The GATE project is not only dedicated to disabled people, but also to families with small children. Although hiking with children is a very popular activity in Europe, there are many difficulties that young families have to face both during the trip and in the place chosen for the holiday, mainly due to the lack of paths suitable for their children in pushchairs.

An online survey involving more than 2,100 people in twelve European countries (including Belgium, France, Italy, Netherlands and Slovenia) showed that 49% of travellers with children took part in hiking activities. If the group also included a disabled person, the number dropped to 45% of the total. 43% of families without a disabled member and 37% of those with a disabled member visited nature attractions such as national parks. (*)

As part of the GATE pilot project “Kinderleicht Wandern” (child-friendly hiking), SalzburgerLand Tourismus and Salzburg Research collaborated to present a series of easy walks with children and pushchairs in the Pongau area of Salzburg in digital form. 82 trails were uploaded online, including 35 that are also suitable for pushchairs, on a map, also accessible from mobile devices, containing descriptions and routes.

Some places in the Pongau holiday region are located in the Hohe Tauern National Park. In many areas there are ski lifts that allow you to reach the starting point of many hikes, including some “Kinderwagen-Almen” (huts suitable for children in pushchairs), which can be easily reached on forest tracks with a pushchair suitable for gravel roads. All these elements make the district of Pongau in Salzburg a true hiking paradise for families.

“Kinderleicht Wandern” will be online from May 2020 and until September 2020 families who choose the routes in question are invited to share their experience by posting texts and photos on the online map.

(*GfK Belgium et al., 2014, Economic Impact and Travel Patterns of Accessible Tourism in Europe: Travel companions, p.158, Activities at destination, p.167)