Ulsan Launches Full-Scale Initiative to Build a 'Barrier-Free Tourism City for All'
Published 11 Sep.2025 08:50(KST)
Creating a Comfortable Travel Environment for All, Including People with Disabilities, the Elderly, and Families with Infants and Young Children
Improving Accessibility with Double-Decker City Tour Buses for Wheelchair Users and Barrier-Free Route Design
Ulsan City is taking full-scale action to establish a 'Barrier-Free Tourism City' where everyone, including people with disabilities, the elderly, and families with infants and young children, can travel with ease.
Since enacting a related ordinance in 2021, the city has made efforts to improve accessibility in tourism, in line with the growing need to consider vulnerable groups as Ulsan enters an aging society.
In particular, after being selected last year for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's 'Barrier-Free Tourism Connectivity Enhancement Project,' which has a total budget of 8 billion won, Ulsan is actively implementing an action plan comprised of 14 detailed projects across five areas to establish itself as a model city for barrier-free tourism.
Key initiatives include introducing the nation's first eco-friendly city tour bus that allows wheelchair access to the second floor, as well as launching the barrier-free van 'UV (Ulsan+Minivan).' The city will also enhance travel convenience for tourists by linking an online reservation platform with QR codes.
In October, a special EBS broadcast titled 'Breaking Through the World - Let's Go on a Trip' will introduce Ulsan's barrier-free tourism nationwide, featuring young people with disabilities touring the city in the UV van.
Starting this month, the city will conduct preliminary surveys of major tourist attractions and nearby accommodation and food and beverage businesses, followed by facility improvements such as upgrading revolving doors, installing wheelchair-accessible pathways, providing convenience items, and offering service training.
At large-scale festival sites, including the Industrial Festival, Ulsan will provide ramps, accessible restrooms, nursing rooms, and wheelchair and stroller rental services to ensure that everyone can participate comfortably.
At major tourist destinations such as Bangudae Petroglyphs and Taehwagang National Garden, the city will design barrier-free routes and introduce augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) guide content to enhance information accessibility. Ulsan will also operate a barrier-free tourism council and a citizen-led monitoring team to reflect on-site feedback in its policies.
Through this barrier-free tourism city initiative, Ulsan expects to achieve increased tourist satisfaction, higher added value for the local tourism industry including accommodation, transportation, and food service sectors, and guaranteed mobility rights for vulnerable groups.
An official from the city stated, "Ulsan is at a critical turning point, moving beyond an industrial city to become a city of culture and tourism. We will create a barrier-free tourism city where everyone can travel comfortably by improving facilities and incorporating smart technologies, so that Ulsan's nature and culture can be enjoyed equally by all."
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