‘Working To Make Tourist Destinations Differently-Abled Friendly By 2021’, Says Kerala Tourism Minister

Kerala's Tourism Minister Kadamapally Surendran on Tuesday (29 October) said that the state is set to transform its tourism destinations 'differently-abled friendly' by 2021, reports The Hindu.

The minister informed the state Assembly that the transformation would include installation of a host of facilities and offerings including special toilets and parking areas, which would together facilitate a barrier-free holidaying experience for differently-abled tourists visiting the state. The minister was replying to a question raised by an MLA in this regard.

Other key facilities which will be provided at different tourism destinations of the state include wheelchair accessibility, ramps, folding walkers, special signages, touch screen kiosks, braille brochures and audio guides.

For the purpose, the state Government has chosen a total of 120 spots to work on in the first phase. It should be noted that around 98 of these 120 spots have already been made differently-abled friendly while work on other destinations is under progress.

Besides this, special tourism packages for the differently-abled were also being implemented under the ‘Responsible Tourism’ initiative, the minister said.