Inclusive tourism is not only about the accessibility of free movement for people with disabilities, but it is mainly about the accessibility of social relations and empathy.
Everyone knows that traveling, a change of scenery, new acquaintances and vivid impressions have a beneficial, and sometimes radical effect on the person’s state and life, opening up a new view of the world and helping to overcome existing barriers.
In case of people with mental problems, developmental delays, autism (and a different range of physiological characteristics), travel is a necessary healing therapy.
But as our research in 2019 showed one of the fundamental problems for parents raising children with special needs is social isolation. And for most of them tourist trips, excursions, travel are not possible.
Many parents are forced to give up rest, as it is often difficult to leave the hotel room with the child: they face people’s puzzled looks because of child’s various stereotypes, they have to leave public places if the child is nervous, screams and cannot calm down, etc.
Therefore, when on November 8, 2019, we opened our travel company Novel trip and launched the unique project “Special Tours for Special People”, the goal of the project was quite obvious to us. It is to make recreation affordable for people with developmental disabilities: autism, Down syndrome, ADHD, psychomotor development retardation, Delay in speech development, etc. To make it affordable, first of all, in terms of social contact.
We develop tourist programs in such a way that each of our guests can not only see the beauty of Georgia, but also feel as a part of safe friendly society, becoming a member of a unique inclusive team.
Not only families with special children can become participants in the inclusive tour, but also everyone who is interested in the topic of inclusion.

Vera Burova, director of the Novel Trip