Lanzarote Tourist Centres Introduce New Accessibility Measures with €438,400 Investment

Lanzarote’s tourism centres have taken further steps towards improving accessibility at some of the island’s most iconic attractions, including Jameos del Agua and Cueva de los Verdes.

The Vice President of the Cabildo, María Jesús Tovar, and the Councillor responsible for the Tourist Centres, Ángel Vázquez, recently visited both sites to assess the reception of a range of new accessibility initiatives funded through the European Union’s Next Generation programme. The project represents an investment of €438,400.

According to Tovar and Vázquez, the measures introduce innovative technological solutions designed to ensure that all visitors can enjoy the attractions autonomously and without barriers.

Accessibility Plan

Among the new measures are sensory vests designed to enhance experiences for people with hearing loss who use hearing aids or cochlear implants. The technology improves access to cultural content, information, and communication and will be used mainly during artistic performances at the auditoriums in Jameos del Agua and Cueva de los Verdes.

The plan also includes:

• Three Joëlette all-terrain wheelchairs to enable visitors with reduced mobility to access Cueva de los Verdes.
• Nine tracked evacuation and mobility chairs for use in emergencies.
• Two motorised mobility chairs for uneven terrain, which will be available at the Monumento al Campesino and the Cactus Garden.

In addition, all centres will offer sign language interpretation services during guided tours.

NaviLens Technology

The Tourist Centres are also introducing NaviLens technology to improve orientation and independence for visitors with visual impairments. The system uses specially designed coloured markers, similar to QR codes, that can be detected from a distance using a smartphone, helping users navigate indoor spaces and access information more easily.

Visitors will also have access to audio guides and audio description systems to provide additional information about the sites and exhibits. To further improve accessibility, existing written content will be adapted into easy-to-read formats and supplemented with pictograms, ensuring that residents and tourists alike can enjoy Lanzarote’s cultural and heritage attractions under conditions of universal accessibility.