The Kerala government has
received praise from the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) for
its ‘Barrier Free Tourism’ initiative.

Thrissur,
cultural capital of the state, received a special mention as an “Emerging
Global Destination” in the ‘Accessible Destinations Awards 2019’ instituted by
the UNWTO.

The South
Indian state is the first one to work as per the UNWTO guidelines on making
tourist destinations disabled-friendly.

Kerala
Tourism Director P Balakiran received the award from UNWTO Secretary-General
Zurab Pololikashvili during the ‘FITUR Trade Fair’, a meeting point of tourism
professionals from across the globe, held recently in Madrid.

The first
recipient of the “Accessible Tourist Destination” award was Portugal, while
Spanish city Barcelona also received special mention along with Thrissur.

Tourist
spots in Thrissur including the beaches of Azhikode and Snehatheeram, the hills
of Vilangankunnu and the scenic dams in Poomala and Vazhani were all made
disabled-friendly.

Kerala
Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran announced in October 2019 that 98 out
of 120 tourist spots had been made disabled-friendly as part of the first
phase. Thrissur was among the first cities selected for the project
implementation.

The various
facilities include ramps, accessible toilets, lactation rooms, Braille
pamphlets, signage, touch-screen kiosks, audio and sign aids, wheelchairs and
walking aids.

UNWTO hosted
Accessible Tourism Destination Awards to recognize destinations that are
proactively opening themselves up to tourists of all abilities and backgrounds.