Improving Mobility of Travelers with Disabilities & Removing Impediments to Tourism Business and Investment

The 23rd meeting of the APEC Tourism Working Group (TWG) is taking place from November 29 to December 1 in Bali, Indonesia to address regional tourism priority issues that include improving travel options for people with disabilities, expanding investment and dealing with the terrorist threat.

The meeting will also officially receive the first risk management strategy to be produced for the tourism industry in the Asia-Pacific Region.

Preliminary TWG meetings began on November 28 and the meeting will be formally opened on 29 November by Mr. Thamrin B. Bachri, Deputy Minister for Capacity Building and International Relations, Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia.

TWG Lead Shepherd, Mr. Auggaphol Brickshawana, said the meeting will address the TWG's four tourism policy goals that have direct impact on comfortable and safe travel in the Asia-Pacific Region.

"I am interested to receive the report from Canada on ensuring best practices for travelers with restricted mobility." Mr. Auggaphol said.

"If a person is unable to walk, see, hear or has any other restriction in their mobility, this should not stop them from traveling and enjoying the world in which we live.

"Travel and being a tourist is one of the greatest experiences in the world and the number of people traveling continues to grow.

"It is my hope that the paper from Canada on travelers with restricted mobility will be a worthwhile tool for tourism operators in the region."

Mr. Auggaphol said other issues to be covered at the meeting include the requirements of dealing with the counter-terrorism for governments and tourism operators, impediments to tourism business and investment, sustainable management of the future tourism industry and the social development role of tourism.

Other important reports that will be presented at the TWG meeting are the APEC Tourism Occupational Skills Standard (APEC TOSS) Study Stage III and the APEC Tourism Risk Management for the Asia Pacific Region that has been prepared respectively by Indonesia and the APEC International Centre for Sustainable Tourism (AICST).

"The APEC APEC TOSS provides platform for tourism industry development and manpower mobility in the region through the establishment of work performance skill standards.

"Whereas the crisis management report provides step by step recommendations for protecting the Asia-Pacific Tourism Industry from severe damage in the event of a disaster or other crisis.

The goals of the TWG are cover most facets of the tourism industry and specially relate to the following areas: