Heritage tourism allows travelers to connect with history and cultural traditions, to foster a sense of identity and continuity, helping communities to maintain their cultural integrity and to transmit traditions to future generations. Heritage tourism also promotes the preservation of cultural heritage, helping in the conservation of historical sites and architectural style, thereby supporting local economies, providing jobs and contributing to sustainable development.

Nevertheless, heritage tourism still has to deal with several challenges, among which accessibility for all is one of the most important ones. Many heritage sites were not originally designed to accommodate all visitors and physical complications, such as steps or narrow pathways, still hinder access for several vulnerable groups. Information-related challenges, such as the unavailability of information in accessible formats, persist. There is still a lack of understanding and awareness among the relevant touristic staff and personnel on the needs to guarantee accessibility to everyone.

Accessible tourism is a key objective promoted by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO, 2023), which highlights that 1.3 billion people, about 16% of the global population, live with significant disabilities. Ensuring accessibility to tourism facilities, products, and services is essential for any responsible and sustainable tourism policy. Accessibility is an opportunity for touristic companies to welcome all visitors, thereby boosting their social capital. Accessible tourism could also be fundamental for persons living in rural and remote areas, by offering new job opportunities, promoting social justice, human rights and fundamental freedoms.

From this perspective, sustainable tourism should adopt a "Design for All" approach, addressing the different needs of everyone at different stages of their lives and guaranteeing that everyone, including the most vulnerable groups, could accede to cultural heritage as an irreplaceable source of knowledge, growth and identity.

The program aims to bring together Master’s students, PhD candidates, PhD, post-Doctoral Researchers, Professor and professionals from all around the world to develop innovative solution in favour of the creation, preservation, protection, promotion and enjoyment of heritage for everyone and in every circumstance. Participants will explore principles, concepts, methods, and best practices related to heritage accessibility and sustainable heritage tourism, in line with the Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society (Faro Convention, 2005). The School will focus also on the legal and socio-political aspects about accessibility in order to foster an inclusive and socially sustainable approach to heritage tourism, by providing theoretical insights, methodological frameworks. Participants will be provided with the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable tourism practices that enhance both tangible and intangible cultural heritage, adhering to a "Design for All" philosophy to advance heritage justice.

Institutional knowledge and experience will be brought together around concrete actions to guarantee accessibility to heritage, also by creating field-based international platforms on accessible heritage tourism and civic initiatives to enable institutions and communities to develop decision-making capacities in this field.