Good toilets can change the world. Bad or non-existent ones can hurt a destination’s tourism prospects.
Travel industry futurists, MyTravelResearch.com believe public toilet cubicles with the right kind of see-through walls can be a good thing.
Well at least sometimes.
A pop up example was unveiled recently in Sydney. When you enter the cubicle you can see out in all directions through the walls. However, people outside cannot see in.
Even though you can’t be seen, it is an unnerving experience that creates psychological insecurity for a good cause, says Carolyn Childs, co-founder of MyTravelResearch.com.
“One in three women feels that open view intimidation every day, especially in developing countries,” she says. “Lack of access to toilets puts women in developing economies at risk of sexual violence and causes them to drop out of education.”
UNICEF says that around 2.5 billion people worldwide don’t have access to a proper toilet.
Childs says trying to do the business in what feels like an exposed special UNICEF cubicle in Sydney helps get the message across about toilet infrastructure in poor parts of the world.
The pop up was the work of UNICEF and hygiene company Domestos. They have an innovative corporate social responsibility programme to improve access to toilets for 25 million people by 2020. They are doing it by promoting the benefits of using a clean toilet and making safe loos accessible to all.
In the tourism industry, MyTravelResearch previously made a splash with an insight blog on toilets in travel, which went down well. It can be read here.
The importance of toilets to UNICEF goals can be seen here.
