Foreign Tourists’ Perceptions

on the World Heritage of Macau

A DISSERTATION
Presented to
the Academic Faculty

by

Henriette Sales

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of

MASTER IN HISTORY AND HERITAGE STUDIES

in the School of Arts, Letters and Sciences

November 2009

@ Henriette Sales

1
 Abstract

This is very simple and personal Master dissertation. It is based in a survey on foreign
tourists’ perceptions on Macau heritage, mainly the UNESCO world heritage ‘historic center’ list,
grounded on my long term experience as a tourist guide of non-Chinese visitors. In fact, it was
precisely my experience and interaction with those foreign tourists along several years, mainly
westerners, which suggested the interest and relevance of this dissertation. Most of these tourists
coming from Australia, Americas, and Europe are very short term visitors. Half of a day is normally
enough for them to visit and enjoy the main heritage cultural sites of Macau.
This dissertation is built with a questionnaire aiming to construct a serial and quantitative
perception of foreign tourists on different aspects of our cultural and historical heritage. First, the
questionnaire addresses their personal perception; secondly, enquires their sites perception, and
thirdly analyzes statically their cultural perception. Some complementary qualitative interviews are
added to the quantitative survey, but the dissertation was not organized as a qualitative research
using its very especial methodological tools. It is a quantitative study based in a very concrete survey
targeting perceptions, cultural representations, and not any kind of ‘real’ or ‘objective’
understanding. The goal was to enquiry foreign tourists and to obtain a preliminary set of
perception problems on Macau world heritage main sites.
200 questionnaires were distributed, and we validated 170 answers. It is an important
collection of data, original and unique, allowing us to highlight some patterns on the cultural
linkages between foreign tourists and the Macau world heritage most visited sites. From this
collection of 170 questionnaires, a quantitative and statistic research was displayed grounding
finally a large set of recommendations.

I would like to sincerely thank my supervisor, Professor Ivo Carneiro de Sousa; he gave me
an invaluable opportunity to be enrolled as his student in the Master in History and Heritage
Studies. Thus I could continue my studies, and achieve my goal. I am very grateful for his
professional supervision, his inspiring comments during my research process. Furthermore, I am also
thankful to him because I got a lot of inspirations for writing my dissertation during his classes.
I would also like to thank Ricardo Rato for his assistance in calculating the data collected, by
using the SPSS statistic software. And thanks to the students who helped in entering the data.
My special thank to the architect Mário Duque for some old pictures relating to the Pier 16,
they might be necessary for my oral defense.

2
 Many thanks to Professor Isabel Morais PhD for her interesting classes, and finally, thanks all
the tourists who participated in filling the questionnaires.
My heartfelt thanks go out to everyone above mentioned.

I certify that this report is solely my I, the supervisor, believe that this
work, and that it has never been Dissertation is ready for
previously submitted for any assessment, and reaches the
academic award. accepted standard for the Master of
History and Heritage Studies.

Henriette Sales Prof. Ivo Carneiro de Sousa

3
 Chapter One – Heritage and Tourism

Introduction

Besides gaming industry, tourism cultural industries are also one of the pillars of the main source

of revenue of Macau. The government and the local community know its importance and its potential

benefits. It helps to diversify and stabilize the local economy. It attracts additional businesses and foreign

capital investment. It creates local jobs and new business opportunities. With the inscription of “The

Historic Centre of Macau” on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, and mainly because of the liberalization

of the gaming industry, Macau progressively increased its international reputation.

The information from the Macau Statistic and Census Bureau showed that in 2008, there were

22,907,724 tourists who visited Macau and about 57% were from China. Although Macau is now globally

well known, nevertheless it is not yet the most important tourist destination for the foreign tourists. In

2008, tourists from Americas were 312 603; from Europe were 272 181; and from Oceania were 157 169

(DSEC, 2009). From the above statistics, Macau has a long way to go in capturing the attention of the

foreign and westerners visitors.

Macau should be promoted according to its historical and cultural background. “A differentiation

between discrete stylistic patterns -- Chinese, on one side, and European mixed with Oriental exotic, on

the other.” (Porter, 1996) Macau is a beautiful and unique city, especially “The Historic Centre of

Macau;” it is “a sort of cultural parallelism emerged” (Porter, 1996) a Chinese temple in co-existence

with a European church, European heritage merging along with very old South Chinese spots and spaces.

4
Perhaps by promoting Macau as a “Little European Town in China” could be more attractive for the

Western holidaymakers, instead of marketing Macau as the “Las Vegas of the Asia”!

Research Objectives

The objective of the study is to understand the perceptions of the foreign tourists on Macau

cultural heritage, mainly on the principal UNESCO world heritage sites. The research follows a

quantitative survey concretized in the distribution of 200 questionnaires. At the end of the survey process,

170 valid questionnaires were gathered, and this study is grounded in these results. From the valid

questionnaires obtained, the research will examine the Macau cultural heritage from three major

perspectives. First, it will check their Personal Perception. Second, it will look at their Sites Perception.

And third, it will analyze their Cultural Perception. Therefore, the research provides a better

understanding of the foreign tourists perceptions and cultural representation of Macau’s world heritage

main sites, and helps to open an interesting discussing on the recommendations program for a future

qualified internationalization of Macau’s singular cultural and historical heritage.

Significance of Study

Tourism industry has become increasingly important in Macau, especially after all these big

American casinos were opened, and since the city has gotten “The Historic Centre of Macau” world

heritage title from UNESCO. An enormous amount of money and effort is set aside to promote this “The

Historic Centre of Macau” that, in practical terms, is a set of 25 sites, associating historical buildings to

two squares, the Leal Senate and Lilau squares.

5
 This research is different from other studies on Macau heritage widely grounded in descriptive

and commemorative perspectives. In fact, no previous study has examined the tourists’ perceptions

regarding the Macau cultural heritage. The importance of investigating such topic will allow the Macau

Government Tourism Office to understand why the Westerners/Caucasian tourists are mostly coming for

a day trip. And to find out what could be done to draw more Western visitors to visit the city. This

research paper will provide implications to the Macau government whether the current facilities are

adequate. Moreover, it will provide significant recommendations to the government in re-evaluating and

improving the current situation.

Besides, this study will allow the people working in the tourism field to know better the needs of

the visitors visiting Macau. With a better understanding of the tourists’ desires, it will create more

innovative ideas in promoting different types of tourism, such as cultural tourism, religious tourism, etc.

In addition; the study will also give implications to the travel agencies to re-evaluate the existing tourism

packages.

Organization of the Study

Chapter One begins with the importance of the tourism industry in Macau and how Macau

should be promoted. Then, the research objectives and significance of study are indicated.

Chapter Two is the literature review. It provides review on the following topics: The cultural

legacy of Macau, the cultural task of Macau, heritage VS development, and finally heritage versus

tourism.

Chapter Three is the layout of the methodology used for analysis and the pattern of how the data

are collected. Samples of 200 questionnaires were distributed, and 170 valid answers were collected from

the tourists of 20 different countries: from North / South America, Western / Eastern Europe, Australia
6
and New Zealand. The foreign tourists were asked about their Personal Perception, Sites Perception and

Cultural Perception on the Macau cultural heritage.

Chapter Four is the evaluation of the study. Results and analysis, data collected from the

questionnaires are presented and analyzed based on the literature review in Chapter Two; using the results

arrived at Chapter Three.

Chapter Five provides recommendations and conclusion, which are based on the research results.

7
 Chapter Two – Literature Review

The Cultural legacy of Macau

Macau is a place extremely rich in history and culture. The Portuguese were in Macau for more

than four hundred years, and their contribution was the representation of the Macau Colonial ‘Cultural

Heritage and History’. The most precious gift left by the Portuguese to Macau was its architectural

legacy. The Macau S.A.R. government unearthed this priceless treasure, “The Historic Centre of Macau,”

and it was successfully inscribed as a UNESCO’s World Heritage Site on July 15, 2005.

When the Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan asked Marco Polo whether it was possible or not to have

a model of a town. He replied:

“It is a city made up only of exceptions, exclusions, incongruities, contractions. If such a city is the most improbable,
by reducing the number of abnormal elements, we increase the probability that the city really exists. So I have only
the subtract exceptions from my model, and in whatever direction I proceed, I will arrive at one of the cities which,
always an exception, exist. But I cannot force my operation beyond a certain limit. I would achieve cities too probable
to be real.” (Calvino, 1997)

Marco Polo indicated that it is necessary to know the uniqueness of the town, because all the cities

are different. “The Historic Centre of Macau” is “the product of over 400 years of cultural exchange

between the Western world and Chinese civilization.” (Outstanding Universal Value of "The Historic

Centre of Macau, 2005).

Macau is labeled also as a place where “East meets West.” From the everyday life to the

traditions, customs, festivals, and cuisine, there are strong influences of both Portuguese and Chinese

cultures. However, the Portuguese kept their customs and the Chinese people maintained their own

8
traditions. The city’s Sino-Portuguese culture and architecture reflected for centuries its miscellaneous

past and fascinating traditions.

Because of these assets, the society has a stronger sense of pride and belonging, which

characterize the cultural identity of the inhabitants of Macau. Indeed, our heritage is framed by our

culture and at the same time, it is associated with our identity. “The concept of ‘identity’ is not only a

sense of one’s self as an individual (personal identity) but it is also a bearer of a particular cultural

‘heritage’ (cultural identity). A collective cultural identity, in fact, points to ‘those feelings and values in

respect of a sense of continuity, shared memories and a sense of common destiny of a given unit of

population which has had common experiences and cultural attributes” (Smith, 1990). Cultural heritage is

the memorial identity of a place; it is a set of selective “Memory Realms” of its beauty and singularity. In

Macau’s situation, it comes from its hybridism and trans-cultural complexity.

Form the Historical and Descriptive Accounts of the Rev. G.N. Wright, he depicted Macau like
this:

“At the termination of what is called the High street, stands the Senate House, a structure whose pretentions to
architectural beauty are of the humblest character, but its dimensions considerable. Beyond the Praya Granda, a
mixes assemblage of styles presents itself, including English houses, towers of Portuguese churches, Chinese temples,
and domestic roofs, generally grotesque. The church of St. Joseph, the most spacious, and beautiful of the twelve
which the first settles raised here.” (The Rev. G.N.Wright, 1845)

“The Historic Centre of Macau,” embraces some old Western style buildings and traditional

Chinese architecture as well; such as baroque churches, Chinese temples, old fortresses, South China

architecture mansions, Portuguese squares and so on. The exclusive architectural heritage sites

intermingle with its narrow streets and piazzas. This is the uniqueness of Macau.

John Thomson was a pioneering Scottish photographer, geographer, and traveler. On his visit to

Macau, he wrote:

“The houses there are painted in a variety of strange colors, some of the window being fringed with a rim of red,
which gives them the look of inflamed eyes in the painted cheeks of the dwellings. Macao is a magnificent curiosity in
this way.” (Thomson, 1898)

9
 In fact, “The Historic Centre of Macau” is the legacy of a Portuguese colonial town in Asia. It is

basically framed by the 19th century colonial memory creation. The colonial forms are found in the

architecture and urbanism of Macau; we would not find a colonial square in another part of China.

Without the colonial forms, “The Historic Centre of Macau” would not exist. These significant heritage

sites have been passed from generations to generations. Otherwise, the present generation would not have

the chance to witness these splendid achievements.

The cultural tasks of Macau

“Its mission is to remain a place of exchange between the orient and occident (significance),

whose dominating mainstay is its authentic, sustainable, and well-managed cultural heritage (role of

culture). This cultural heritage, supported by the tourism, convention, and entertainment industries is the

overall development strategy” (Lung, 2002).

In the past, the life style of the people was quite stable; today our society is changing so rapidly.

Liberalizing the casino market has turned Macau upside down. All these expansions changed totally

Macau, from a tranquil relaxing town to a busy and vibrant world city. At the same time, Macau is also

losing its uniqueness and charms in its quest to modernize itself to become ‘Asia’s Las Vegas.’ The

development of Macau is a long-term speculation thus, “the new city and the old city need to be examined

in an integrated and holistic manner” (Lung, 2002) For few years, Macau had a high speed economic

growth. It was a place for the opportunists to make quick money without considarations for the city’s

heritage conservation.“There is a need to place attention on the competing demand for land, as the

developers usually prefer to give priority to the redevelopment and new construction rather than

conservation, which is very shortsighted.” (Lung, 2002)

10
Heritage versus Development

In 2006 - 2007, there were several the heritage sites in Macau which confronted the most critical

challenges that ever happened because of the economic boom. Nonetheless, the most shocking and

scandalous was the world-heritage listed Guia Lighthouse case. Here are four cases of the heritage sites

that tackled serious disputes:

Case 1 -- A 99.9 meters high-rise facing the Guia Lighthouse.

The Guia Hill is just 90 meters high. However, a building of 99.9 meters height was planned to be

built as the Liaison Office head office, in front of the Guia Lighthouse. Several local heritage protection

activists alerted the UNESCO in Paris about the dilemma of the Guia Lighthouse and a number the high-

rise construction projects facing the world heritage site. The final decision was “the Liaison Office of the

Central Government has pledged to lower the projected height of its headquarters in an apparent move in

reaction to a public outcry that the project would block the view of and view from, the World-Heritage

listed Guia Lighthouse.” (Leong, Promise to protect Guia Lighthouse 'world-heritage view', 2007.)

The public strong reaction of heritage conservation and preservation had prompted the government to

study on the controversy. At last, “the 83/2008 Chief Executive Order announced height limits to

buildings around the Lighthouse. Due to the new restrictions, a high-rise construction in Calcada do Gaio

had been reduced to 52.5 meters tall and thus the government started a negotiation with the developer

about compensation.” (Ascenso, 2008)

Case 2 -- The idea of building the Portuguese school, in front of the world-heritage listed

A-Ma Temple.

Following the strong public objection, the project was suspended.

11
Case 3 -- The plan of demolishing of the “Blue House,” the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS),

in order to built a 14-storey building on the same location.

To solve the problem, “the President of IAS, Ip Peng Kin made a pledge to find an alternative site

for its new headquarters; he added the IAS would use the ‘Blue House’ for some of its social services in

the future.” (Leong, IAS pledges not to demolish 'Blue House', 2007)

Case 4 – Pier 16 tenants voice protest against the construction of the hotel-casino, which

resemble a fence.

“Several representatives of the 20 tenants of the ‘old’ Pier 16 held a press conference on 21

January 2007, to voice their protest against the ‘new’ Pier 16 development to build a gigantic building,

which resemble a ‘huge wall blocking off the view ‘ from the main street of Avenida Almeida Ribeiro, to

the Inner Harhour”. (Leong, Pier 16 tenants voice protest aginst planned fence, 2007).

Unfortunately, the case was not resolved. The new casino-hotel Pier 16 is blocking completely the

waterfront. In the past, looking from San Ma Lo to the ‘old’ Pier 16, one could see the blue sky. From

now on, that depiction will be part of our memory; it will be the reminiscence of the local residents.

All of these cases reflect the response to an alarming awareness in the protection of the cultural

heritage within Macau. This alertness has awakened the residents to safeguard NOT only the sites within

the “Historic Centre of Macau” but the Macau Heritage as a whole. The society’s strong reaction showed

the anxiety of losing the Macau’s cultural legacies. There is a fear that what the public sees today will be

only memories of tomorrow. There is a fear that one day, what is part of our daily life will be vanished.

By protecting our cultural heritage, we can have a long-lasting “Lieux de Mémoire” or “Realms of

Memory”. People are trying to have revival of the past.

“No era has ever been as much a prisoner of its memory, as subject to its empire and its law.” (Nora, 1998)

12
 The community’s memorial heritage is reflected in Pierre Nora’s perspective:

“As significant entity, whether material or non-material in nature, which by dint of human will or the work of time

has become a symbolic element of the memorial heritage of any community.” (Nora, 1998, I)

Preserving old heritage sites require a lot of money. However, economically Macau has enough

money to spend on the conservation and preservation of its historic buildings and sites.

There are many poor countries around the world, which are suffering from natural disasters, such

as drought, flood, earthquake... There are people who are starving. Some of them are living in a very bad

condition. The primarily issues for these countries are to find out: how to feed the population and how to

solve the poverty of the country. How could these countries pay attention to conserve or preserve their

heritages? Even though, awareness exists; they would not be able to afford the high cost of heritage

conservation or preservation. Besides, there are too many other needs on these poor countries’ agendas.

From the Guia Lighthouse case, the level of the public awareness towards their own cultural

heritage increased, and the government learned an expensive lesson in the issue of conservation.

Consequently, in the Policy Address for the Fiscal Year 2007, “the Government’s objective was to

strengthen the conservation of Macau’s world heritage culture, and promote the sustainable development

of the society as a whole.” (Policy Address for the Fiscal Year 2007, 2006)

It is crucial to create a balance between the heritage and development. Heritage must be viewed

as an ingredient of the urban development. And local community’s participation in the heritage

management should be taken into account in order to have an excellent supervision of the heritage sites.

“With strong public awareness, comes support, and ultimately the political will necessary to sustain

heritage goals.” (Stovel, 2002)

Heritage versus Tourism

13
 Because of their outstanding attractions, all the World Heritage Sites around the globe are the

magnets for the tourists. Millions of visitors are floking into these sites every year. Some of the heritage

sites within “The Historic Centre of Macau”are also attracting many visitors. Since the numbers of

tourists visiting Macau are increasing tremendously, there should be a balance between the heritage sites

and tourism. Should we first give way to the tourism industry, before taking into consideration the issues

of conservation of the heritage sites? Absolutely NOT. However, in many countries, the priorities are

reversed; tourism is being promoted before conservation. Indeed, tourism is in the context of the

development, so heritage must be part of the dialogue of the city’s economic growth.

