Sanya Declaration on Accessible Tourism
in Asia and the Pacific
We, the participants representing Governments, disabled people's
organizations, tourism business sector, accessibility experts, media, and
other civil society organizations, meeting in Sanya City, Hainan Province,
China from 30 October to 1 November 2006 at UNESCAP/CDPF Regional Workshop
on Promotion of Barrier-free Tourism,
Appreciating the China Disabled Persons' Federation and the City
Government of Sanya for their commitment and efforts to host and support the
above-mentioned Workshop, which was jointly organized with the UNESCAP,
Recalling the purposes and principles of the Biwako Millennium
Framework for Action towards an Inclusive, Barrier-free and Rights-based
Society for Persons with Disabilities (BMF), adopted as the regional policy
guideline for the extended decade (2003-2012), at the High-level
Intergovernmental Meeting to Conclude the Asian and Pacific Decade of
Disabled Persons (1993-2002), held in Otsu, Japan, in October 2002,
Recalling also UNESCAP resolution 61/8 of 18 May 2005 on the
mid-point review of the implementation of the Biwako Millennium Framework
for Action, which calls upon members and associate members to renew their
commitment to the implementation of the Biwako Millennium Framework for
Action in advance of the mid-point review in 2007,
Recalling further the "Bali Declaration on Barrier-free Tourism
for People with Disabilities," which was adopted at the Asia-Pacific
Conference on Tourism for People with Disability, in September 2000, in
Bali, Indonesia, and which embodied the participants' commitment to the
promotion of accessible tourism,
Noting the progress made thus far and challenges regarding
realization of the targets 13 to 20 under the priority areas of access to
built environment and transport and access to information and
communications, including information, communication and assistive
technologies of the Biwako Millennium Framework for Action,
Recognizing the changing landscape of tourism, which was brought
about, inter alia, by the increasing number of persons with
disabilities and older persons, growing levels of affluence and wide range
of travel options,
Welcoming the agreement made on the Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities and Draft Optional Protocol at the Eighth Session
of the Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive and Integral International
Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of
Persons with Disabilities in August 2006 at New York, in particular,
relevant articles on accessibility, personal mobility, and participation in
cultural life, recreation, leisure and sport,
1. Reaffirm our commitment to further implement the
accessibility-relevant targets of the Biwako Millennium Framework for Action
and contribute to its mid-point review process towards the high-level
intergovernmental meeting in 2007;
2. Encourage member states in the region to sign and ratify
the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and translate it
into national actions accordingly;
3. Reaffirmalso our commitment topromote tourism for all
and accessible tourism, which include removal of attitudinal and
institutional barriers in society, and which encompasses accessible physical
environment, transportation, information and communications and other
facilities and services that consequently benefit not only persons with
different disabilities, but also older persons, families with young children
and all other travelers,
4. Urge Governments at all levels to ensure the effective
implementation and enforcement of applicable accessibility-related laws and
regulations by strengthening multi-sectoral coordination;
5. Urge also Governments to mainstream accessible tourism in
overall tourism development policy and action plans;
6. Urge further Governments as well as other concerned
stakeholders to promote awareness on the importance of accessible tourism
and on the travel needs of persons with different disabilities and other
travelers;
7. Encourage partnership among Government focal points on
disability and tourism policy, tourism industry, accessibility experts,
disabled persons' organizations and other civil society organizations for
effective promotion and implementation of accessible tourism;
8. Reaffirm further the significance of meaningful
participation of persons with disabilities in decision-making processes
concerning accessible tourism;
9. Request relevant authorities/bodies of member states to
develop and improve curriculum on accessible tourism to be included in
travel-related training and education;
10. Encourage stakeholders and tourism industry to utilize
appropriate technology to improve on accessible tourism,
11. Encourage International funding agencies to incorporate
accessibility compliance in their policies and programmes,
12. Encourage Governments to include the promotion of accessible
tourism as an effective strategy in the Biwako Plus Five, a proposed
supplementary document for the second half of the Asian Pacific Decade of
Disabled Persons,
13. Encourage travelers with disabilities to identify challenges
they face in air, land and sea transport, and request relevant authorities
to take appropriate actions for the improvement of existing regulations and
practices;
14. Encourage service providers to improve their facilities and
services to enable participation of persons with disabilities in wider range
of leisure and recreational activities;
15. Encourage various forms of media to promote accessible
tourism;
16. Request UNESCAP to extend its technical assistance to
Governments in the region in promoting accessible tourism through, inter
alia, the following:
(a) Organizing forums to facilitate the exchange of experiences and good
practices as well as to enhance cooperation on promotion of accessible
tourism;
(b) Coordinating the establishment of the regional network, by involving
Governments and various sectors, to facilitate data collection, information
gathering and good practice sharing on accessible tourism,
(c) Supporting human resource development training programmes aimed at
raising disability awareness, increasing capacity and skills required for
the provision of improved services in accessible tourism.
(d) Facilitating the provision of advisory services to member states to
enhance their capacity in promoting accessible tourism.
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