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Cyprus Failing to Cater for Disabled Tourists
05/06/2012 | 1 comments
Photo: Cyprus Guide
Disabled tourists face big problems in Cyprus because of a lack of the infrastructure they need to get around.
As a result very few of the eighty million disabled people in Europe come here for holiday.
On 3rd June the Committee of Accessible Tourism Cyprus (CACT) led a walk around Limassol to highlight the obstacles facing people with mobility impairments.
The committee, which is a Member of European work of Accessible Tourism (ENAT), met a delegation of Municipality councillors and representatives for talks.
The coordinator of the CATC, Chrysis Michaelides, explained: “We will meet and follow a short walk around the Limassol municipal gardens and seafront and take the councillors on a journey that any visitors or locals might face as disabled or mobility impaired.
“It’s important to appreciate the difficulties this sector of potential tourists face when travelling to Limassol and Cyprus generally.
“There are eighty million disabled people across Europe and very few holiday here because we do not have facilities for them to get around or enjoy their stay”.
The CATC was founded in 2011 and acts as a support and advisory organisation, helping tourism providers to upgrade and improve their facilities for those with mobility issues.
It says that restaurants, pubs, clubs, hoteliers and resorts are missing out on a potentially lucrative tourism sector because our island is just not able to provide ”basic human rights to those with impaired mobility issues” according to Michaelides.
It is not just disabled people, but parents with young children, the elderly or infirm, those who’ve undergone medical treatment and may be physically impaired for the short term.
He adds; ”Our tourism economy could benefit enormously from their visits if only we could accommodate them. We have a very accessible airport for anyone with a mobility issue, but once away from the concourse, it’s very difficult for them to travel and enjoy their stay here”.
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1 comment(s) posted
- Posted by Ambrose Ivor on 2012/06/05 - 14:41:21
ENAT has talked to the Cyprus Tourist Organisation (CTO) about access for disabled tourists. Some notable progress is being made, says CTO: "Of course there are some problems concerning the basic infrastructure regarding accessibility for disabled, but we should underline that a lot of work has been done during the last few months by the Cyprus Government to improve the accessibility particularly in public pavements/roads. We are continuing to work with Cyprus Federation of Organizations for Disabled, the official partner of the Government for disability issues, to address access improvements."
CTO is an Associate Member of ENAT.