8. Make Accessibility and Inclusion a Destination-Wide Standard
Accessible tourism is not a niche product. It is a measure of whether Sardinia can offer a safe, dignified and enjoyable experience to people with physical, sensory, cognitive or intellectual disabilities, older visitors, families with young children and travellers with temporary access needs.
The Region has already made a material commitment. In 2025 it approved the “L’Isola che accoglie: Turismo accessibile e inclusivo in Sardegna” programme, backed initially by €1.769 million from the national inclusion fund and focused on Alghero, La Maddalena–Caprera, Orosei and Carloforte. A subsequent regional programme allocated €14 million for inclusive-tourism projects involving 18 municipalities, alongside the Urban Authorities of Iglesias and Olbia.[regione.sardegna][regione.sardegna][regione.sardegna]
Problem
Accessibility is often approached as a limited physical-infrastructure issue: a ramp, an adapted toilet or a designated parking space. These elements matter, but a visitor’s actual journey involves many connected steps:
- Finding reliable and detailed information before booking.
- Reaching the island and moving between transport modes.
- Entering accommodation, attractions, beaches, trails, restaurants and public spaces.
- Using toilets, changing facilities, seating, shade and drinking-water points.
- Understanding signs, menus, safety information and digital services.
- Receiving informed, respectful service.
- Being able to rely on the stated level of access when plans are made and money is spent.
A destination is only as accessible as its least accessible link. Inconsistent information is particularly damaging: visitors may be told that a place is accessible without being given the specific details needed to decide whether it works for their individual requirements.
Destination implication
Improving accessibility expands the potential visitor market, supports longer stays and repeat visits, improves experiences for residents and strengthens Sardinia’s reputation for hospitality. It also produces broader benefits: step-free routes, clearer signage, benches, shade, quiet spaces, accessible transport and better digital information improve the visitor experience for many people, not only disabled travellers.
The strategic objective should be to make accessibility an integrated requirement in tourism development, public-realm design, transport, nature access, cultural programming and destination information.
Proposed direction
Establish an island-wide Accessible Sardinia Standard, using universal-design principles and verified visitor information.
Priority measures should include:
- Create a single digital accessibility platform with verified, regularly updated details for transport, accommodation, beaches, attractions, trails, restaurants, toilets, parking and emergency services.
- Move beyond a simple accessible/not-accessible label. Publish practical specifications such as step-free entrances, gradients, lift dimensions, door widths, bathroom layouts, beach-mat availability, transfer equipment, sensory conditions and accessible transport connections.
- Require accessibility assessments for publicly funded tourism infrastructure, destination-marketing participation and major tourism developments.
- Upgrade priority visitor routes as complete accessible journeys, connecting arrival points, parking, public transport, accommodation, waterfronts, cultural sites, beaches and visitor facilities.
- Improve accessible beach and coastal access through boardwalks, adapted changing facilities, shaded seating, beach wheelchairs, trained assistants and clear information on sea and weather conditions.
- Apply “design for all” principles to trails, viewpoints, museums, heritage sites, parks and marine experiences, while being transparent where the natural terrain prevents full physical access.
- Provide quiet rooms, decompression areas, accessible toilets, clear wayfinding, easy-read materials and sensory-considerate service options.
- Train frontline tourism workers in disability confidence, inclusive communication, appropriate assistance and emergency response.
- Involve disabled people and representative organisations directly in co-design, inspection, testing and evaluation.
- Establish a recognised verification mark for businesses and destinations that meet robust accessibility and information standards.
Existing foundation
The regional guidelines for inclusive tourism already identify practical interventions such as more accessible toilets and refreshment areas, decompression spaces for people with cognitive needs, benches with backrests and armrests along routes, and baby-friendly facilities.[files.regione.sardegna]
Sardinia is also developing inclusive access to outdoor recreation. The “Sentieri per tutti” project aims to enhance and integrate the regional walking-trail network using design-for-all criteria. This approach should be extended from individual projects to a coherent network of accessible visitor experiences across coast, city, countryside and protected landscapes.[sardegnasentieri]
Relevant stakeholders
Regional Departments of Tourism, Social Policies, Transport and Public Works; municipalities; transport operators; airports and ports; accommodation and hospitality businesses; beach-concession operators; protected-area and heritage-site managers; cultural institutions; disability-rights organisations; health and emergency services; architects and accessibility specialists; tourism platforms and booking providers.
Possible indicators
| Indicator | Suggested measurement |
|---|---|
| Verified information | Share of priority tourism services with independently verified accessibility information |
| Accessible journey coverage | Number and length of connected accessible routes linking transport, accommodation, attractions and public facilities |
| Accommodation | Share of rooms and tourism establishments meeting defined accessibility standards |
| Beaches and nature access | Number of accessible beaches, trails, viewpoints, parks and marine experiences |
| Transport | Share of key tourism transport services, stops and interchange points meeting accessibility requirements |
| Staff capability | Share of frontline workers completing inclusive-service and emergency-assistance training |
| Visitor experience | Satisfaction, complaints, repeat-visit intention and independent user testing by disabled travellers |
| Co-design | Number of investment projects designed, reviewed or tested with representative user organisations |
Delivery horizon
Immediate to long term. Use the funded municipal projects as demonstration sites, but establish common technical standards, training and a verified information system from the outset. Scale investment through public-space renewal, tourism business incentives, transport planning and nature-access programmes so accessibility becomes a normal expectation rather than a specialist add-on.