Barakaldo – the city that can be visited by anyone

That, at least, is the message that authorities want to send with the introduction of accessible tourist infrastructure

Last week, the municipal website of Barakaldo (a city located in the Basque region of Spain) informed the public that local authorities are taking definite steps towards making it a destination that welcomes all people, regardless of their ability, in a true display of accessibility.

The main feature of the purported action is the release of tourist guide brochures that had been specially designed to be used by people with reduced vision. That, however, is not all as there are reportedly also some modifications in the urban infrastructure to accommodate people with such disabilities.

Brochures with Braille texts and QR codes

The Barakaldo Mayor's Office, Open Government, Tourism and Innovation Area has created tourist guides adapted for people with reduced vision that can be found in the Center for Historical and Environmental Interpretation (CIHMA) and the network of houses of culture on the territory of the municipality. 

The guides contain an accessible tourist map of three designated routes, Barakaldo Natural, Corazón de Barakaldo (Heart of Barakaldo), Camino de Santiago Barakaldo (St. James’ Way in Barakaldo), with the signs of the most important places to visit marked in Braille. In addition, thanks to a QR code located in each of the guides, one can listen to the history of each of the surrounding spaces.

“Barakaldo has many remarkable spaces to discover through tourism. We are a city that welcomes with open arms people who want to get to know our places, our history ... Thanks to a grant from the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, we have been able to create these very important guides for those who have visual disabilities to allow them to discover Barakaldo through brochures in braille and audio guides in Basque, Spanish and English," explained Gorka Zubiaurre, Councillor for Tourism.

In addition, stickers with the same QR code will be placed on the different boards with tourist information in the city. By scanning them with a phone, the visitor will obtain information about the route, the distance, the public transport available, the accessibility of the area, as well as descriptions of the most outstanding buildings and sculptures. The councillor added that great attention has been paid to ensure accessibility for people with reduced mobility by lowering sidewalks and installing ramps and lifts.