Is Accessible Tourism an easy thing to do or the right thing to do ?

How can it help and

support the sustainable development of the destination? 

Tourism has been considered as the global industry. It involves travel of people to and from
different point destinations. Tourism is known as the one of the contributors to economic
condition of the country towards nation building. Tourism is also multi-disciplinary and multi-
cultural. The tourism industry is continuously evolving which has led to a need for an
accessibility because of this it has also led to an increase market for accessible tourism.

In my opinion Accessible tourism is the right thing to do beacuase it makes tourist locations
more accessible to all populations. It does not just encompass those with disability, but it
includes people of all populations including those with children and the elderly. Doing so helps
people with physical disabilities, elderly and people with children to see the world which they
dreamt of or heard or seen through other perspective. It is not easy to make accessible tourism
but requires many long term planning to make it successful and it is a on-going process. Making
accessble tourism is to create inclusivity of all including those traveling with children, people
with disabilities, as well as seniors. This allows those with access requirements to be able to
function as an independent using products following the universal design principle, a variety of
services, and different environments.

Accessibility is a critical component of any responsible and long-term development strategy. It's
a matter of human rights as well as a fantastic business opportunity. In this setting, accessible
tourism benefits not only those with disabilities, but the entire community. To ensure that
accessible tourism develops sustainably, tourist destinations must go beyond ad hoc services
and adopt the universal design principle, which ensures that all people, regardless of their
physical or cognitive needs, can use and enjoy the available facilities in an equitable and
sustainable manner.
Accessible tourism helps to create Job opportunities in those destination. When people with
disabilities or elderly visits job opportunities such as Medical Centers, Child Day care, elderly
homes, physicians can get a job opportunity in those regions.
2. Please research and write more about Dr. Scott Rains ( Rolling Rains)
and his contribution to Accessible Tourism in the world. Should he be regarded as the 'Farther
of Accessible Tourism in Nepal' ? Why or Why Not ! 

Scott Paul Rains was born on November 27, 1956 in Blue Island, Chicago, Scott was a man of
many parts: Educator and Scholar, Theologian and Mentor, Writer, Traveller and Advocate for
those who yearned for a fairer and more inclusive world. His depth of understanding in the
subjects of accessibility, inclusion, travel and tourism was complemented by a clarity of
expression which he put into words and print, ranging from short, illuminating comments to
well-researched articles and detailed policy and planning guidelines. Scott was a truly prolific
networker whose work and ideas reached tens of thousands through his "Rolling Rains" Web
site and his social media presence. His mission was to share and to educate, being a facilitator
of ideas and source of contacts, enabling people to design and carry out projects in many parts
of the globe. He was truly a "change-maker" with the abilities to recognise and sieze
opportunities and to find solutions where others only saw problems.

Dr. Scott came to Nepal in may 2014 to promote the accessible tourism in Nepal. During his
short visit, he visited Kathmandu, Chitwan, and Pokhara to practically see the situation of
accessibility and met with many stakeholders from government agencies, private agencies and
disabled people organizations leaders to work for promoting accessible tourism in Nepal.
During his visit he evalutated and experienced the accessibility for wheelchair users. The
suggestion Mr. Scott recommended to improve accessible tourism are.

 To hold professional training for airports and airlines

 Purchase lift-equipped wans by hotesl for airport pick up and side trips.
 Train a national pool of personal care assiatants usings internationally accepted
standards
 Build a photo collection showing real disabled people as models enjoying neal.
How do you foresee 'Accessible Tourism' bouncing back in the world ?How would be your
inputs / suggestions to Nepali Tourism in order to attract and grow this market segment?
What are the challenges and opportunities.  ?

Accessible tourism has opened the new dimension In the tourism industry. Improving the
accessibility of tourism services increases their quality and their enjoyment for all tourists, as
well as improving quality of life in the local communities. To attract more tourism through
accessible tourism in Nepal there are few challenges which should be overcome to make
tourism accessible. For persons with disabilities, elderly and people with childrens, travelling
can be a challenge, as finding the information on accessible services, checking luggage on a
plane, booking a room to fulfil access needs, often prove to be difficult, costly and time
consuming.
The major challenges Nepal faces to make tourism more accessible include:

 Inaccessible streets and transport services.

The major setback for Nepal to attact more physical disabilities people, elderly and
people visiting with children Is roads and transport service of Nepal. I would suggest to
improve the roads which is more friendly to people with disabilities to travel. More
traffic lights, sidewalks and road signs helps tourist feel more safe in the roads.

 Untrained professional staff capable of informing and advising about accessibility issues
Accourding to my knowledge I have witness the travel guides to have lack of knowledge
about the tourist destinations and the tourist they are with. To ensure tourist with
disablitites , elderly to feel comfortable the staffs should be well trained about the
challenges they are going to face during tourist visit in Nepal.

 Unavailability of adapted and accessible hotel rooms, restaurants, shops, toilets and
public places
 Most of the low budget hotels are unsuitable for the tourist with disabilities. In my
opinion the hotels should be more accessible to all types of tourists because not all
tourist who visit Nepal can afford to stay in expensive star hotels. Most of the shops in
Nepal cannot be visited by people with disabilities.

 Lack of accessible airports and transfer facilities and services

Nepal should build more accessible airports and transfer facilities and services to attract
more tourists. Remote area airports are not friendly for the tourist with disabilities.
There should be more medical stops and Hospitals so that tourist feels safe to visit.
Wounded Heroes Trek to Nepal, was it a milestone event that boosted the moral and
confidence of Destination Nepal. how can Nepal leverage from this event that was listed in
UNWTO's Tourism Day celebration event 2016. 

Wounded Heroes Trek to Nepal was made possible by IDI, Four Season Travel & Tours(4ST),
Soarway Foundation, Operations Namaste from 22 Sep to 08 Oct , 2016. Four Season Travel
and Tours assisted in the organization of the ‘Wounded Heroes Trek to Nepal,' in which a group
of amputee veterans trekked in the Annapurna Region wearing prosthetics (above). 4ST has
also organized a day trip to the Godavari Botanical Garden for 50 individuals in wheelchairs
living in a makeshift shelter in Jawalakhel, Since then, visually impaired and double amputees
have climbed Mt. Everest, undertaken tough treks, and engaged in somewhat less strenuous
activities like as taking mountain sightseeing flights out of Kathmandu. Making a successful visit
for disabled tourists demonstrates that additional such visits are achievable for disabled
tourists.

I believe that it is a milestone event as a starting point for which more milestones can be
created. Recent projects that has use tourism to increase awareness among locals about the
need for physical disable people to access and infrastructure that is safe and easy to navigate
for people with disabilities have made a start. Organizing such events helps people see the
beauty of travelling and there are people and organization who can make travel possible. To
make such event more happening Nepal has an opportunity to build its tourist destinations and
heritages sites with a universal design. Nepal was hit by the major earthquake in 2015. Activists
argue that when Nepal rebuilds many of the cultural sites and trekking trails that were
devastated in the 2015 earthquake, it is a chance to make them barrier-free. Such
improvements would make the facilities accessible not only to various types of tourists, but also
to locals with disabilities and the elderly.
For Accessible tourism it needs local support to make these events successful. If the local
starting to make their shops, hotels and tourist areas more friendly then it will be easier for
tourist to visit. More professionals tourist guides, Medical professional collaborating with
tourism business to provide support for people with disabilities will help to improve the visit of
tourists.