Heping Island Park and Baisha Bay of the North Coast and Guanyinshan National Scenic Area Administration, Tourism Bureau, MOTC won the “Most Accessible Tourist Attraction” prize from the 2018 Svayam Accessibility Awards.
The Svayam Accessibility Awards was established on October 25, 2010 by the Svayam- Global Centre for Inclusive Environments under Jindal SAW based in New Delhi, India. Starting in 2012, whenever the International Conference on Mobility and Transport for Elderly and Disabled Persons (TRANSED) is held, related institutions and groups from around the globe are invited to compete for the awards as a side event. The Svayam Accessibility Awards is held once every three years in a chosen country, and in its third term, it will soon take place in Taiwan for the first time. The Awards aim to promote accessibility, including prevalence of accessible environments. It is hoped that, no matter in the countryside or in a big city, or relating to which aspect of life, the globe may become truly friendly and accessible for all. The awards are given to institutions, groups or individuals that have devoted to building accessible infrastructure. There are six categories, including Most Accessible Public Transport, Most Accessible Tourist Attraction, Most Accessible Municipality, and Most Accessible Hotel/Guest House.
Both “Building an accessible Heping Island Park in Keelung” and “The Baisha Bay of Shimen” which the Administration proposed received the 2018 Svayam Accessibility Awards, making the Administration Taiwan’s only award-winning national scenic area administration. In the proposals, the two sites were presented as “before” and “after” services and facilities were improved. Accessibility improvement and development plans were also shown. These successfully garnered reviewers’ attention.
In the last two years, in conjunction with the policies promoted by the Tourism Bureau, MOTC, the North Coast and Guanyinshan National Scenic Area Administration has went out of its way to build accessible tourist environs. In 2018, it further enhances its efforts. Director Chang Chen-chien noted that, since Heping Island Park was included into the Administration, whenever a refurbishment project is carried out, accessibility is much emphasized. From parking lots, scenic platforms, beach areas, water pools, hiking trails to public toilets, every detail is designed to make the whole place more accessible to physically challenged visitors. The Administration plans to add much more creativity to both its services and facilities, offering pleasant surprises and heartfelt comfort to visitors traveling to Keelung and the North Coast.
