Tourism for all!
Promoting Universal Accessibility
“This year’s World Tourism Day is dedicated to the catalytic role the tourism industry can play in promoting accessibility to the natural environment, transportation systems, public facilities and services, and to information and communication channels, for all citizens alike.
This year’s celebrations, with the central message “Tourism for all”, aim to raise awareness within the international community about the great importance of accessible tourism and to highlight it as a focal point of political and strategic planning relating to the tourism industry.
It is estimated that around 15% of the world’s population lives with some form of disability. This corresponds to around 1 billion people, who are not always in a position to enjoy all that the tourism experience has to offer: the chance to come into contact with other cultures, experience nature and explore new attractions.
All citizens throughout the world have the right to experience the incredible diversity our planet has to offer. The benefits from ensuring universal accessibility for all citizens without exception will be massive on every level: economic, social and cultural.
In Cyprus, despite significant progress in this field over recent years, it is imperative that this improvement continues through a comprehensive, long-term strategy, as a lot of work still needs to be done to fully satisfy the needs of this specialised group of tourists.
On the occasion of World Tourism Day, I would like to stress that tourism has always been the steam engine of the Cyprus economy. It continues today to be perhaps the biggest source of revenue, supporting many sectors of economic activity and offering thousands of jobs. The sector’s contribution to GDP is in the range of 12% and is rising .
But nothing should be taken for granted. To the contrary, given the huge potential, the sector’s strong performance creates additional responsibilities to deliver better results and to extend the tourist season.”
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This year marks 37 years since World Tourism Day was established. The main aim of the Day, which is celebrated every year on 27 September, is to highlight the social, cultural, political, environmental and financial contribution of tourism internationally. This year’s celebratory events will be hosted by Bangkok in Thailand.
