DIANA - Developing Inclusive and Accessible Natural Areas

The main objective of the DIANA project was to improve the competences of nature guides in order to design and deliver more accessible and inclusive experiences in protected natural areas. We want...

The main objective of the DIANA project was to improve the competences of nature guides in order to design and deliver more accessible and inclusive experiences in protected natural areas. We wanted to create innovative and practical tools that could support their professional growth and ensure that natural tourism becomes a field open to all, including people with disabilities and special access needs. Specifically, the project aimed to: collect and valorise best practices at European and international level; design and produce a practical Training Toolkit on accessible tourism; test it through piloting activities in Italy and North Macedonia; and disseminate its results to a wide audience of stakeholders. By achieving these objectives, we intended to promote more sustainable and inclusive tourism models, raise awareness about accessibility as a core quality factor, and foster the creation of a European network committed to improving participation and enjoyment of natural heritage for everyone.

We applied for the DIANA project to address a clear need in the tourism sector: the lack of specific competences and tools for nature guides to provide accessible and inclusive experiences in protected natural areas. While guides are already skilled in environmental knowledge and group management, they often lack training on how to welcome and manage visitors with disabilities or special access needs. At the same time, the demand for inclusive and sustainable tourism is growing at European level, yet structured training paths on this topic remain scarce. The project aimed to fill this gap by developing practical resources and training opportunities, strengthening the professional skills of guides and enabling them to reduce physical, communicative, and organizational barriers. In doing so, it supported the broader participation of people with disabilities in nature-based tourism and promoted higher quality and sustainability of tourism offers.

The Accessible and Inclusive Tourism in Nature Areas Training Toolkit - SPA; The Compendium of Best practices in Accessibility and Inclusive Tourism in protected natural areas - EN; The Accessible and Inclusive Tourism in Nature Areas Training Toolkit - EN; The Compendium of Best practices in Accessibility and Inclusive Tourism in protected natural areas - ITA; The Compendium of Best practices in Accessibility and Inclusive Tourism in protected natural areas - MKD; The Accessible and Inclusive Tourism in Nature Areas Training Toolkit - MKD; The Compendium of Best practices in Accessibility and Inclusive Tourism in protected natural areas - SPA; The Accessible and Inclusive Tourism in Nature Areas Training Toolkit - ITA