TOURISM INDIA MARCH 2019 TOURISM INDIA MARCH 2019 | Page 15

N E W S / NAT I O NA L
KERALA TOURISM
TURNS DISABLED AND
ELDERLY FRIENDLY
KERALA, THE FIRST STATE TO IMPLEMENT
UNWTO’S ‘TOURISM FOR ALL’
K
erala Tourism enters into a
long-term Cultural Exchange
Programme with Manchester
City, UK
Kerala Tourism has launched the
first phase of its ambitious Barrier-free
Kerala tourism project, making 70
destinations across the state disabled
and elderly friendly, becoming the
first state in India to implement UN
World Tourism Organisation’s call for
‘Tourism for All.
Inaugurating Phase One of the
project, Mr. Kadakampally Surendran,
Minister for Cooperation, Tourism and
Devaswom said, “Our objective is to
make all tourism centres accessible to
the differently empowered by 2021.
Special tour packages for differently
empowered tourists, both domestic
and foreign, are being planned together
with Responsible Tourism Mission.”
Kerala has become the first state in
India to implement UN World Tourism
Organisation’s call for ‘Tourism for All
– Promoting Universal Accessibility”
in 2016, the Minister added. He also
released the logo of the Barrier-free
Kerala project in the presence of
differently empowered persons.
Of the 120 centres envisaged
in Phase One, 70 centres have
been equipped for the differently
empowered with accessible ramps,
special toilets, wheelchairs, walking
sticks, folding walkers, crutches,
special signages, tactile walkways,
touch screen kiosks, Braille brochures,
audio guides, to name some. The
outlay for the project is Rs 9 crore.
Presiding over the event, Ms. Rani
George IAS, Secretary, Kerala Tourism
said, “In foreign countries, we see the
differently empowered people visit
and experience tourist centres all
by themselves, without any help or
assistance.”
“Tourism centres in Kerala, which
is implementing innovative projects
such as ‘Human by Nature’ ,should
also grow to that level,” she added
even while calling for the participation
of private entrepreneurs to make all
centres in the state barrier-free.
Mr. P Bala Kiran IAS, Director,
Kerala Tourism said that all tourism
projects henceforth would be made
barrier-free. In accordance with ‘The
Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Act, 2016’, 261 ramps, 116 toilets, 163
wheelchairs, 170 walking sticks, 958
signages and 159 crutches have been
provided in various centres thus far.
The event also saw Kerala Tourism
enter into a long-term Cultural
Exchange Programme with
Manchester city in UK. The official
letter authenticating the Exchange
Programme was handed over to the
Minister by Mr. Wilson Mathews,
Former President, Manchester
Malayali Association.
Three artists from Kerala
will participate in Manchester
Day Parade, one of UK’s major
pageantries. The expenses of the
artists participating in the pageantry
will be borne by Manchester City
Provincial Art Council.
Mr. KG Mohanlal, CMD, Kerala
Tourism Infrastructure Limited;
Mr. P. P Pramod IFS, Director,
Ecotourism; Mr. KV Ravishankar,
Kerala State Tourism Advisory Board
Member; Mr. K Rupesh Kumar,
State Coordinator, Responsible
Tourism Mission, Mr. Anish Kumar,
MD, Travel Planners and Mr. K.P.
Nandakumar, Joint Director, Kerala
Tourism spoke on the occasion.
March 2019 Tourism India
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