A Human-Centered Approach for Bridging Heritage, Innovation, and Inclusion: The TOFOLA Project’s Vision for Accessible Maritime Tourism

The Adriatic region encounters ongoing challenges in diversifying its tourism offerings while concurrently ensuring sustainability and inclusivity. The Interreg Italy-Croatia TOFOLA project endeavours to tackle these challenges by developing sustainable and accessible tourism products that are rooted in the maritime heritage of the Serenissima Republic of Venice. This paper articulates a human-centered design approach aimed at creating inclusive tourist boats that serve underrated destinations while guaranteeing equitable access to cultural heritage for individuals with disabilities and elderly users. Through comprehensive participatory design activities that involve target users, caregivers, and nautical experts, we have identified essential accessibility requirements and developed evidence-based design guidelines for the reconstruction of traditional wooden vessels. Besides individuals with motor and sensory disabilities, the informants included nautical professionals specializing in accessible sailing, certified sailing instructors with Paralympic experience. The qualitative analysis has revealed significant insights concerning boarding systems, interior design, assistive technologies, and safety measures that challenge conventional assumptions regarding maritime accessibility. These findings inform the development of boat prototypes that incorporate eco-friendly propulsion systems alongside inclusive design attributes, thereby contributing to both environmental sustainability and social inclusion within maritime tourism. The resulting design guidelines furnish a comprehensive framework that addresses physical access, ergonomic considerations, assistive technologies, stability requirements, and crew training needs, thereby offering a replicable model for accessible heritage tourism throughout the Adriatic region and beyond.