OPEN DESTINATIONS | Tourism for All 2026 Conference
Open Destinations | Tourism for All 2026
📅 28 May 2026
📍 Regional Centre for Contemporary Arts Toplocentrala, Sofia
About
Tourism is usually discussed through numbers.
Visitors. Nights. Revenue.
This conference begins somewhere else.
Open Destinations | Tourism for All 2026 explores how inclusive design can reshape the way destinations are conceived, experienced and developed.
Across Europe, cities are rethinking tourism. Cultural experiences are becoming central to how places define themselves, yet many environments are still designed around a narrow idea of the visitor.
The Conference
Open Destinations | Tourism for All 2026 is an international conference exploring the role of inclusive design* in shaping the future of tourism and cultural experiences.
The event brings together designers, policymakers, tourism professionals, cultural organisations and researchers to discuss how destinations can become more welcoming, accessible and meaningful for everyone.
As Europe faces demographic change, growing expectations around accessibility and ESG, and increasing diversity in travel needs, destinations that design for human diversity will be the ones that thrive.
The conference creates a space for dialogue between design, tourism, culture and public policy, presenting international perspectives and practical examples of how inclusive design can become a strategic driver for destination development.
*Inclusive design is a methodology that helps create mainstream products, services, and environments usable by the widest possible range of people, naturally leading to better solutions, happier customers, and more sales.
Who is this for
This conference is for people who shape how places are experienced
Designers across disciplines: learn how to design better for more people, and why that’s what gets recognised today
Architects and urban planners: see how small design decisions shape how people move, enter, and use spaces, often in ways you’ve never been taught
Tourism professionals and destination managers: understand where visitors struggle, drop off, or feel excluded, and how to fix it across the whole journey
Cultural organisations and experience creators: learn why people don’t engage, even when they show up, and how to design experiences they can follow and enjoy
Public sector representatives and policymakers: see where policies break down in real life, and how to connect strategy with what people experience on the ground
Hospitality and travel businesses: identify where you’re losing customers, and how small changes improve satisfaction and reviews
NGOs and organisations working in accessibility and inclusion: discover new ways to turn knowledge into visible, real-world change
Program
The day unfolds across three connected topics:
The strategic and economic frame
Opening keynotes position inclusive tourism as a significant and still underutilised opportunity, with relevance for policy, business, and regional development.
Design in practice
Sessions explore how design decisions, from interiors to services, directly shape access, participation, and quality of experience in tourism and hospitality.
Cities and regions as inclusive ecosystems
The afternoon programme presents real examples from cities and regions implementing inclusion through policy, infrastructure, and community-focused approaches.
The programme addresses key themes, including inclusive design as a strategy, accessibility beyond compliance, cultural experiences for diverse audiences, and collaboration among cities, design, and tourism ecosystems.
👀The full program will be available soon
Partners
The event is organised by the Design for All Bulgaria Foundation and EIDD - Design for All, with the support of our partners:
👏Visit Sofia | Sofia Tourism Administration
👏Istituto Italiano di Cultura a Sofia
👏Best Western Plus Lozenetz Hotel
👏DABOV Speciality Coffee
👏AYA Estate Vineyards
🌍Language
The official language of the conference is English.
Събитието ще се проведе изцяло на английски език
🎟 Registration
Tickets can be purchased here https://luma.com/w008tda8
Stay Connected
Stay up to date with the latest news and updates about the event. 👇
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/udXr8
FB: https://fb.me/e/b96mqfjrq
Have any questions
📞 Call us: +359 887 590 119