Mountain destinations from Italy, Spain, Albania, Croatia and Türkiye came together in Folgaria, Trentino, for the second ACES – Destination Mountain meeting, an international exchange focused on accessibility, sustainability and inclusive development in mountain territories.

The initiative was promoted by ACES, the Alpe Cimbra Tourism Board and the Municipality of Folgaria, bringing together representatives from several mountain destinations within the ACES network. Participating territories included Folgaria-Alpe Cimbra, Vielha e Mijaran representing the Catalan Pyrenees, Korçë (Albania), Primorje-Gorski Kotar County (Croatia), Kayseri (Türkiye), as well as the Italian municipalities of Sestriere and Masone, leaders of the Valle Stura Community.

Despite their different geographical characteristics, histories and tourism models, all destinations shared a common vision: using sport as a driver for territorial growth, social inclusion and community development.

At the heart of the discussions was the theme of the “accessible mountain”, an increasingly important challenge for the future of alpine and outdoor destinations. Making mountain environments accessible to everyone — especially people with disabilities — means promoting a new development model that goes beyond tourism and embraces social, cultural and sporting inclusion.

In this context, Alpe Cimbra played a central role both as host destination and as an international example of best practice. The territory recently gained international recognition during the World Congress of Best Sport Practices by ACES, held in Ascoli Piceno, where Alpe Cimbra won the award for Best Sport Practice within the ACES Network, the largest network of sports cities in the world.

One of the key moments of the meeting was the focus session titled “Alpe Cimbra as a Hub of Best Practices: Strategies, Experiences and Perspectives for an Increasingly Accessible Mountain.” The session brought together local and international experiences dedicated to creating more inclusive mountain environments, involving organizations such as Scie di Passione, GAST Onlus, Sportfund, Associazione Astrid and Hotel Villaggio Nevada.

The exchange among delegations allowed participants to share projects and development models linked to mountain sport and tourism, including infrastructure sustainability, tourism seasonality, outdoor activities, operator training and the need to guarantee accessibility throughout the entire year.

The meeting also featured the participation of important institutional and sports organizations, including the Italian Institute for Sports and Cultural Credit, CONI, CIP, Trentino Marketing, Trentino School of Management, the Spanish association DES – Education, Sport and Health, and SportivaMente Magazine.

The initiative concluded with the “Alpe Cimbra 4All – Test & Experience Day”, dedicated to adaptive equipment trials, practical demonstrations and the delivery of wheelchairs for the Alpe Cimbra 4ALL project. The event transformed the concept of accessibility into a tangible and lived experience.

Through this international gathering, Folgaria became the meeting point of a global network of destinations that see the mountain not as a space reserved for a few, but as a place of community, sport and participation. The ACES network once again reaffirmed its shared vision of building a more accessible, inclusive and vibrant mountain environment for every season of the year.