KATHMANDU, Sept 26: Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN) organized 'Heritage Walk with People with Disabilities' in Kathmandu on Monday on the eve of World Tourism Day 2016.
Tourism fraternity across the world is celebrating World Tourism Day by organizing various programs on Tuesday. The theme for this year's celebration is 'Tourism for All: Promoting Universal Accessibility'.
As the theme of this year's celebration is related to making tourism services accessible to all, TAAN organized a walk with people with disabilities. Around 30 people with disabilities actively participated in the program, carrying placards with messages like 'Tourism for All', 'Promoting Universal Accessibility', 'Put no barriers in tourism', 'Make tourism services accessible to all', Everyone can travel', 'Yes, we can travel' and 'Make Nepal accessible to all', among others.
Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Shankar Prasad Adhikari, inaugurated the rally that started from Tridevi Marg and passed through Narsingh Chowk, Thahity, Bhedasingh and Indrachowk before culminating into a corner meet in.
Speaking at the corner meet, TAAN General Secretary Karna Bahadur Lama said that the main objective of the program was to create awareness about accessible tourism among both the government and the private sector. Similarly, Ram Prasad Sapkota, coordinator of TAAN's Sports and Events Department, said the event was organized to draw attention of policymakers toward the need to make tourism services accessible to all. "There should be no barrier in tourism. Everyone has the right to travel. The government should prepare necessary infrastructures to uphold such rights," he added.
Similarly, Uttam Deuja of Accessible Himalayas said that the government needs to learn a lot from other countries in terms of making tourism accessible to all.
TAAN President Chandra Prasad Rijal said disabilities shouldn't confine one's willingness to travel and enjoy tourism products and services. He also urged the government to make tourism services accessible to all without further delay.
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