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Costa Cruises and AISM: Tours Now Also Accessible to Guests with Disabilities for the First Time
The new "AdagioTours", available for Mediterranean cruises on the flagship Costa Diademafrom January 2019, will also allow guests with impaired mobility to take partin group shore excursions. The programs have been planned with the help of 15women with multiple sclerosis, thanks to an initiative promoted by the CostaCrociere Foundation and AISM.
Genoa,September 27, 2018 – Costa Cruises, AISM (Italian Multiple Sclerosis Association) and the Costa Crociere Foundation present the results of a joint project aimedat making vacations increasinglyaccessible to people with impairedmobility. For the first time in theworld in the cruise sector, guests with disabilities will be able toparticipate in group shore excursions,at no extra cost, with accessibility verified by AISM, in accordance with themost advanced international good practices.
The new tours, called "Adagio Tours", will be available for booking from January 1, 2019 forMediterranean cruises on the flagship CostaDiadema. At every port of call, at least one group excursion will beoffered that is accessible to everyone, including guests with impairedmobility, and this is available at no extra cost. The list of tours currently includes visitsto the cities of Genoa, Marseilles, Barcelona, Palermo, Rome, Palma de Mallorcaand Cagliari. "Adagio Tours" have been developed considering theneeds of all our guests who want to enjoy their chosen destinations at a slowerpace, with more time to discover or rediscover them. They are thereforeparticularly suited to parents with strollers, elderly guests or people withpermanent or temporary mobility impairments.
The programmes for these excursions have beendevised, tested and checked with the contribution of 15 women with multiple sclerosis, trained and selected by AISMthanks to the "WAT! Women Accessibility Tourism" program funded by theCosta Crociere Foundation. These women - some with no permanent job, others whoare students, recent graduates or part-time workers, all passionate abouttravel and tourism - attended a specific 160-hour training course on land andon board Costa ships, benefiting from the experience of AISM and a team ofexcursion experts from Costa Cruises. Following this training, starting with afew excursions already included in the Costa offer, they contributed toplanning the tours, testing them first hand and taking into consideration everydetail relating to accessibility, route mapping, tourism experiences, makingthe most of local attractions. The skills gained will also help the 15 womenfind employment in the field of sustainable tourism.
"AISMhas been about people, rights and research for 50 years. Our aim of achieving aworld free of multiple sclerosis also means ensuring full inclusion and theopportunity for everyone to live their life beyond multiple sclerosis. This iswhy the priorities in our Agenda for 2020 include access to stable employmentand the right to inclusion, which also means accessible tourism. AISM isworking to achieve change with a real impact on people's lives. The socialvalue of our actions, as an Association, lies in achieving changes that benefiteveryone with a mobility impairment and everyone in the community with similarproblems. Change has to be contagious and applied to civil society as awhole", explains Mario AlbertoBattaglia, President of AISM.
"Withthe cooperation of AISM and the contribution of our Foundation, we have tackledthe subject of accessible tourism in a responsible way, with the aim of makingsignificant changes to people's lives. This project, which is a real innovationin the world of cruises, is an important step forward towards including peoplewith disabilities and ensuring that there are no more differences and thateveryone can share the same experiences when on vacation. I hope our initiativecan be extended to the whole sector in future. We certainly undertake to extendit to the other ships in our fleet." - says Neil Palomba, President of Costa Cruises.
The Adagio Tourssupplement the other services Costa already offers guests with disabilities onboard its fleet. All company ships include appropriately fitted cabins with allthe comforts required and free of any architectural barriers. Guests who needspecial assistance can also benefit from free travel for an accompanying personstaying in the cabin with them. Priority boarding and landing services andreserved seats at the theatre, on the pool decks and in the buffet restaurantsare also guaranteed.
AISM is the only organizationin Italy dedicated to all aspects of multiplesclerosis. It takes an overallapproach to its work that encompasses therights of people with MS, social services and healthcare and thepromotion, guidance and funding of scientificresearch. It has been operating since 1968. It is a not-for-profit social promotionassociation with local branches and volunteering activities across Italy. For the last 50 years, it has been the most authoritative and closest point of reference for all MSsufferers, their families, health care staff and social workers, operating across the country thanks to a network structurewith 98 provincial sections, regional coordination offices, more than 60operating groups and over 13,000 volunteers.Since 1998, AISM has been working with FISM,the Italian Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, which promotes and supports innovative basic and applied research aimed at improvingquality of life and treatments and, in the long term, identifying a definitecure for multiple sclerosis. FISM is the thirdbiggest private funding organization for research into MS in the world, second only to the US andCanadian associations, and on an equal footing with the British one.
Costa Cruises isan Italian company that is part of Carnival Corporation & plc, the largestcruise group in the world. For 70 years the ships of the Costa fleet have beentravelling the world's seas offering hospitality and authentic Italian styleholidays, distinguished by exquisite food, fine wines, unique shoppingexperiences, and a comprehensive selection of famous Italian brands. Currentlythe Costa fleet has 14 ships in service, all flying the Italian flag. Two newlatest generation vessels are expected in 2019 and 2021. They will be fuelledby liquefied natural gas (LNG), the world's "cleanest fossil fuel",and a real environmental innovation. Costa represents Italian excellence, andevery day surpasses the expectations of its guests with a unique andunforgettable holiday experience. It does this thanks to the approximately19,000 employees around the world who work to provide the best of Italy onboard, with 140 different routes, 250 destinations and 60 ports of embarkation.
Costa Crociere Foundation is an independent, not-for-profit organization founded in 2014 todefeat the most urgent social and environmental problems that impact on thecommunities of the countries where Costa Cruises operates. The Foundationoperates through social projects for women, young people and the weakestmembers of society, and through an environmental program for the protection ofthe sea. Over 17,000 people have benefited from the 24 projects currently beingrun.
For further information:
CostaCruises
Press Office - Tel. +39 010 5483523 / 0105483068 - costapressoffice@costa.it
Gabriele Baroni – Communication Director –cell +39 3497668013 - baroni@costa.it
Davide Barbano - Media Relations Manager - +39010.5483523 - 334.6525216 – barbano@costa.it
Press releases and photos available at # AISM PressOffice -Barbara Erba – +39 347.758.18.58barbaraerba@gmail.com – EnricaMarcenaro – +39 010 2713414enrica.marcenaro@aism.it Communication Manager andPress Office Paola Lustro – tel. +39 010 2713834 paola.lustro@aism.it Press releases and photos available at # Kaleidoscope powered