Without doubt, the tourists are helping the economy of the place they visit. Nevertheless, there is

a plight between the need for balance of the old heritage sites, residents, and visitors.

The tourists impacts towards the host community are:

o Demonstrating inappropriate attitudes.

o Demonstrating an overly materialistic consumer culture.

o Demonstating disrespecful behaviour.

o Trivializing cultural manifestation of heritage and the heritage site.

(Influencing Visitor Behaviour and Experience, 2007)

High visitation of the heritage sites may affect the physical fabric of the sites. Here are the visitors

impacts on heritage sites:

o Theft, removal or pilferage

o Vandalism

o Accidental and intentional damage and decay

o Pollution

o Crowding

“Tourists are guilty, so we are frequently told, of a number of crimes: upsetting the ecological balance of Mount

Everest, parking wads of chewing gum under the benches of museums and art galleries, wearing unsuitable T-shirts

14
 in Notre Dame, debauching the local peasantry, and generally lowering the tone of everywhere they choose to set

their benighted feet.” (Mayle, 1991)

In the case of Macau, overcrowding and pollution are the common problems seen in some of the sites

within “The Historic Centre of Macau.”

The mass tourists going to few specific cultural heritage sites at the same time. These sites are

shown to be chaotic, especially during weekends or festivities. The overcapacity at the sites has

counteracted and weakened the quality of the heritage sites. Additionally, the excess numbers of

visitors have made life sort of a drag on the inhabitants; it certainly affects the community in

going to the place. For example, a lot of local people prefer not to go to the Leal Senate Square

because of its congestion!

The air and noise pollution are hidden costs to the local population. Because of the ever-increasing

amount of the visitors; the numbers of the tour buses and shuttle buses of different casinos have

also increased. Moreover, there is NO regulation about stopping the engines of the buses or

vehicles, while these are not moving. It causes very severe air pollution and noise pollution. The

pollution may affect physical fabric of the sites as well!

Littering, spitting, and throwing chewing gums on the ground are the negative impacts that could

be found in the packed heritage sites.

As a World Heritage City, Macau needs to foster conservation and preservation of the cultural and

historical resources.

15
Figure 1 - bigmacaumap. jpg JPEG Image

16
Figure 2 - Macau Peninsula Map.jpg -- JPEG Image

17
Figure 3
macau.jpg – JPEG Image 3141

18
 Chapter Three – Methodology

Introduction

The data collection method of this study examines the foreign tourists’ perceptions about the

Macau Cultural Heritage. This study is conducted by the distribution of questionnaires to the Caucasian

visitors from 20 different countries: North & South America, Western & Eastern Europe and Oceania.

These tourists are from: America, Australia, Austria, Argentina, Great Britain, Canada, Chili, Colombia,

Cuba, Czech Republic, Netherland, France, Germany, Guatemala, Italy, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal,

Spain, and Switzerland.

Foreign Tourists’ Survey

The aim of this research project is to understand the perceptions of the foreigners towards the Macau

cultural heritage; the research is focused on four different parts when designing the survey.

• Part I is about the personal perception of the foreign tourists on the Macau cultural heritage.

Different topics, such as conservation, access to the sites, information, safety, cleanliness and

commercial environment are examined. Their views about the tourist guides and the travel

agencies are studied as well.

• Part II is about their perceptions on the historic sites of Macau, such as the Ruins of St. Paul’s, St.

Dominic Church, Leal Senate Square, A-Ma Temple, and Fortress Hill.

• Part III is about their cultural perception on Macau cultural heritage.

• Part IV is about the demographics of the interviewees.

19
Below is the sample of questionnaire used in the research.

Part I: Personal Perception

Completely Completely Don’t Don’t
How satisfied are you with… Dissatisfied Neutral Satisfied Know Understand
1. The Macau cultural heritage conservation? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DK DU

2. The access to Macau cultural heritage sites? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DK DU

3. The Macau cultural heritage information? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DK DU

4. The touristic guides? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DK DU

5. The touristic agency? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DK DU

6. How safe you feel in the cultural heritage sites? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DK DU

The cultural heritage sites commercial
7. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DK DU
environment?
8. The cultural heritage sites cleanliness? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DK DU

Part II: Sites Perception

Completely Completely Don’t Don’t
How satisfied are you with… Dissatisfied Neutral Satisfied Know Understand
9. The St. Paul ruins (Mother of God church)? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DK DU

