In a bid to make tourism accessible to all visitors, including the differently-abled and senior citizens, the City Palace Museum in Udaipur on Tuesday launched their Universal Access Plan on the occasion of World Tourism Day.
The plan curated by Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF) is being introduced in line with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) theme of ‘Tourism for all: Promoting universal accessibility.’
“Accessible Tourism for all is about the creation of environments that can cater to the needs of all of us, whether we are traveling or staying at home.
“May that be due to a disability, even temporary, families with small children, or the ageing population, at some point in our lives, sooner or later, we all benefit of universal accessibility in tourism,” said Vrinda Raje, CEO, Joint Custodianship Initiative, MMCF.
As part of the plan, which focuses on greater convenience for specially abled tourists, the museum here has been equipped with ramps, lifts, audio-visual rooms and accessible toilets.
According to MMCF, the plan will facilitate easy access through the museum’s narrow corridors, small gates and pathways which were previously “not designed for a modern museum.”
The museum has been equipped with ramps, lifts and audio-visual rooms.
The initiative has been underway since 2010 for which MMCF has been working with the School of Architecture and Planning, Bhopal.
“We want to call upon the right for all of the world’s citizens to experience the incredible diversity of our planet and ensure a fulfilling museum experience for visitors,” Raje said.
The City Palace Museum which was first built in the 16th century comprises of a series of palaces and courtyards spread across an area of 20,000 square metres.
It hosts a range of exhibitions and galleries including a silver museum, a sculpture gallery, an exhibition each on the royal collection of musical instruments and the royal textiles and costumes.
World Tourism Day is celebrated every year on September 27 to create awareness about the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic value.
According to UNWTO, the celebrations across the globe seek to highlight tourism’s potential to contribute to reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and address some of the most pressing challenges society currently faces.
The day long celebrations at the museum here will include an inaugural heritage walk at the City Palace Museum for the specially abled.
MMCF has also worked on five themes laid by UNWTO to celebrate the cultural heritage with traditional puppet shows at Baadi Mahal.
A ‘Rajasthani Barat’ and ‘Behrupiya’ and plethora of performances by folk artists will be staged within the premises of the City Palace Museum, besides “Asmita” a puppet play on the life of Maharana Pratap, one of the iconic rulers of Mewar.
Source: pradesh18
