Thiruvananthapuram: The ambitious Barrier-free Kerala tourism project was inaugurated by the State tourism minister Kadakampally Surendran yesterday.
Kerala is the first State in the country to implement the UNWTO’s ‘Tourism for all’.
Under the project, 70 destinations in the state would be made disabled and elderly friendly. The initiative also aimed to make all tourism centres accessible to the differently abled by 2021. Facilities include accessible ramps, special toilets, wheelchairs, walking sticks, folding walkers, crutches, special signages, tactile walkways, touch screen kiosks, Braille brochures, audio guides. A video brochure in sign language and a braille brochure was released on Saturday.
Under 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 so far.
Releasing the logo of the project, Surendran launched the first phase of the project and said Kerala was first state in the country to create basic infrastructure and amenities for the differently abled at tourism centres.
Speaking at the event, Tourism Secretary Rani George said, “Tourism centres in Kerala, which is implementing innovative projects such as ‘Human by Nature’, should also grow to that level.” She called for the participation of private entrepreneurs to make all centres in the state barrier-free.
K G Mohanlal, Chairman and Managing Director, Kerala Tourism Infrastructure Limited, Anish Kumar, MD, Travel Planners, PP Pramod, Director, Ecotourism; KV Ravishankar, Tourism Advisory Board Member; K Rupesh Kumar, State Coordinator, Responsible Tourism Mission and Nandakumar, Joint Director, Tourism, were among those who addressed the gathering.