On July 16th 2024, at the Hotel Ambassador in Skopje, the partner ABAT Balkania hosted the second roundtable with 15 stakeholders attending in presence.

The primary objective of this event was to engage local disability organizations, tourism professionals, and public authorities in a thorough discussion on accessibility issues within Macedonia’s natural areas, to identify concrete challenges and to explore potential solutions.

The participants in the roundtable included representatives from the non-governmental sector, tourist guides, tourism support foundations, associations for persons with disabilities, and the business sector.

Specifically:

  • Macedonian Environmental Society
  • Association of Tourist Guides
  • Swiss Foundation (IME)
  • Bilki Live
  • GoGreen
  • National University “Kiril i Metodij”
  • Ministry of Agriculture
  • Macedonian Geopark Initiative
  • Association for Persons with Physical Disabilities “MOBILNOST”

Vlado Srbinovski, President of ABAT Balkania, opened the event with an overview of the DIANA project, covering its origins, vision, mission and expected outcomes. He also shared results of a recent questionnaire conducted among private users and public authorities to evaluate the current state of accessibility in local natural areas.

The survey highlighted a significant discrepancy in the perception of accessibility levels in Macedonia’s natural areas between public administrations and users.

The subsequent discussion underscored the prevalent issues regarding the inadequate accessibility of natural areas in Macedonia and a general lack of awareness concerning disability matters.

The participants concurred on the necessity of improving accessible tourism in Macedonia, a country with over 70% mountainous regions that offer great potential for inclusive tourism. However, accessible tourism is currently underdeveloped due to insufficient financial support and a lack of qualified staff. There is weak communication between institutions and a need to raise public awareness about disabilities.

It is crucial to influence the national strategy and provide specific training programs to address these challenges.

ll these considerations will be addressed in the project’s first intellectual output: the Compendium of Best Practices in Accessibility and Inclusive Tourism in Protected Areas. This document will be accessible on the DIANA’s website starting in September 2024!

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The second round table in Skopje