To deepen the protection and promotion of world cultural heritage and strengthen the understanding and support of all sectors of society for the “World Cultural Heritage Specialist Tour Guide Training and Certification Programme”, the Macao Institute for Tourism Studies (IFTM) held the award ceremony for the “Professional Qualification of World Cultural Heritage Specialist Tour Guide (Macao)” on December 9, 2025. The event received strong support from the UNESCO Bangkok Office, the Macao Tourism Bureau and the Cultural Affairs Bureau, which sent representatives to witness the emergence of a new batch of specialist tour guides in Macao with both international perspectives and local sentiments, who will become a new force in the dissemination and promotion of Macao’s world cultural heritage. An in-depth exchange on the sustainable development of cultural heritage was also held at the event, injecting new impetus into the high-quality development of cultural tourism in Macao.
Authoritative Certification Implemented: Three-fold Markings Empower Specialist Tour Guides
With the core mission of “Safeguarding Cultural Roots and Empowering Tourism Development”, IFTM has long been actively promoting cultural inheritance and the professionalization of the tourism industry. Since 2005, IFTM has launched the “World Cultural Heritage Specialist Tour Guide Training and Certification Programme”. Participants must successfully complete two courses, namely the “Macao Cultural Tour Guide Course” and “World Cultural Heritage Guiding”, to be awarded the professional qualification certificate. The programme has not only been recognized by UNESCO but also hailed as “a best practice example of committing to improving world heritage protection while promoting the sustainable development of local communities” at the 31st Session of the World Heritage Committee. Over the years, through systematic training, the programme has continuously deepened its efforts, effectively enhancing the professional literacy and overall service level of local practitioners.
In recent years, IFTM has further consolidated its cooperation with the UNESCO Bangkok Office to continuously raise international recognition of the professional standards of its participants. This year, with the support of the Macao Tourism Bureau and the Cultural Affairs Bureau, in addition to the professional qualification certificate, participants were also awarded a qualification card and an exclusive badge. This initiative not only symbolizes the professional identity of the participants but also helps to clearly demonstrate their professional guiding capabilities and occupational commitments to the public, making them a trusted professional symbol for tourists and the community.
President’s Speech and Message: Activating Cultural Vitality Through Guiding as a Link
In her speech at the ceremony, IFTM President Wong Chuk Kwan stated that Macao’s Historic Centre, as a brilliant crystallization of the integration of Chinese and Western civilizations and the core carrier of the city’s spirit, cannot be disseminated without the bridging role of professional tour guides. These professional tour guides are not only narrators of history and disseminators of culture but also spokespersons for Macao’s urban charm, serving as a key link to make cultural heritage “come alive and spread abroad”.
At the same time, President Wong sent a message to all the tour guides, hoping that with the knowledge and skills learned at IFTM and their love for Macao, they will take on the important responsibilities of guardians, disseminators and promoters of cultural heritage. She encouraged them to show the unique charm of Macao under the “One Country, Two Systems” principle to the world with sincerity and enthusiasm, and to inject a steady stream of cultural momentum into Macao’s construction of a “World Tourism and Leisure Centre” through practical actions.
In-depth Exchanges for Joint Development: Industry Gathering to Discuss Heritage Sustainability
During the ceremony, student representatives, experts, scholars and tourism industry professionals conducted sharing and exchanges. Professor Wong Chun Yat of IFTM gave an in-depth explanation of “the significance and impact of World Cultural Heritage Specialist Tour Guides”; student representative Cheong Miu Kuen shared her works to talk about the practical value of the courses for cultural guiding work. Hosted by Programme Director Chan Chuen Chin, Hu Yuk Pui, Vice Chairman of the Macao Tourism Industry Employees Association, Lau Fung, Director of the Macao Chamber of Tourism, and Chan Suk Yi, Vice President of the Macao Oral History Association, held a forum themed “How to Promote the Protection and Sustainable Development of Macao’s Cultural Heritage Through Professional Guiding”, offering suggestions from the perspectives of industry practice, commercial promotion and cultural memory inheritance, and providing valuable ideas for the in-depth integration of professional guiding and heritage protection.
In her speech, Ms. Julia Kim Davis, representative of the UNESCO Bangkok Office, highly affirmed the long-term cooperation achievements between IFTM and the organization, and expressed the expectation to further deepen cooperation in professional guiding training and cultural heritage education in the future, to jointly promote the protection and inheritance of world cultural heritage. This ceremony not only further enriched Macao’s team of cultural tourism professionals but also built a multi-party cooperation platform for the protection and dissemination of Macao’s world cultural heritage, helping Macao take more solid steps on the path of integrated cultural and tourism development.
