November 17, 2008: Regional Training (Day 1)
Barrier-free Tourism - Visit to Miyajima, World Cultural Heritage
Training Report - Leadership Development Course 2008
This week the participants have a long-awaited one-week regional training in Hiroshima and Wakayama!
This morning they left JICA Tokyo at 8 am for the Haneda Domestic Airport and flew to the world famous City of Hiroshima.
After an enjoyable flight of one and a half hour, the participants arrived to the Hiroshima Airport and there a bus equipped with a lift was waiting for them. Then the participants moved to Miyajima, an island with a world cultural heritage “Itsukushima Shrine” and the participants observed the barrier-free tourism.
Some participants commented that their countries also have a lot of beautiful places and sightseeing spots, however, they are not made accessible so they have not been able to enjoy those places. Others mentioned that the cultural and social side of the life of people with disabilities were often neglected or seen as luxury, but it's related to the quality of life and it's their rights to enjoy social and cultural aspects of human life.
One of the participants also commented that he expected the Miyajima to have applied a modern technology to make it accessible, but what they've observed was rather low cost devices for example wodden slopes. Other participant also mentioned about the possible economic contribution that the barrier-free tourism could bring as barrier-free tourism can widen the range of customers and consumers. It could possibly create new employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.
In Hiroshima, the leaves were turning its colors from green to red, yellow and brown and the participants were blessed with a lovely autumn weather today. They fully enjoyed the beauty of Miyajima and it became an unforgettable memory.
