The following appeared in the China Post on May 4, 2005.
For most of my 50 years I have been able to look out my window and watch the sun bring a close to the day and the start of a new day in Asia. It is with this same serene hopefulness that I approach the 2005 International Accessible Tourism Conference that will be held from May 5-8 in Taipei. On the horizon is something new. From this conference a new organization will arise, the Asia Pacific Accessible Tourism League (APATL).
The phenomenon of people with disabilities traveling is not new. Author Maria Antonia Lopez-Burgos del Barrio has recently completed an article on this topic that draws from the travel journals of visitors to Spain during the Industrial Revolution, which was the era when tourism as we now know it came into existence.
What is new is the response to travelers with disabilities.
At the 2005 International Accessible Tourism Conference, Ms. Etsuko Ueno will deliver a paper on the Inclusive Destination Development project in Takayama city, Japan. As the human centered principles of Universal Design become the standard measure in construction and a synonym for �good design,� it is becoming more common to discover the strategy of comprehensive planning for accessibility as a central technique in tourist sites (Inclusive Destination Development).
Japan is not the only example, the barrier-free circuit of lodgings known as "The Devil's Playground" in Tasmania is unique in combining the concept of total access to an entire island with low-cost innovative approaches to building and a private accessible transportation system.
In the U.S. Virgin Island, Estate Concordia is under development by Multi: Design for People. Estate Concordia features inclusive design rendering the hill terrain accessible while offering visitors with disabilities an eco-lodge experience. In Brazil, an Inclusive Destination project is underway through a tour operator specializing in accessible tourism, Aventura Especial. The Inclusive Cities Canada project pursues Inclusive Destination on an even larger scale and offers promising models for Asian metropolitan areas.
These examples deal with receptive tourism, an economic sector of importance throughout Asia. An agenda for accessible receptive tourism in Asia was laid out in the United Nations report (UNESCAP) subtitled, �Promotion of Barrier-free Tourism for People with Disabilities in the Asian and Pacific Region.
The Biwako Millennial Framework addressed the first need presented in the report which was Disability Rights in Asia. The Asia-Pacific Conference on Tourism for People with Disabilities, held at Bali in Indonesia, in September 2000 took further practical steps and mobilized persons with disabilities to speak on their own behalf. The 2005 International Accessible Tourism Conference and the Asia Pacific Accessible Tourism League (APATL) hope to consolidate the progress made to date.
But another question remains, "Where do these travelers with such a broad range of needs come from?" Is this a temporary fad or a permanent feature for the travel industry?
It is often reported that the percentage of citizens with disabilities is around 10%. The figure may be double, 20%, outside those regions.
However, a significant portion of the world�s population is aging.
In 2020, it is estimated that about 18% of population will be older than 65 in the developed countries. Here again it is Asia, Japan specifically, that is demonstrating foresight by planning for this change.
Dr. Satoshi Kose of Shizuoka University of Art and Culture in Japan is a renowned promoter of the concept of Universal Design at the level of basic social infrastructure in order to accommodate this transformation. This inversion from a larger a youth population to a larger senior population requires the combined resources of all stakeholders; governments, business, seniors, and people with disability. What is significant is that this represents a significant business opportunity for the tourism industry.
In September and October of 2002 the Open Doors Organization commissioned Harris Interactive to conduct a quantitative study among Americans with disabilities (aged 18 and older) to identify the basic travel habits and patterns of adults with disabilities. Open Doors reports that, The 2002 study revealed disabled travelers take 31.7 million trips per year in the U.S., and spend US$13.6 billion annually.
Major areas of spending include US$3.3 billion on airfare, US$4.2 billion on hotel accommodations, and US$2.7 billion on food and beverage. In addition, adults with disabilities patronize restaurants about once a week, and they account for US$35 billion in annual revenue for restaurants.
These travel behaviors confirm studies done by Simon Darcy in Australia such as, "From Anxiety to Access" and by Keroul in Canada, "A Growth Market : Behaviors of Tourists with Restricted Physical Abilities in Canada," and "Best Practices in Tourism Accessibility for Travelers with Restricted Physical Ability."
And these figures may be added together with those related to senior travelers who will benefit from accessible accommodations adhering to the principles of Universal Design.
Following the Taipei Conference, the Asia Pacific Accessible Tourism League will be ready to replicate travel behavior studies on the Asian market for travelers with disabilities, promote and provide technical assistance on Universal Design and Inclusive Destination Development, and provide training � both academic and professional � throughout Asia.
Source:
New organization on horizon in Asia for travel by people with disabilities
2005/05/04
by Dr. Scott Rains
Resident scholar, UC Santa Cruz, USA
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/opinion/letter.htm