The road to becoming a World Heritage site was not easy for George Town and Melaka – the paperwork, inventorying, filing and so on all required exhaustive work. Dossiers submitted to UNESCO in 2004, for example, were deemed incomplete, and it took four years for them to be revised and evaluated. But finally, the joint inscription of both cities as World Heritage sites in 2008 became a reality.
While the initial exuberance has since faded, many have ridden on the popularity of both sites. Tourism numbers have risen over the years – Penang registered a record number of visitors in 2017 – and tourism-related outlets have mushroomed in the inner city.
At the same time, George Town has seen the migration of its population to the suburbs, which has led many to lament the gentrification effects of the World Heritage listing. Penang Monthly explores the truth of this, and discovers how heritage management is not just about the buildings.
