"Tourism for All" campaign goes on well in Thailand

BANGKOK, January 9 (TNA) - The state-run Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has carried on its "Tourism for All" campaign for the second year in 2019, aimed to promote and support the equal access to tourist sites in the country by all groups of travellers through the "universal design" architecture. TAT Governor Yuthasak Supasorn told journalists of the update on January 8, stressing that TAT has paid attention to carrying out all nine targeted routes under the campaign in due course. Yuthasak said that TAT has, so far, surveyed and endorsed five routes in all Thai regions to be under the campaign, including those in Ratchaburi Province in the central region, in Chon Buri Province in the eastern region, in Loei Province in the northeastern region, in Chiang Rai Province in the northern region and in Phang-nga Province in the southern region. "The Tourism for All campaign has been launched to provide the equal access to tourist sites in all the first five targeted Thai provinces, prior to the expansion to all the targeted nine routes across the country in the foreseeable future, for all groups of travellers, including the elderly and persons with disabilites (PWDs) of all types of physical challenges, namely the visually impaired, the hearing impaired, the movement impaired and even the mentally-retarded people", explained the TAT governor. The TAT governor acknowledged that based on the universal design architectural concept, accommodation facilities, food shops or restaurants, view and stop points, as well as foodpaths, parking areas, elevating systems and rest rooms are to be firm and safely and suitably usable and accessible to all groups, ages and genders of people in line with international standards. Meanwhile, TAT has invited representatives of the elderly, PWDs, tourism business operators and journalists to join a trip to Ratchaburi and Pattaya in seaside Chon Buri Province to create mutual understanding and proper knowledge on the campaign, as well as to discuss and exchange their views on the two trial routes. (TNA)