By Si Thu Kyaw (MoHT)

THE domestic tourism industry has shown a re­markable surge in growth in the post-COVID-19 period. People travelled near and far to see the world that emerged after the pandemic. It is a push factor in terms of tourism; people are forced to vacate our typical loca­tion, which has been locked down for months because of COVID-19.

With the advancement of the modern era and the increasing use of technology and social me­dia, a growing number of images showcasing the beauty of Myan­mar’s tourist destinations can be seen, including photos captured and shared by travellers on their personal social media platforms. Therefore, like a gentle breeze spreading news far and wide, an increasing number of visitors to these destinations are sharing their experiences – tasting local cuisines, exploring unique and fascinating traditional customs, and documenting their journeys through written posts, photos, and videos.

In writing about tourism, authors also provide extensive explanations of the most popu­lar and widely practised types of tourism, such as festival tourism, pilgrimage tourism, and leisure tourism, highlighting the various activities that travellers eager­ly engage in. In discussions and presentations related to policy matters, topics such as respon­sible tourism and sustainable tourism are also being actively highlighted and encouraged.

It is also noted through exten­sive writings that the tourism in­dustry brings numerous benefits, creating income and employment opportunities for local communi­ties, generating foreign revenue and tax income for the country, improving basic infrastructure such as clean drinking water, elec­tricity, and transport networks, and supporting cultural and en­vironmental preservation efforts.

Indeed, the tourism industry holds many positive prospects, provided that all stakeholders, including travellers and service providers, act responsibly and carry out their roles in a system­atic and accountable manner. It will effectively minimize nega­tive impacts while maximizing the benefits.

However, shouldn’t these benefits, the beauty of t ourism, and the exciting, meaningful ex­periences it offers be enjoyed equally by everyone? When speaking of inclusiveness in the tourism industry, the discus­sion primarily emphasizes the importance of local community participation in tourism devel­opment and their involvement in decision-making processes.

Persons with disabilities should also have the same rights as others to enjoy their own land and waters, appreciate natural beauty, and study and cherish cultural heritage. Therefore, measures must be taken to en­sure that persons with disabil­ities can access and navigate these tourist destinations with­out difficulty.

Barrier-free tourism at­tempts to make travel accessi­ble to everyone, including those with impairments, so that they can have the same experiences as others.

Barrier-free tourism, also known as accessible tourism, refers to travel that is accessi­ble to all individuals, regardless of their physical limitations or disabilities. This covers older people and people with transito­ry disabilities, as well as people with mobility, hearing, sight, cog­nitive, or intellectual problems. In order to enable everyone to fully engage in tourism activi­ties, obstacles in the physical environment, transportation, information, and services must be removed.

Similarly, persons with disabilities are also travellers. According to 2021 data, there are over one billion people with disabilities, while 2.4 million are in Myanmar as per the 2014 Census. Therefore, the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism of My­anmar made efforts to create a comfortable and convenient tourism environment for tourists with disabilities to visit tourist destinations.

Barriers to tourism for per­sons with disabilities generally include transport barriers, ar­chitectural barriers, and lodging barriers.

Transport barriers include measures such as providing ser­vices with vehicles that can ac­commodate and lift wheelchairs, designating priority seating on vehicles, installing tourist sig­nage for persons with disabilities at destinations, and allowing suf­ficient time to cross streets and intersections.

Architectural barriers refer to measures such as establish­ing wheelchair-accessible routes within tourist destinations, con­structing paths that allow for uphill and downhill navigation, providing wheelchairs suitable for use on sandy surfaces, cre­ating rest areas, providing park­ing spaces, and installing special flooring that prevents slipping or tripping.

Lodging barriers refer to measures such as installing doors wide enough to allow wheelchair access, fitting doors with standardized handles, pro­viding auditory or tactile indica­tors inside elevators, arranging reception counters, furniture, light switches, and amenities at heights compatible with wheel­chair users, and ensuring the availability of accessible, all-pur­pose restrooms.

At present, there is a grow­ing recognition that understand­ing the principles of barrier-free tourism and addressing the trav­el needs of persons with disabili­ties is not only a matter of human rights but also an important fac­tor in enhancing the quality, sus­tainability, and competitiveness of the tourism industry.