10. The St. Dominic church? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DK DU

11. The Leal Senate square? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DK DU

12. The A-Ma temple? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DK DU

13. The Hill Fortress? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DK DU

Part III: Cultural Perception

Strongly Strongly Don’t Don’t
How strongly do you represent Macau cultural heritage? disagree
Neutral
Agree Know Understand

14. Macau cultural heritage is basically Portuguese 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 DK DU

15. Macau cultural heritage is basically Chinese 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 DK DU

Macau cultural heritage is basically Chinese-
16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 DK DU
Portuguese
17. Macau cultural heritage is basically multicultural 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 DK DU

18. Macau cultural heritage is protected 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 DK DU

19. Macau cultural heritage is in danger 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 DK DU

The new Casinos are well integrated in the Macau
20. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 DK DU
cultural heritage
The urban design is well integrated in the Macau
21. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 DK DU
cultural heritage
The urban equipments are well integrated in the
22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 DK DU
Macau cultural heritage
The traffic is well integrated in the Macau cultural
23. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 DK DU
heritage

20
Part IV: Demographics

24. Your gender is

Male
Female

25. Your age is

18-25
26-35
36-45
46-55
56-65
Above 65

26. Your education background is

Primary or below
Secondary
Matriculation
Tertiary / Degree Holder

27. What is your occupation?

Executive (Owner, CEO, director, manager)
Plant or machine operators, drivers or assemblers

Professional (physician, engineer, lawyer,
Non-skilled workers
architect, teacher, etc.)

Student

Technician or associate professional

Housewife

Secretarial or clerical

Unemployed

Service or sale workers

Retired

Craft or similar workers

Others

28. Your marital status?

Never Married
Separated but not divorced

Married
Divorced

de factor or living together
Widowed

29. What is your nationality?

21
My work as a Tour Guide

I am a Government licensed Tour Guide, and a UNESCO Heritage Guide as well. Because of my

work, my awareness to the heritage conservation is sturdy. My job is to take the tourists around the main

sightseeing spots in Macau. I receive the tourists from all around the world, mainly the Caucasian tourists.

They stay in Hong Kong for couple of days; and they come for several hours in Macau, usually for ‘a day

trip’. After the Macau City Tour, I have a habit to ask my gests about their point of views and/or opinions

about Macau. Most of them have a positive perception about Macau!

Here are some of suggestions or comments given by some of the tourist I guided:

• An Australian couple Mr. and Mrs. B. Johnson told me this on 29 January 2009,

“Macau is more relaxed than Hong Kong, very picturesque, beautiful colorful churches, clean

city, friendly people even they don’t speak English!”

• A British tourist, Mr. Sharpeion said on 04 February 2009, “The mixture of the modern and old

architectures is very interesting.”

• Ms. B. Ashleigh, from United States affirmed on the same day, 04 February 2009,” The

downtown is lovely; however there is a big contrast between the wealth of the casinos and the

poor area.”

• Mr. and Mrs. Steven, from New Zealand said, on 17 February 2009, “Hong Kong is faster and

more sophisticated in transportation. It is a nice mixture of old and new.”

• Mr. K. Walter and his friend, from Canada stated, 20 February 2009, “The old part of Macau is

more interesting.”

• Mr. A. Brugger from United States declared, on 23 February 2009, “Very unlike what I expected.

In my mind, Macau is not so modern; it is more traditional and more classic.”

• Mrs. S. Radaelli from Italy said, on 24 February 2009, “Lovely color in the old city, beautiful
architecture.”

18
Methodology

As I am a tourist guide, I meet tourists coming from all around the world every day. I first planned

to distribute 200 questionnaires within two months. Nevertheless, only a total of 170 questionnaires were

completed, in April and May 2009. Therefore, the data analysis of this project was based on the 170

questionnaires that were collected.

I meet the tourists daily, I show them around Macau. Before their departure to Hong Kong; I

invited those who joined my tour to complete the survey. During the process, I almost did not encounter

any difficulties in delivering the questionnaires. Most of the tourists were very enthusiastic to share their

views about the Macau cultural heritage, only very few of them were not willing to participate.

The next chapter is the results and analysis. The research findings and analysis are presented

based on the data collected from 170 questionnaires.

19
 Chapter Four – Results and Analysis

Introduction

In this chapter, deep description of the views of the foreign tourists is essential, by using the

methodology to describe in detail. Here, quantitative methodologies are used.

