March 28, 2023

This story first appeared in The Straits Times on 27 March 2023.

How would Singapore benefit from having a second Unesco World Heritage Site?

Prof Hamzah hopes that marketing and tourism purposes would be secondary to getting Singaporeans more interested in local heritage sites.

He is optimistic that the potential nomination will raise awareness and public knowledge about the less visible and intangible aspects of Singapore’s heritage, rather than just the “Instagrammable” tangible aspects of the historic buildings and areas.

Prof Hamzah said that putting together a nomination also allows Singapore to better understand its history.

Read the article here: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/what-happens-if-padang-and-surrounding-buildings-become-a-unesco-world-heritage-site