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Barrier-free access may boost tourism

"Many countries have been working on improving tourism amenities to satisfy the needs of the disabled community or the elderly, and we'd like to make Taiwan the next country with successful accessible tourism."

Lin Wen-pin, head of the development department of the Eden Social Welfare Foundation

When Jacky Hsu visited Edinburgh, Scotland, he explored the city on handicapped-accessible tour buses. In Japan, he traveled with few difficulties, with the assistance of subway workers and detailed tour information.

Back home, however, Hsu -- who has infantile paralysis -- as well as more than 910,000 others with mental or physical disabilities, often worry about how to get to their destination.

The number of disabled people is expected to rise as Taiwan becomes an aged society, so creating a barrier-free environment no longer means just meeting the basic needs of the disabled community. It may also pave the way for the development of accessible tourism -- a growing market around the world.

"The number of potential tourists who require accessible attractions is increasing internationally. Many countries have been working on improving tourism amenities to satisfy the needs of the disabled community or the elderly, and we'd like to make Taiwan the next country with successful accessible tourism," Lin Wen-pin (林文賓), the head of Eden Social Welfare Foundation's development department, said yesterday.

During a press conference called to announce an international accessible-tourism conference organized by the foundation and Asia Pacific Disability Forum, groups for the disabled and elderly introduced the concept of accessible tourism, which aims to provide accessible and friendly services and facilities for the disabled and the elderly.

Taipei Deputy Mayor King Pu-tsung (金浦聰) was at the press conference to talk about improving access in Taipei.

King, who is the head of the city's accessible environment promotion committee, promised to make Taipei one of the most livable places in the world.

"Creating an accessible environment is a task. What we do is to make priorities of facilities needing to be improved. Currently we are working on bridges and pavement accessibility, followed by parks and tourism spots in the next round," King said.

"Older people in countries such as Japan and the United States represent a high percentage of the traveling population. We hope that with the conference, Taiwan's travel industry will work with us to make elder tourists benefit from a vacation without obstacles or difficulties," said Wu Yu-chin (吳玉琴), secretary-general of the League of Welfare Improvement for Older People.

According to statistics from the Ministry of the Interior last year, the elderly make up almost 10 percent of Taiwan's population. When the disabled are taken into account, more than 17 percent of people in this country need a barrier-free environment.

Hsu said that in addition to facilities, availability of information about the accessibility of tourism spots, such as accessible guides for tourists or on the Web, is also important for developing successful accessible tourism.

The first international accessible tourism conference will be held at the Grand Hotel from tomorrow through Sunday. A total of 58 experts on accessible tourism and disabled groups from 10 countries will attend.
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