Walking alone at the streets of Macau’s Senado Square in a pleasant cold weather one evening made me realize how safe and romantic the city is. Being one of the Special Administrative Regions(SARs) of China, Macau is a major tourist destination of the world. Being in Macau for a Training-of-Trainers Workshop for the Cultural Heritage Specialist Guides Programme sponsored by UNESCO in cooperation with the Instituo de Formacao Turistica (Institute for Tourism Studies) of Macau from January 11-16, 2009, gave me the rare opportunity to learn and observe how the City became one of the world’s favorite tourist spots and an important economic player.
A former colony of Portugal, it became a major port of trade alongside with neighboring Hong Kong. Perceived as the gambling capital of Asia because of the presence of well-known casinos, Macau has other things to offer in terms of Heritage and Culture. Inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List because of the significant presence and protection of its tangible and intangible cultural properties, tourists visit Macau not only to gamble but to appreciate its culture and heritage attractions such as the Ruins of St. Paul’s Church, Mount Fortress and Museo de Macau , Senado Square and St. Dominic’s Church among others.
As a result of the workshop, the participating countries were able to draft an outline for a site module in preparation for the crafting of a curriculum for a specialized course for tour guides in their respective World Heritage Sites. The training was attended by representatives from China(Mt. Lushan), Indonesia (Boroubudor), Malaysia (Georgetown, Penang and Melakka), and the Philippines (Vigan City). Soon Vigan will be training Heritage Guides in accordance with internationally accepted and UNESCO accredited standards. Having the privileged of learning from Macau, I will definitely share it in Vigan and the rest of the Philippines.
