A LOCAL DMC has launched tour packages tailored to the needs of persons with disability (PWD), a first in the Philippines.
This comes after Blue Horizons Travel and Tours’ partnership with Wheel Mobile, which is a Filipino transport service for PWDs and funded by non-profit organisations.
Wheel Mobile’s vans, which will be used to shuttle travellers about, can carry two persons in wheelchairs, two additional lightweight wheelchairs that can be folded and secured, and two companions/caregivers. The newest vans have a special holder for a small oxygen tank.
As Gregor Zajc, general manager, Blue Horizons Travel and Tours, told TTG Asia e-Daily: “We have been lacking this product in the Philippines and had been striving for the last three years to put it together.”
Itineraries of the 4D/3N Manila: PWD Tours feature historical areas like the walled city of Intramuros and a day tour to the highlands of Tagaytay. Suppliers including hotels, restaurants and operators have been carefully assessed as suitable for PWD travellers.
Zajc expects demand to come mainly from South-east Asia. “We will not only focus on pure leisure travellers but also businessmen and people attending different kinds of events,” he said.
Blue Horizons is already aiming to offer such tours beyond Manila. Said Zajc: “As pioneers in PWD tourism in the Philippines, we want to go further to make provinces like Cebu, Bohol and Boracay accessible for PWDs.”
The new product will go some way towards making travel in South-east Asia more inclusive for travellers with mobility challenges, a niche market that remains unaddressed and under-served in the region.
