Panama aims to become a green and accessible destination by 2026
The government of Panama assures that it is working on a plan to turn the country into a green and accessible tourist destination by 2026, through adaptations of places for people with reduced mobility and groups of the elderly and the blind, the Authority of Tourism of Panama (ATP) said in a statement today.
“The law requires Panama that in 2020 the places must have suitability and accessibility, but we aim to be an ideal destination for green tourism in 2026,” said Gina Valderrama, the director of Tourism Investments of the ATP, at a regional meeting in the Panamanian capital.
“We are going to take advantage of the actions we have with other institutions so that the quality is accessible green tourism,” she added.
The civil servant said during the III conference on Accessible Tourism, Latin America and the Caribbean, which opened on Monday that the ATP has executed improvements in the designs in convention centers and tourist sites to have comfortable access for visitors.
According to the director, the aim of the ATP is to promote tourist spaces that are enabled to make the experience of the traveler pleasant, regardless of their condition.
Valderrama stressed that the institution works in coordination with the National Secretariat for Disability (Senadis) and the Panamanian Mayor’s Office, through various meetings held in the Commission on Accessibility to the physical environment, communication and information.
In turn, the director of the Senadis, Nélida Ortiz, said that including the elderly and disabled population represents an interesting niche to invest, considering that this group travels in twosomes.
“With reasonable adjustments, training focused on inclusive care, the promotion of technology as part of communication systems and the development of accessible transport, we will achieve the development of a sturdy tourism offer,” she said.
Ortiz explained that in Panama the population with disabilities is around 370,000 people, according to the First National Disability Survey, and that according to the National Institute of Statistics and Census, the elderly population in 2017 is 469,936.
The technical committee of the International Standardization Organization (ISO) is studying how to obtain a regulation that is universal for accessible tourism.
The conference, which will culminate this Wednesday, centers its main axis in the affordability network in the touristic offer, the destination selection, the environment, the means of transportation and accommodation. About 200 representatives of the tourism industry at a regional level attend the event.
Source: Panama Today