MGTO Representatives

Note: All information is correct at the time of release.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 episode, the June and July 2020 issues of Macao Travel Talk have been combined into a single Jun-Jul 2020 issue.

Events & Festivals

A month of shared celebrations marks 15 years since World Heritage listing

Activities to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Historic Centre of Macao being added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List include guided tours of historic sites such as the Guia Lighthouse (Photo courtesy of Macao SAR Government Cultural Affairs Bureau)

The 15th anniversary of the Historic Centre of Macao being added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List is celebrated this month with at least 28 cultural activities designed for all.

Organised by the Macao SAR Government Cultural Affairs Bureau, the anniversary includes multiple events in six series: a thematic festival; the World Heritage Open Day series; the “Heritage City Tours – Guided Tours and Illustration Workshop” series; a set of lectures called “Fun Sharing Cultural Heritage”; a story-writing competition; and a WeChat game.

With the one-off programme of events, the Cultural Affairs Bureau hopes to encourage the public to experience the beauty of Macao’s World Heritage and to appreciate its precious cultural treasures.

To protect public health, the Cultural Affairs Bureau will take preventative measures against the spread of COVID-19, such as cleaning and sanitising the venues. Participants must wear protective face masks, have their temperature taken, present a valid QR code issued by the Macao Health Code system, and follow crowd control instructions.

Thematic festival

The Cultural Affairs Bureau will host a festival on 11 and 12 July at the “World Heritage Youth Education Base”, located in the Mandarin’s House. Participants can enjoy a variety of special activities, such as games, family workshops, exhibitions, sales of products made by cultural and creative enterprises, a lucky draw, performances and opportunities for photography.

For the World Heritage Open Day series of activities, five tours of seldom-seen World Heritage sites have been arranged. On the programme are “Tea Time at Sir Robert Ho Tung Library”, “Panoramic View of the Ruins of St. Paul’s”, “Treasure Hunting in the Mandarin’s House”, “Secret Magic Circle of the Senado Library”, and “Ascent to the Guia Lighthouse”.

These intimate visits allow the public to enjoy the Historic Centre of Macao from different perspectives, and to enjoy singular experiences at the World Heritage sites, such as savouring a Portuguese-style tea set at the Sir Robert Ho Tung Library; admiring the Ruins of St. Paul’s from the terrace on the roof of the Colégio Mateus Ricci; joining in a treasure hunt game on the second and third floors of the Mandarin’s House, which are seldom accessible to the public; inspecting the inner hall and upper-floor gallery of the Senado Library; and enjoying the impressive vista from the top of the Guia Lighthouse.

Guided heritage tours

The series “Heritage City Tours – Guided Tours and Illustration Workshop” features five itineraries, with each tour led by professional guides who tell the story of the history and architecture found along the way. Illustrators will be on hand to teach participants how to create a travel diary. Two of the tours are specifically devised for families.

The final three series of events celebrating the anniversary include public lectures and creative pursuits.

In the series called “Fun Sharing Cultural Heritage”, lectures will be offered at schools and other community groups until the end of the year. Also, on 11 and 12 July, the “World Heritage Modelling Workshop” for children and their parents will be held at the Mandarin’s House.

The 15th anniversary celebrations have been arranged by the Cultural Affairs Bureau with the support of the Macao Government Tourism Office, the Kaiping Municipal People’s Government, Air Macau Co. Ltd. and Bank of China (Macao Branch).

Other special activities will be made available throughout July. Interested parties can check the website at https://www.icm.gov.mo/mhd15/en/ to stay up to date.