Likert-scale was used for the questionnaires, in order to measure the contentment of the visitors

about the cultural heritage of Macau. From the data collected through the survey, it will report their

perceptions and their opinions as well. It will be a non experimental descriptive approach. Descriptive

analysis will be applied in the explanatory research. IIUM supplied the SPSS statistic software, for

calculating the data collected. The tables are represented in frequency distribution.

Results of the Foreign Tourists’ Survey

The data gathered are displayed in tables and charts. First, the statistics of the demographics are

presented. Since the research is about the perceptions of the Caucasian sightseers on the cultural heritage

of Macau, the following information are shown in three parts: Part I is their personal perception on the

issues of conservation, access to the sites, information, safety, cleanliness and commercial environment of

Macau. Part II is their perception on the cultural heritage sites of Macau. Part III is their cultural

perception on Macau cultural heritage.

Each part begins with a table of the statistics collected. Subsequently, the chapter continues with

all the tables and the charts of the demographics, Part I, Part II, and Part III. The descriptive analysis is

the most significant part on this chapter.

20
Result of the Analysis

Descriptive Statistics of the Sample

Demographics

Statistics – 1

education
Gender Age background Occupation Marital status Nationality
N Valid 170 170 170 170 170 170
Missing 0 0 0 0 0 0

Tables and Charts 1 to 6 display the demographics of the samples.

Table 1: Gender

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Male 73 42.9 42.9 42.9
Female 97 57.1 57.1 100.0
Total 170 100.0 100.0

21
Table 2 : Age

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid 18-25 9 5.3 5.3 5.3
26-35 25 14.7 14.7 20.0
36-45 24 14.1 14.1 34.1
46-55 43 25.3 25.3 59.4
56-65 47 27.6 27.6 87.1
65+ 22 12.9 12.9 100.0
Total 170 100.0 100.0

22
Table 3: Education background

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Primary or Below 6 3.5 3.5 3.5
Secondary 41 24.1 24.1 27.6
Matriculation 23 13.5 13.5 41.2
Tertiary / Degree Holder 100 58.8 58.8 100.0
Total 170 100.0 100.0

23
Table 4 : Occupation

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Professional 39 22.9 22.9 22.9
Executive 54 31.8 31.8 54.7
Technician or associate
professional 14 8.2 8.2 62.9
Secretarial or clerical 11 6.5 6.5 69.4
Service or sale workers 6 3.5 3.5 72.9
Craft or similar workers 1 .6 .6 73.5
Student 8 4.7 4.7 78.2
Housewife 7 4.1 4.1 82.4
Unemployed 1 .6 .6 82.9
Retired 21 12.4 12.4 95.3
Others 8 4.7 4.7 100.0
Total 170 100.0 100.0

24
Table 5 : Marital status

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Never Married 31 18.2 18.2 18.2
Married 109 64.1 64.1 82.4
de factor or living together 9 5.3 5.3 87.6
Divorced 3 1.8 1.8 89.4
Separated but not
divorced 15 8.8 8.8 98.2
Widowed 3 1.8 1.8 100.0
Total 170 100.0 100.0

25
Table 6: Nationality

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid America 28 16.5 16.5 16.5
Australia 35 20.6 20.6 37.1
Austria 2 1.2 1.2 38.2
Argentina 11 6.5 6.5 44.7
British 4 2.4 2.4 47.1
Canadian 5 2.9 2.9 50.0
Chile 2 1.2 1.2 51.2
Colombia 2 1.2 1.2 52.4
Cuban 1 .6 .6 52.9
Czech Republic 2 1.2 1.2 54.1
Dutch 4 2.4 2.4 56.5
French 12 7.1 7.1 63.5
German 6 3.5 3.5 67.1
Guatemalan 5 2.9 2.9 70.0
Italy 6 3.5 3.5 73.5
New Zealand 2 1.2 1.2 74.7
Polish 2 1.2 1.2 75.9
Portuguese 32 18.8 18.8 94.7
Spanish 3 1.8 1.8 96.5
Swiss 4 2.4 2.4 98.8
MIXED 2 1.2 1.2 100.0
Total 170 100.0 100.0

26
 Likert-scale is used to evaluate the satisfaction of the foreign tourists. In Part I and Part II, the

questions are answered on a scale basis that is from zero to ten.

Zero means completely dissatisfied. Ten means completely satisfied. And the middle of the scale

is 5, which means neutral, neither satisfied nor dissatisfied.

