Noorderplantsoen

Today I also visited 'het Noorderplantsoen'. It was the last thing I visited before going back to my hotelroom. 'Het Noorderplantsoen' is on the way to the hotel, so it was a good reason to visit it at the end of the day.
'Het Noorderplantsoen' is a place which is loved by the inhabitants of the city of Groningen. It is a large park, in the northern part of the city, close to the city's centre. There is a fountain, a pond with ducks, a restaurant and there are lots of trees and fields. There are playgrounds for children. It is a place where festivals are held, for example, 'Noorderzon' at the end of August. When the weather is nice in the summer, people are picknicking and sunbathing in the park. Sometimes people even barbecue here! The park is also often used to run and to do other exercises like bootcamp. So 'het Noorderplantsoen' is accessible for different groups: children, students, sporters, nature lovers.
Before I visited this park, I was wondering if the park would also be accessible for people with a disability. When I walked through the park, I saw there were roads made of asphalt and there are sandy paths. The sandy paths are not suitable for people in a wheelchair, but the roads made of asphalt are suitable! I was very happy to see that. This way, people in a wheelchair are able to enjoy the beautiful nature of 'het Noorderplantsoen'. It is important that people with a disability get the chance to do the same things as those who don't have a disability. Some think that those with disabilities do not travel, but the opposite is true. I'm glad 'het Noorderplantsoen' already is accessible, but to make the whole tourism sector accessible, the tourism industry has to change their way of thinking. There need to be developed tourism products, services and environment, which will make it possible for people with a disability to function in an independent way and with equity and dignity. There is a need for collaboration between stakeholders who want to enable travel for people with disabilities, This have to be a 'whole life' approach, so people with a disability can benefit their whole life from the accessible tourism. Accessible tourism will be social constructed, the approach has to be for the whole tourism system (Buhalis, Darcy, 2012). There is a long way to go, but 'Het Noorderplantsoen' is a good example of an accessible place for people with a disability.


After this visit, I walked 'home' to my hotel room. There I took some rest and made plans for the next day. You will hear about it soon!  

References

Buhalis, D., Darcy, S. (2012) Accessible tourism: concepts and issues. Bristol, UK: Channel View Publications.