World Tourism Day was celebrated yesterday and this year the goal was centered in creating conscience of the importance of accessibility for the elderly tourists and tourists with different disabilities.

Costa Rica has been investing in the past few years in the infrastructure of different National Parks to make them more accessible, the Poas and Irazu Volcanos, Manuel Antonio, Guayabo and Santa Rosa National Parks are part of this program that involves adding ramps, universal trails, appropriate bathrooms and signage.

Although in Costa Rica, Law N⁰7600 “Equal Opportunities Law for People with Disabilities” has been in place since 1996, and one of its principles is precisely adapting the services, environment and information for people with different needs, and it also establishes that existing public buildings (offices, restaurants, sports venues, churches etc.) have to be made accessible within ten years, twenty years later the population with disabilities still struggles to get around with independence, it only takes a short walk around any neighborhood in Costa Rica to realize that sidewalks and streets present a big challenge for anyone with a disability, and this same situation translates to the tourism sector.

Hotels and restaurants in touristic areas have made an effort to make their infrastructure accessible for everyone, and there are some tourism companies that cater to this population and have designed tours specifically considering the needs of the handicapped population. Carara National Park inaugurated in May of 2013 its universal trail and has been a true success allowing this park to increase its traffic from 25.032 visits in 2011 to 33.633 in 2014. A lot of work still has to be done by the government to put in place the necessary safety measures and accessibility infrastructure that will ensure that disabled tourists have the possibility of visiting different parks.

(EFE).- The United Nations World Tourism Organization on Tuesday launched its celebration of World Tourism Day in Bangkok with a message of universal accessibility.

Tourism facilities should cater to people with disabilities, to older people and to families traveling with young people, said UNWTO Regional Director of Asia and Pacific Xu Jing in his opening “Bangkok Declaration” speech.

Reading on behalf of the Secretary General of the organization, Taleb Rifal, who was not in attendance because of a family emergency, Xu said the day celebrated the right of everyone to travel and enjoy the marvels of the world.

“Tourism for All: promoting universal accessibility” was the slogan for this year’s event which brought 500 delegates together in the Thai capital.

The speech outlined the organization’s commitment to accelerate the improved access to services and tourism products for older people and people with disabilities.

Currently, the ever-growing tourism industry helps 1.2 billion travelers annually, accounts for 10 percent of the global GDP, 30 percent of the exportation of services and one in 11 jobs globally, said the UNWTO.

For the organization, making the industry more available for the estimated 1 billion people with disabilities worldwide is a moral obligation as well as an economic opportunity.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said “accessibility is both an important market opportunity and central to responsible and sustainable tourism policies and business development strategies.”

Prime Minister of Thailand Prayut Chan-o-cha said it was important to establish international standards and encouraged deeper cooperation between institutions and businesses to make tourism more available to all.

With eyes to the future, the PM reminded the delegation that in 2050, people over 60 would account for roughly 20 percent of the global population, and they would need to be catered to.

The UNWTO represents 157 countries across the globe and promotes international tourism relations as well as bio-diversity and ethical travel.

World Tourism Day is celebrated annually and the host country changes every year.

This year’s host, Thailand, was the most visited country in 2015, with 30 million international tourists visiting the South-East Asian country.- EFE