Pattaya Tadtong, 37, likes to go places by himself although he must use a wheelchair. The boccia Paralympic gold medallist feels unease when he uses footpaths in Bangkok.
"Some footpaths are too small for a wheelchair while many walkways do not have a slope," Pattaya said.
"When I can manage to move my wheelchair up on the walkways, sometimes I cannot move further because there are electricity poles or advertising boards erected in the middle of the footpaths."
When asked what he wanted the government to do for those with disabilities, he simply asked for friendly design of public utilities so that anyone can use pathways.
"When I was in Singapore, I could go anywhere by myself. The footpaths are wide and always have slopes. I took underground trains and could tour around the city without the feeling that I needed help. I would love to see our country have facilities like those in Singapore," he said.
Universal design has been a topic of discussion in Thailand for years, but the implementation is too slow, according to news anchor Krisana Lalai, who travels with a wheelchair after a 1997 car accident. He has been known as an ambassador for the Friendly Design Project in Thailand.
"If we can make tourism for all, it will be like a warm welcome to our visitors without trying to say anything. Good examples are Japan and other countries in Europe. I can feel their friendliness because I can travel anywhere by myself. There is no need for anyone to help lift me and my wheelchair," he said.
The easiest point he has observed is public toilets for the disabled. It can indicate how friendly the country is to tourists, he said.
For Thailand, he wants the government to seriously support tourism for all by improving conditions at airports, lodging and various tourist attractions.
"It is inconvenient for people who use wheelchairs to travel in Thailand. We need to find our own vehicles as well as hotels with facilities. In my opinion, it is not our problem, but the problem of service operators and tourist attractions that do not have facilities for us," he said.
Equal accessibility
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha gave his commitment to support the "tourism for all" concept during his keynote speech to more than 500 delegates from 60 member countries of the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) on the celebration of World Tourism Day organised in Bangkok on Sept 27.
"Equal accessibility for all is key for country development regardless of their age, gender or ability because it is the right of everyone to travel," he said.
The government will implement technology to assist those who are in need. The new Ministry for Digital Economy and Society will have technology for all such as an audio guide, which can be accessed by using a smartphone to read the QR code at some tourism attractions. The technology can help those who have visual impairment issues.
The prime minister said the government would have short- and long-term plans including having more tactile paving on footpaths or public areas to assist the blind, more slopes on walkways as well as facilities on public buses and trains for the disabled.
Moreover, those facilities could benefit the ageing population as about 10 million Thais, or about 15% of the population, are over age 60. The number will increase to 25% by 2030.
"The government has to take care of everyone. We should not leave anyone behind," he said, adding that based on the second National Tourism Development Plan (2017-2021), the government plans to push Thailand as one of the world's leading tourism destinations as well as promote easy accessibility for visitors to Thailand to travel to neighbouring countries through different means of transportation such as high-speed trains or cruise ships.
The opportunity
According to UNWTO, about 15% of the world's population -- about 1 billion people -- is estimated to live with some form of disability.
Accessibility for all should be at the centre of tourism policies and business strategies not only as a human right, but also as a great marketing opportunity.
"People with disabilities, aged citizens, families with children and many more find obstacles when they travel. As tourism is a human right, the sector should advance to ensure that all citizens enjoy seamless travel in an equal manner," said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai in his message to the audience.
World Travel & Tourism Council (WTCC) CEO David Scowsill said the council has long campaigned for freedom of travel. As the world's population continues to age, this creates opportunities in the tourism sector.
"Old people have time. They have money so they travel and they also have specific needs," he said.
The WTCC forecasts that the global tourism industry will grow 3.1%, surpassing the global economy growth at 2.3%.
"We account for 10% of global GPD. We employ 294 million people -- that is one in 11 jobs on the planet," he said.
The WTCC will bring its global submit to Thailand for the first time in April next year with worldwide tourism representatives, including ministers and executives, to discuss how the sector can contribute to sustainable development, he added.
Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) CEO Mario Hardy said every person should have the right to visit the many beautiful places in the world, including the disabled.
"All of us either have a family member, a friend, a colleague or a neighbour who has some type of disability or challenges. Both of my parents are in wheelchairs so I know the challenge, even just navigating day-to-day life, let alone travelling abroad," he said.
"But it is not easy to find information about what is and what is not accessible for tourist destinations," he added. Even websites or marketing materials by the private sector do not have the information.
To lead by example, PATA relaunched its own website (www.pata.org) with an eye on universal accessibility.
Using guidelines provided by the World Wide Web Consortium, the redesigned website provides greater ease for those with hearing impairments, colour blindness and physical disabilities. New features added to the website allow screen reading software to read all content of the website, enable a reduction in required physical motion to navigate, reduces contrast of colours for better reading and allow for the easy adjustment of text size.
"We have taken the first steps in making sure all people may access the information and insights available on our website and we hope to be an example for other organisations to follow," he said.
Bangkok Declaration
On the occasion of World Tourism Day 2016 participants adopted the Bangkok Declaration on Tourism For All, a document resulting from a consultation process involving governments, the private sector, civil society organisations and accessibility experts.
The declaration calls upon all stakeholders to advance policies and business actions that promote universal accessibility, including training and awareness raising as well as improving tourism infrastructure, products and services.
World Tourism Day 2017 will be held in Qatar and will address the theme "Sustainable Tourism -- a Tool for Development", in line with the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.
Tourism And Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, third from left, promotes the use of QR codes at tourist attractions. Photo courtesy of Tourism and Sports Ministry
