JEDDAH, 31 May 2003 — Tourism forums usually concentrate on the economic and entertainment aspects, with little emphasis on the environment and even less on the humanitarian side. The three-day National Tourism Forum, that concluded on Thursday, however, took a look at the human factor in tourism, with work papers on issues such as training, support services and marketing. Included in the forum was a presentation by Dr. Ilham Harasani, general director of the Prince Abdul Majeed Care Center for Gifted Children with Special Needs. She spoke about providing tourism programs and destinations for the disabled, particularly children.
This not only makes the forum unique in its humanitarian dimension, it also makes this presentation special for the center. This was the first time the center has participated in a forum. The center was established less than a year ago for the care of children who have special needs due to disability or social circumstances, but at the same time are gifted artistically or mentally and therefore require special care to nurture their talents and develop their skills. Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed, who supported the establishment of the center, invited the private sector to continue their involvement in all tourism projects for those of special needs emphasizing the humanitarian side of tourism and the inclusion of all members of society.
In her presentation, Dr. Harasani touched on the right of everyone to enjoy tourism activities locally, regionally or internationally according to their circumstances and needs and based on their different abilities — whether physical, mental, social or economic. This includes those with special needs and the elderly. “There are social needs, location needs and technical needs that require that we provide special facilities and services,” she said.
Socially, there is the need to integrate individuals with special needs into society by raising awareness and changing attitudes, which require trained personnel in all the tourism establishments who know how to deal with the disabled and elderly. She gave several examples of the types of entertainment programs and tourism activities that accommodate their needs.
In terms of location, facilities must cater to their abilities. Technical needs are met by providing special equipment for the different disabilities.
“There is also the economic factor. The disabled are burdened with extra expenses because of their disability,” Dr. Harasani pointed out. She suggested giving the disabled discounts of 50 percent and the elderly discounts of 25 percent on all tourism activities and accommodation.
Unfortunately, upon conducting a survey of the various shopping centers, restaurants, recreational parks, hospitals and travel agencies, Dr. Harasani found that there was rarely any consideration for the disabled and elderly beyond Braille floor buttons in elevators and some wheelchair access.
Such a lack of basic services and facilities for the disabled, she pointed out, was a major obstacle to tourism for them and their families. Thus infrastructure needed to be developed and people trained before any real success in the field could be achieved.
