Accessible tourism is often discussed in terms of infrastructure: ramps, hits, transport, and signage. While these are essential, they are only part of the picture. For professional tourist guides, accessibility is also — and crucially — about skills, communication, judgement, and adaptability. This is where the work of the European Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (FEG) plays a significant role.

Tourist guides do not engage with accessibility solely out of moral obligation. Across Europe, accessibility is underpinned by European Union legislation and fundamental rights frameworks that establish non-discrimination and participation in cultural life as legal principles. Whether in different EU countries tourist guides services are regulated or not, the overall direction is clear: accessibility is an expected standard in tourism services.

Alongside this legal context is a strong professional rationale. Tourism demographics are changing. Around one in five visitors have specific access requirements and one in 5 people in the EU are over the age of 65. Europe’s population is ageing and this means increasing demand for accessibility. Accessible tourism is not a niche market; it is a growing and increasingly mainstream part of the tourism economy. Guides who develop accessibility skills are responding to both professional responsibility and market reality.

Unlike buildings or transport systems, guides work directly with people. We interpret places, manage groups, adapt in real time, and respond to unexpected situations. Our choices — how much information we give, how we structure a tour, how we communicate, how we react under pressure — can determine whether a visitor feels included or excluded.

As an active tourist guide and FEG trainer, I see first-hand how the federation contributes to accessible tourism not only through advocacy, but through training, education, and skills-sharing across Europe. FEG’s work helps position accessibility as a core professional competence, rather than an optional extra.

The T-Guide course: training through practice

One of FEG’s most significant contributions in this area is the T-Guide course, developed in collaboration with the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT). The course focuses specifically on guiding people with learning difficulties and is built around face-to-face, practical training.

Participants do not just learn theory. They guide a real tour for a group of people with learning difficulties, are assessed on their practice, and produce a reflective report. T-Guide was delivered for the first time in 2016 and has since become a leading example of training, winning awards and international recognition.

In 2025 T-Guide training was the winner of the European Associaton of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities Innovation Award. FEG was also asked to participate at the prestigious 3rd World Summit on Accessible Tourism in Turin. I presented the T-Guide training, participated in sharing knowledge and experiences on best practices for accessible tourism and moderated discussions. You can see the T-guide presentation at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2Qqe9XZMYg&list=PLgHChObXpT5DeL2OyCh1OUQ-F5qgqoVG5&index=5

For many guides, this training is transformative. It builds confidence, improves professional judgement, and reshapes assumptions about what “good guiding” looks like.

FEG does not present accessibility tourism as a finished solution. Accessible tourism is ongoing and evolving, shaped by social change, new research, and lived experience. Training courses like T-Guide are part of a continuous process of professional development, reflection, and skills exchange across borders. FEG’s work demonstrates that accessibility is not a specialism for a few, but a core professional competence.

Looking forward, there is a clear opportunity — and responsibility — for guiding associations across Europe to prioritise accessibility training, integrate it into initial qualification pathways, and treat it as essential to professional standards. In doing so, the profession strengthens not only its social value, but its relevance, resilience, and future.