Ana Sofia Antunes, Secretary of State for the Inclusion of People with Disabilities, was in Vilamoura last Tuesday to launch an innovative application aimed at people with visual impairments.
According to the Municipality of Loulé, this «is an instrument that will contribute to the well-being of many citizens and may reinforce the role of this tourist center in a specific market niche: tourists, who are looking for an accessible destination in terms of mobility in space. public".
«More than the tourist who comes for a three-day getaway to discover a city, we increasingly have older tourists, who are more financially willing to spend and invest in Portugal, which stays for a longer time, which is why it is important that when he arrives here he may have adapted spaces, technology to support him, accessible restaurants, accessible bathrooms, spaces where he can be
be able to move», highlighted Ana Sofia Antunes.
This mobile application, which was born from a partnership between Inframoura and Vilamoura Marina, developed by the company My Eyes, was praised by the Secretary of State: «it is a simple, accessible technology that can be configured with a set of useful information. only to blind people as well as those with low vision».
As explained by Pedro Almeida, from the company responsible for this technological solution, the application “Including Vilamoura – A city guide for All” involves the use of GPS points with coordinates on the outside and, inside, the beatcon technology, transmitting a Bluetooth signal to the user's mobile phone.
The idea, in the future, is to expand to other areas of Vilamoura, such as hotels, golf courses and restaurants, said Vítor Aleixo, mayor of Loulé. For him, other areas of the county may also join this technological innovation.
For the mayor of Loulé, since tourism is a fundamental aspect of the local economy, «it would be unthinkable, both human and financial, not to try to make our tourism offer more accessible».
According to Vítor Aleixo, particularly in Vilamoura, several measures have been taken 'to become an inclusive and intelligent destination'.
In this context, «alongside the creation of the Vilamoura Nautical Station, which has as one of its main objectives the improvement of accessibility for users of disabled mobility, other steps have been taken with a view to accessibility in public space, as is the case of measures implemented that earned the award of accessible beaches to the bathing areas of Vilamoura, Quarteira, Forte Novo, Loulé Velho, Vale do Lobo and Garrão Poente», highlights the City Council of Loulé.
Despite the “Accessible Award” awarded to Portugal by the World Tourism Association, which rewarded “the set of actions developed in recent years”, Ana Sofia Antunes believes that there is still a lot to be done in this matter.
For the Secretary of State, in addition to the importance of putting technology at the service of citizens with disabilities, another dimension in terms of accessibility is essential: the breaking of architectural barriers that often prevent the movement of people with reduced mobility.
Vítor Aleixo shares the same opinion and, in the case of the municipality of Loulé, believes there is still "a long way to go in view of the existing needs", and, little by little, Loulé Council emphasizes, "the territory is being adapted to these needs, as is the case of the intervention that is being carried out on Avenida José da Costa Mealha, the central artery of the city of Loulé, which has as one of its main objectives to improve the circulation of people with mobility difficulties, breaking some barriers there. existing".
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