SAPPORO, Japan >> Various programs to certify helpers for travelers with disabilities visiting Japan have been established to help promote “universal tourism,” which enables everyone to travel.

Certification programs have been established by a variety of tourism and welfare organizations, as well as private, public and administrative bodies, to attract older tourists who may have limited mobility.

About 20 residents of Omu, Hokkaido, were training in August to be certified as travel assistants. They learned ways to help people in wheelchairs navigate steps and ate meals with an eye mask as part of their training.

“I learned how to help the elderly and families with small children,” said Fukiko Miura, 52, an official with the town’s tourist association.

The Japan Universal Design and Tourism Association in Sapporo began introducing the travel assistant certification system in 2012.

About 1,300 people involved in tourism and welfare nationwide have been certified. Recently, applicants have exceeded available slots.

Mie Iwasaki, 68, of Matsudo, Chiba prefecture, suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, an eye disease that causes vision loss.

But with the help of a travel assistant, Iwasaki went to Sapporo to enjoy walking among the ginkgo trees at Hokkaido University and visit downtown Sapporo.

“Usually I can’t walk outside at night because I’m afraid of cars, but I was able to enjoy an Italian dinner,” Iwasaki said.

Four employees at the front desk and a restaurant at the New Otani Inn Sapporo also underwent the training.

“Assistance services … will help customers choose this hotel. This effort has motivated the staff and given them confidence,” said one employee.

Similar programs exist throughout the nation.

Nihon Kaigoryoko Supporters Kyokai, a Tokyo-based association that provides caregiving for travelers, launched a travel assistance certification system in 2019. Those trained through the program were required to have worked in a nursing home or other facility, and about 440 people have participated so far.

In fiscal 2022, the Hyogo prefectural government established the Hyogo Universal Tourism Concierge certification system.

“The elderly population is increasing in Asia. To attract visitors to Japan, we have to operate from the viewpoint of supporting the elderly and physically disabled,” said a Hyogo representative.

According to an estimate released by the Japan Tourism Agency in 2023, the annual market size for universal tourism is 29.55 million people, including the elderly and the physically challenged; the annual value of that market is 2.126 trillion yen.

Universal tourism is being promoted by the central government as well. At of the end of July, there were 2,081 hotels and restaurants nationwide that had been recognized under the Japan Agency’s Barrier-Free Mindset Certification System for Tourism Facilities.

Such locations are meant to be barrier-free in terms of software, providing tablets, for example, for written communication.

As support programs improve, the economic benefits are expected to increase.

“If an environment can be created in which anyone can enjoy traveling with a sense of safety, this will be an advantage in attracting domestic and international tourists,” said Sayo Wada, a professor at Sapporo International University Junior College.

“I think facilities will acquire qualifications … to differentiate themselves,” she said.