IT-platform for planning and booking accessible travel

Globe4all.net is a barrier-free information and booking platform for tourists with special needs in Russia as well as for representatives of the tourism industry who lack the knowledge to adapt to tourists with disabilities. in addition, Globe4all also trains people with disabilities to become tourist guides.

In 2018 Globe Media – a Russian start-up company based in Saint Petersburg– launched Globe4all.net, an accessible info and booking IT-platform supporting tourists with special needs in Russia, and at the same time educating guides and the whole tourism sector on how to make themselves more accessible. In the first half of 2021, despite the pandemic, more than 100 tours and 127 guide services had been booked, and Globe4All had built a community of more than 10,000 users.

Problems Targeted

Travellers with disabilities often cannot find accessible travel services, while the travel industry often lacks the knowledge to cater to tourists with disabilities.

Solution, Innovation and Impact

Globe4all provides travellers with disabilities with travel advice, such as which destinations are accessible and how to get there and publishes inspirational content about accessible travel. This content is available in Russian and English and includes product reviews, interviews, and stories. Globe4all is also an online marketplace, allowing travellers to search for and book accessible travel services such as tours, excursions, transfers, and rentals. Tourism professionals with disabilities and travel companies use the platform to offer their services. In addition, Globe4all provides business training for persons with disabilities to become tourist guides and educates the travel industry on becoming more accessible by showing best practices and giving recommendations for accessible infrastructure). Trainings take place online or during team visits in Russian cities. Between 2018 and 2021 Globe4all had published 372 accessible travel services, and registered 127 tour guides, of whom 10 per cent have disabilities.

Funding, Outlook and Transferability

The platform is funded by two revenue streams: advertising on the Globe4all website and social networks and a 10 to 30 per cent commission on services booked through the platform. Globe Media plans to expand Globe4all to international markets, starting with the EU, and to work more with travellers with intellectual disabilities. The company will also offer new products and services on Globe4all, such as virtual reality excursions, a mobile app, and a multilingual support service. By 2024 the company aims to have had 11,000 tourists with disabilities travelling through Globe4all.

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