Penghu National Scenic Area Administration, Tourism Bureau, MOTC (known as Penghu National Scenic Area Administration below) has organized “Barrier-Free Tourist Environment Design” forum at the audio-visual room of Penghu Visitors Center on October 17th, 2016, with Yuan-Lung Liao – head of Penghu National Scenic Area Administration as the host, inviting chief secretary Li-Jung Sung from Life Vitality Association, together with Ju-Ling Pai – department head for the Department of Tourism and Leisure, National Penghu University of Science and Technology to attend the forum, and to share their opinions towards the current conditions as well as future perspectives for the development of barrier-free tourist environment in Penghu.
 
This forum has invited in total over 60 people from Penghu County’s Association for Physically Disabled, Penghu County tourism industry, hotels, as well as catering and tourism personnel. Penghu National Scenic Area Administration hopes to integrate professional opinions through this exchange, thereby improving Penghu’s barrier-free tourist environment, allowing Penghu’s public facilities to advance towards universal design in order to become synchronized with the world, as well as to enhance friendly tourist environment in the aspect of software services, allowing seniors and people with disabilities to enjoy a tourist environment of “Love in Penghu, Barrier-Free Kikugashima”, and “Autumn & Winter Fun in Penghu, Penghu is Blessed”.
 
During the forum, head Liao of Penghu National Scenic Area Administration indicated that the demand for “universal design” for barrier-free tourist environment is the trend of the future, and is the goal to be strived towards by the policy. The meaning of “barrier-free” for “barrier-free tourist environment” includes not only people with physical disabilities; it is without doubt that a tourist environment for seniors must be constructed to become more comprehensive due to the old aging trend. Department head Ju-Ling Pai also suggested that there are still some inadequacies regarding barrier-free tours in Penghu. Therefore, training for tourism personnel should be started off in the first place, to understand the potential needs for seniors as well as people with physical disabilities in order to accomplish more thoughtful and friendly services. In collaboration with the experience tours planned for this time, chief secretary Li-Jung Sung specially lead a group of 17 people to visit Penghu on October 15th, the group members acknowledged the endeavors that Penghu has put in towards barrier-free tourist environment, and shared their own experiences hoping to inspire more people with physical disabilities to devote into outdoor activities. She personally feels that people with physical disabilities will be able to enjoy a pleasant journey of “Pursue fun with wind using hands, Life without disabilities” with “smooth paths”, “sitting-type toilet” and “80cm width for toilet door”.
 
Penghu National Scenic Area Administration hopes to make Penghu’s future developmental direction for barrier-free tourist environment clearer through the experience sharing with the attendees, whereas the tourism promotional routes on “Barrier-free Tourism” as well as “Senior Carefree Journey” recommended by the Penghu National Scenic Area Administration provide tourism professionals to advance towards barrier-free tourism with higher service quality.