Tourism Awareness Week Slated for Sept. 25 to Oct. 1

‘Tourism for All: Promoting Universal Accessibility’ is the theme for this year’s observance of Tourism Awareness Week (TAW), slated for September 25 to October 1.

Several activities will be held to mark this year’s commemoration, which will incorporate the observance of World Tourism Day on September 27.

These include a church service at St. Peter’s Anglican Church in Falmouth, Trelawny, which kicks off the week on September 25; a Beach Development Programme Exposé at Boston Beach in Portland on September 27; and the official launch of the National Community Tourism Portal at Devon House in Kingston on September 28.

In addition, the Tourism Action Club will stage a teacher-appreciation event on September 29 and poster exhibition on September 30 at Excelsior High School in Kingston to commemorate its 20^th anniversary.

The Tourism Ministry and its agencies will also highlight several initiatives, such as the National Beach Development Programme.

This engagement provides full access to some of the island’s best beaches for all Jamaicans and visitors from overseas, including persons who are physically challenged.

Details of these and other engagements were outlined by Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, during a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank forum at the agency’s head office in Kingston on, Tuesday, September 20.

Mr. Bartlett said the week’s observance was aimed at heightening awareness of Jamaica’s role in promoting responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.

“The most important element of the observance will be to emphasise the universality of tourism and the fact that it embraces all…every individual, irrespective of their abilities…irrespective of their physical capabilities and irrespective of their physiognomy,” he pointed out.

He contended that “accessible tourism” speaks to the creation of environments capable of catering to the needs of all clients, whether they are travelling or staying at home.

“We want to encourage the hotels to ensure that the constructions are done to facilitate the blind, the disabled and wheelchair users. We want to also encourage our transport sector to retrofit to enable those individuals with access,” the Minister urged.

World Tourism Organization (WTO) statistics show that an estimated 15 per cent of the global population has some form of disability.

More specifically, the WTO states that an estimated one billion people worldwide are unable to enjoy the privilege of travelling because of physical disability.

Mr. Bartlett also reiterated the importance of developing the Tourism Linkages Network which seeks to ensure that more Jamaicans have the opportunity to be a part of the sector and are able to reap the many accruable benefits.