a reference in accessibility".

For his part, the president of Hosbec indicated that from the hotel sector "we have been expanding knowledge and improving our infrastructure" to "provide service to people with any type of disability, both in hotels and outside them, because the reality is that the Benidorm destination as a whole is also very adapted”.

Toni Pérez recalled that "accessibility is one of the axes of the DTI" and "most likely the one in which we have made the most progress since 2015 when we made it a transversal element in our municipal planning and management policies".

The collaboration between Benidorm and Predif began in 2017. As a result of this relationship, the first Tourist Accessibility Plan emerged, a document that serves as a roadmap for the implementation of improvement actions; and now this 'Accessible Hotels Digital Guide' is born. In parallel, Predif personnel have offered training sessions on accessibility to the tourism sector.

In this regard, Carrasco stressed that "training and information" are "key"; and he added that "year after year we continue to develop accessible tourism with Benidorm".