Accessibility is not a marginal issue, but a natural part of tourism – and of everyday life. It also concerns seniors, families with young children, people recovering from injuries and visitors with temporary mobility limitations. According to the Czech Statistical Office, more than 1.3 million people with disabilities or long-term health limitations lived in Czechia in 2024, of whom more than 952,000 experienced mobility-related limitations. This includes people suffering from back pain, osteoarthritis or reduced stamina, as well as those unable to walk independently.
“Accessibility makes travelling easier for hundreds of thousands of visitors. Our role is to help them plan a trip or holiday that they can enjoy without unnecessary obstacles. Thanks to our cooperation with Disway, the Czech Paraplegic Association and regional destination management organisations, we have access to information that makes travelling easier. At the same time, the project encourages operators of tourist attractions and accommodation facilities to become more welcoming to the widest possible range of visitors,” said Jakub Kulhánek, Director of the Central Bohemian Tourism Board.
One of the main benefits of this cooperation is the use of a verified, standardised methodology for mapping accessibility, together with its practical interpretation and the opportunity to consult accessibility conditions directly with venue operators during the mapping process. Simply labelling a place as “barrier-free” is not enough. When planning a visit, people need certainty and specific information – how wide the entrances are, the gradient of ramps, the height of seemingly “small steps”, whether a lift is available and whether it is wide enough for a wheelchair or pushchair.
“Accessibility is not only about removing barriers, but above all about providing reliable information. Our aim is to make sure everyone can find out in advance what to expect at a particular place and decide for themselves whether the trip is suitable for them. A standardised mapping methodology provides verified data that helps visitors travel with greater confidence, while also showing operators that even small changes can make their services accessible to a much wider group of people,” explains Darina Maule, Vice-Chair of Disway.
“Staff at tourist attractions are often extremely helpful, but they may not always be able to assess objectively what is genuinely accessible. Even a step just a few centimetres high can be an insurmountable obstacle for some visitors. This is why it is important for accessibility information to be collected according to a standardised methodology and verified by experts. People can then make decisions based on real data rather than estimates,” adds Jakub Kulhánek.
Accessibility mapping also benefits the operators of tourist attractions and services themselves. They often discover that even minor adjustments, or simply providing a precise description of existing conditions, can significantly broaden their potential audience.
Central Bohemia offers a wide range of well-accessible destinations. These include, for example, the T. G. Masaryk Museum in Lány, the Metoděj Vlach Aviation Museum in Mladá Boleslav, the Lidice Memorial, GASK – Gallery of the Central Bohemian Region, Průhonice Park and Zruč nad Sázavou Castle, all of which take into account the needs of different groups of visitors. Inspiration and more accessible places across Central Bohemia can be found at www.visitcentralbohemia.com.
“Together with Disway and the Czech Paraplegic Association, we also create photo and video content showing how people with different needs can travel around the region. We then use this content on our website, social media channels and in other marketing campaigns,” adds Veronika Štičková, Head of Marketing at the Central Bohemian Tourism Board.
The importance of accessible travel is also highlighted each year by the Barrier-Free Monuments project, organised in September by the National Heritage Institute in cooperation with the Czech National Disability Council. Dozens of cultural institutions across Czechia take part in the initiative, sharing the common goal of demonstrating that discovering history, culture and nature can truly be open to everyone.
More travel inspiration and ideas for trips can be found at www.visitcentralbohemia.com.