Earlier this month, we did a feature on how Asia is stepping up when it comes to making tourism more accessible to those with physical disabilities or are of advanced age.
There, we pointed out how measures like the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Malaysia’s Persons with Disabilities Act have established fundamental rights for the differently abled and the elderly and uphold those rights via localised policies throughout the region.
But while some online and even offline travel guides and agencies tout the Asia Pacific as the most rewarding tourism frontier for senior citizens, not all areas within the region are prepared to meet the needs of older travellers, thus compromising their health and safety.
Senior tourism: who’s doing it right?
East Asia and Singapore, two areas with rapidly ageing populations and significantly lower birthrates, are leading the way when it comes to making travel easier for those of an advanced age.
Likewise, it has been noted that the preferences and requirements of senior travellers are being taken into serious consideration when it comes to planning urban spaces and tourism experiences.
Professor Wu Liyun of the China Academy of Culture and Tourism at Beijing International Studies University remarked that senior travel habits are dictating how destinations plan out their operations.
According to Wu: “Older travellers' preference for quieter periods could narrow both seasonal fluctuations and the gap between busy weekends and quieter weekdays, helping destinations develop a more balanced pattern of business throughout the year."
At the same time, China (including its special autonomous regions Hong Kong and Macau), Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan have taken into consideration senior needs when it comes to urban planning, as seen in the following measures:
- Senior citizens and persons with disabilities are given ample access to resting areas practically anywhere;
- World-class urban medical care and predictable safety measures are all within reach;
- Universal design in public transit means catching a bus or riding commuter trains is a safe and comfortable experience; and
- Urban areas are made safer through the use of tactile paving, seamless elevator access for overpasses and underpasses, as well as working lifts, escalators, and walkalators to decrease the need for extensive walking in any weather and at any time of day.
Case study: The problem at Tan Son Nhat
That’s all well and good for East Asia and developed nations like Singapore, but much of Southeast Asia has yet to catch up.
Case in point: Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam is already challenging enough with long queues for immigration and airport security.
However, we have noticed that there are few measures to make this easier for the elderly and the infirm: there are no dedicated lanes for senior citizens, PWDs, and even pregnant individuals.
At the same time, the language barrier makes it difficult for those challenged by the long walk from security to boarding gate or those in need of any form of assistance to get help.
Still another challenge is the need to ferry passengers to their planes from boarding gate to tarmac by often over-crowded shuttles and the subsequent use of mobile staircases to get aboard can be punishing.
Southeast Asia lags in terms of senior-friendly measures
Much of Southeast Asia also has the reputation of being unsafe and unmanageable for pedestrian travellers.
Consider this: cities throughout Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines are characterised by sidewalks that are frequently uneven, blocked by street vendors, or even non-existent.
This is bad enough for healthy individuals, but poses dangers for elderly travellers and those with limited mobility who may be forced to navigate into traffic to get to where they’re going.
Also, while high-speed rail networks are expanding throughout ASEAN member nations, getting to and from stations often involves steep staircases, lack of elevators, and a reliance on narrow, high-step local buses or motorised tricycles.
It should also be noted that digital platforms and travel providers across Asia often fail to provide transparent information regarding wheelchair accessibility, ramps, or audio guides, particularly within Southeast Asia.
This forces seniors and / or their caregivers into time-consuming, direct outreach to clarify if a venue can accommodate them and if these have access to key amenities.
Next steps
Moving forward, making Southeast Asian tourism safer and easier for senior travellers entails a shift from targeting younger travellers and making attraction accessibility better for a wider traveller base.
In which case, regional tourism boards need to shift from an adventure-first operational model to one rooted in Universal Design, predictable health infrastructure, and thoughtful pacing.
Admittedly, many governments and private stakeholders are beginning to realise how crucial this shift is.
In fact, the ASEAN Tourism Sectoral Plan 2026–2030 specifically highlights accessible and seamless travel as a foundational pillar to ensure older travellers and individuals with disabilities can navigate borders and destinations with dignity.
