Sunday, July 8, 2012

MELAKA AND GEORGETOWN CELEBRATES 4TH YEAR AS UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE CITIES

Today is an auspicious day for Melaka and Georgetown in Penang. Both our cities were conferred with UNESCO World Heritage cities on 8th July 2008.

Four years have gone by and have there been any benefits for both cities? On the positive side, both cities have seen a marked increase of tourists both within and outside the countries. Our cities are now world recognised. With more visitors, there has been an increase in economic activities. More hotels have been built or are going to be built to cater for visitors.

More visitors have caused traffic jams especially during weekends and long public holidays. Existing roads cannot handle the increased traffic loads into the heritage areas. Some mode of transport must be implemented to prevent traffic from happening without damaging our heritage. We want to retain the charm that these cities for generations to come. Extra development should be done outside the heritage areas.

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