Cultural Tourism in Macao: Retrospective and Prospective

Abstract

Macao is prescribed to develop as an “exchange and cooperation base with Chinese culture as its mainstream and the co-existence of different cultures” by The Central Government. In 2005, Macao was listed as a city of world heritage and regarded as a “global tourism and leisure center”—a gateway for East-West cooperation. Macao became to use cultural heritage as a brand for the promotion of cultural tourism, aiming to the diversification of Macao economy. 20 years after the handover, Macao SAR Government has been actively promoting cultural tourism. However, to the general public, Macao is still regarded as a gaming city while cultural tourism is insignificant. For the sustainable development of cultural tourism, Macao has to take up the opportunities generated by the “Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong- Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area” for the promotion and upgrade of tourism facilities and resources.

Keywords:  Cultural tourism, Cultural heritage, Leisure tourism