KOCHI: Come December 3, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, and the Tourism Department will achieve a landmark. Five of its most visited tourist destinations will be turned into ‘barrier-free’ places. Of the elite destinations in the state, Ernakulam district is a favourite among foreign and domestic tourists alike. The implementation of the barrier-free project will provide easy access to the differently-abled travellers to the tourist hot-spots here.
Ernakulam District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC ) secretary S Vijayakumar said the department signed a pact on Tuesday with the Kerala State Industrial Enterprises (KSIE) to carry out the required construction work as part of the project. The five destinations in the district set to get the barrier-free advantage are Fort Kochi, Ernakulam boat jetty complex, Kuzhuppilly, Cherai and Munambam beaches.
“The state government allocated a fund of Rs 44 lakh for turning the five tourist destinations barrier-free,” Vijayakumar said.
“The agreement was signed with KSIE to complete the work before the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The work will start in the next few weeks.”As part of the project, special arrangements will be made at the barrier-free tourist destinations. The DTPC officer said tack tiles will be laid at these tourist destinations, helping disabled persons move around. Steps will be converted to ramps for access on wheelchairs, and Braille signboards and audio guides will be installed. In tune with these changes, walking sticks and wheelchairs will be made available at these places.
“After making five tourist destinations barrier-free, other tourist locations will be altered and made accessible for disabled persons. The tourist destinations under development are being constructed in the barrier-free mode,” Vijayakumar said. The government had launched the project in 2017 with Rs 9 crore set aside for all districts. In the initial phase, it was decided to give 100 locations the barrier-free makeover this year. The project was first implemented in Kannur when current Tourism Director P Bala Kiran was the District Collector there. The project was implemented through 13 DTPCs and the Kannur District Nirmithi Kendra.
According to Tourism Department data, around three per cent of tourists - domestic and foreign - arriving in Kerala were differently-abled. Similarly, around 10 per cent of tourists are senior citizens. A majority of tourist destinations are not accessible to them. In 2017, 1.46 crore tourists visited the state, compared to 1.31 crore in 2016. The total revenue from the tourism sector was around Rs 33,383.68 crore. Ernakulam district welcomed 4.54 lakh foreign and 32.85 lakh domestic tourists last year.