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Kaohsiung City's Tourism Bureau is actively promoting a gender-friendly accommodation label, with 20 accommodations recognized for their efforts.
Post date:2023-11-21
Update:2023-12-12
Viewing Count 280
The Kaohsiung City Government is vigorously promoting gender-friendly policies. Not only was it the first city in the nation to implement "partner registration" and boast the largest rainbow landscape, but it also established a Gender Equality Office to implement gender equality initiatives. Kao Min-Lin, Director of Tourism Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government, stated that to create a gender-friendly tourism environment, the Tourism Bureau has set up a "Gender-Friendly Accommodation Zone" on the "Kaohsiung Travel website." On the eve of the Kaohsiung Pride parade in November, the review of the gender-friendly accommodation label for 20 accommodations has been completed, allowing diverse gender groups to feel at ease as travelers in Kaohsiung.
As a long-term advocate of gender equality, the Director of the Tourism Bureau mentioned that LGBTQ+ travelers often feel offended by the unwelcome stares they encounter while traveling. To foster a friendlier environment in Kaohsiung and reduce misunderstandings caused by a lack of gender awareness among accommodation providers, the Bureau has actively implemented policies since her tenure began. This year, the Tourism Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government promoted the "Gender-Friendly Accommodation Label,” which involved human rights and gender equality organizations, academic representatives, and accommodation providers in planning gender-friendly educational training sessions and panel discussions, and establishing gender equality indicators for the hotel industry. The "Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association" and the "Kaohsiung City Bed and Breakfast Development Association" were commissioned to carry out the initiative through on-site visits and guidance. By November, there are 20 accommodations having received the gender-friendly labels.
Director Kao Min-Lin outlined the five major criteria for the gender-friendly label: gender equality course and training for accommodation providers, displaying signs to identify friendly spaces, setting up gender-friendly restrooms, making forms more inclusive, and allowing employees to choose uniforms based on their gender identity. Through the gender-friendly accommodation label, the existing accommodation environment can be carefully examined from users’ perspective. This initiative aims to provide comfortable services for diverse gender groups, making Kaohsiung the city that welcomes all gender identities and is adored by the LGBTQ+ community.
One of the review panel members, Jiang Shu-Hong, who is the supervisor of the "Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association," pointed out that often the unfriendly treatment towards diverse gender groups is subtle. Besides tangible facilities and declarations, it is particularly important to observe whether the design in detail is considerate enough. This includes gender fields in accommodation questionnaires and signage symbols, which are areas of concern and importance for the review panel. What's more crucial is that during the guidance process, time must be spent on in-depth interviews to understand whether service providers are genuinely aware of gender issues.Zheng Qian-Ren, the Chief of the Staff of the "Kaohsiung City Bed and Breakfast Development Association," which has long promoted gender-friendly accommodations, shared that friends often encounter unfriendly treatment during travel. This could be due to incorrect gender pronouns, awkward questions arising from a lack of understanding of LGBTQ+ community, or being treated differently due to gender expression. He hopes that this label review process can lead to improvements. Additionally, Xue Chao-Yang, the manager of "The Cloud Hotel," which just received the label, mentioned that through the Tourism Bureau's educational training courses and on-site guidance, not only has the staff's perspective on diverse genders been broadened, but the overall service quality has also been effectively enhanced.
The Tourism Bureau noted that currently, 143 accommodation providers in the City are addressing the issue of "period poverty" by proactively providing guests with menstrual products. To create a friendly travel environment, the Tourism Bureau is further guiding accommodation providers to obtain the "Gender-Friendly Accommodation Label" and will participate in the 14th Kaohsiung Pride parade on Nov. 25th to show its support for gender equality. Additionally, the Bureau will continue to organize gender equality empowerment courses, aiming to prepare the tourism industry to welcome every visitor to Kaohsiung with an open, diverse, warm and friendly attitude, showcasing the city's multifaceted charm. For more information, please refer to the Kaohsiung Travel website.
As a long-term advocate of gender equality, the Director of the Tourism Bureau mentioned that LGBTQ+ travelers often feel offended by the unwelcome stares they encounter while traveling. To foster a friendlier environment in Kaohsiung and reduce misunderstandings caused by a lack of gender awareness among accommodation providers, the Bureau has actively implemented policies since her tenure began. This year, the Tourism Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government promoted the "Gender-Friendly Accommodation Label,” which involved human rights and gender equality organizations, academic representatives, and accommodation providers in planning gender-friendly educational training sessions and panel discussions, and establishing gender equality indicators for the hotel industry. The "Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association" and the "Kaohsiung City Bed and Breakfast Development Association" were commissioned to carry out the initiative through on-site visits and guidance. By November, there are 20 accommodations having received the gender-friendly labels.
Director Kao Min-Lin outlined the five major criteria for the gender-friendly label: gender equality course and training for accommodation providers, displaying signs to identify friendly spaces, setting up gender-friendly restrooms, making forms more inclusive, and allowing employees to choose uniforms based on their gender identity. Through the gender-friendly accommodation label, the existing accommodation environment can be carefully examined from users’ perspective. This initiative aims to provide comfortable services for diverse gender groups, making Kaohsiung the city that welcomes all gender identities and is adored by the LGBTQ+ community.
One of the review panel members, Jiang Shu-Hong, who is the supervisor of the "Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association," pointed out that often the unfriendly treatment towards diverse gender groups is subtle. Besides tangible facilities and declarations, it is particularly important to observe whether the design in detail is considerate enough. This includes gender fields in accommodation questionnaires and signage symbols, which are areas of concern and importance for the review panel. What's more crucial is that during the guidance process, time must be spent on in-depth interviews to understand whether service providers are genuinely aware of gender issues.Zheng Qian-Ren, the Chief of the Staff of the "Kaohsiung City Bed and Breakfast Development Association," which has long promoted gender-friendly accommodations, shared that friends often encounter unfriendly treatment during travel. This could be due to incorrect gender pronouns, awkward questions arising from a lack of understanding of LGBTQ+ community, or being treated differently due to gender expression. He hopes that this label review process can lead to improvements. Additionally, Xue Chao-Yang, the manager of "The Cloud Hotel," which just received the label, mentioned that through the Tourism Bureau's educational training courses and on-site guidance, not only has the staff's perspective on diverse genders been broadened, but the overall service quality has also been effectively enhanced.
The Tourism Bureau noted that currently, 143 accommodation providers in the City are addressing the issue of "period poverty" by proactively providing guests with menstrual products. To create a friendly travel environment, the Tourism Bureau is further guiding accommodation providers to obtain the "Gender-Friendly Accommodation Label" and will participate in the 14th Kaohsiung Pride parade on Nov. 25th to show its support for gender equality. Additionally, the Bureau will continue to organize gender equality empowerment courses, aiming to prepare the tourism industry to welcome every visitor to Kaohsiung with an open, diverse, warm and friendly attitude, showcasing the city's multifaceted charm. For more information, please refer to the Kaohsiung Travel website.
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