Part I: Personal Perception

In this part, the participants gave their point of views to 8 questions:

1. From the 170 questionnaires collected, there are 31.4% of the tourists who selected 8 for the

Macau cultural heritage conservation, 15.4% gave 9 and 21.9% opted for 10. Remarks, there are

2.4% of them who gave merely 2. There is 0.6% who picked 3 and 1.8% chose to give 4. From the

analysis, it shows that 68.7% decided on 8 or above, that means most of them are satisfied with

the cultural heritage conservation of Macau.

2. About the access to Macau cultural heritage sites, 29.3% went for 8, there are 20.4% who gave 9

and 28.1% were completely satisfied. There are just 1.2% of them who selected 3, other 0.6%

chose 4 and another 1.2% decided on 5 which means neutral. Over all 77.8% opted for 8 or above.

The analysis shows that to a certain extent these holidaymakers are satisfied with the access to the

cultural heritage sites of Macau.

3. Concerning the Macau cultural heritage information, 77.2% of the foreign visitors picked 8 or

above. From the data, 20.4% decided on 8, there are 25.7% who selected 9 and 31.1% were

completely satisfied. Nevertheless, there is 0.6% who chose 3 and 1.2% of them were neutral

There are 9.0% who opted for 6 and 12% went for 7. In general, the tourists are more or less

pleased with the cultural heritage information of Macau.

27
4. The statistics show that 17.1% of the overseas tourists selected 8 for the work and effort of the

touristic guides. 30% of them decided on 9 and 52.9% opted for 10. More than half of them were

completely satisfied. There are 82.9% chose to evaluate 9+. The analysis illustrates that the

tourists were delighted with the job and attitude of the tour guides.

5. There are 20.8% of the day-trippers who joined the Macau City Tour picked 8 to the touristic

agency, 24.8% chose 9 and 37.6% were completely satisfied. There are 83.2% who went for 8+.

On the other hand, there is 0.7% who opted for 2; there are 1.3% who selected 3, and another

1.3% who gave 4. Although there are few percentages of low score; in the average the tourists are

quite satisfied with the travel company.

Actually, the tourist guides and the tour bus drivers are the front line people of the touristic

agency. If the tourists are satisfied with them, they are usually pleased with the travel agency!

6. Regarding the safety in the cultural heritage sites in Macau, there are 40.1% who were completely

satisfied, 32.3% went for 9, and 15.6% decided on 8. Those who were dissatisfied gave 3, they are

0.6%. And there is another 0.6% neutral. There are 88% of the participants in the survey opted for

8+. According to the information gathered, it confirms that the western tourists felt safe while

visiting the Macau cultural heritage sites.

7. Asked about the commercial environment at the cultural heritage sites, 23.4% of the foreign

guests chose 8, there are 19.2% who gave 9 and 21.6% were completely satisfied. That means

64.2% of them decided on 8 or more. There are 29.4% who opted for 5, 6, and 7. And 1.8% of

them picked 4. The analysis explains that although more than half of the tourists thought that the

commercial environment in the heritage sites of Macau was acceptable. Yet, almost 30% of them

assumed it was mediocre. In addition, 1.2% of them were completely dissatisfied.

28
 8. There are 21.8% of the sightseers from abroad selected 8, when they filled the questionnaires

about the cleanliness of the cultural heritage sites in Macau. 24.7% of them went for 9 and 26.5%

were completely satisfied. In total, 73% of them picked 8+. Alternatively, there is 0.6% who gave

1; another 0.6% chose 2 and 1.8% opted for 3. There are 3% who decided on 3 or less. Regardless

of the 3% who were not satisfied. Yet, the figures exemplify that 73% of the tourists were satisfied

with the cleanliness in the Macau cultural heritage sites.

The results derived from Questions 1 to 8 of the questionnaires are illustrated in Tables and Charts 7 to

14.

Statistics – 2

The access The How safe The cultural

The Macau to Macau Macau you feel heritage The cultural
cultural cultural cultural The The in the sites heritage
heritage heritage heritage touristic touristic cultural commercial sites
conservation sites information guides agency heritage? environment cleanliness
N Valid 169 167 167 170 149 167 167 170
Missing 1 3 3 0 21 3 3 0
Mean 7.94 8.37 8.51 9.36 8.61 8.96 7.81 8.21
Median 8.00 8.00 9.00 10.00 9.00 9.00 8.00 9.00

29
How satisfied are you with…

Table 7 : The Macau cultural heritage conservation

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid 2 4 2.4 2.4 2.4
3 1 .6 .6 3.0
4 3 1.8 1.8 4.7
Neutral 6 3.5 3.6 8.3
6 12 7.1 7.1 15.4
7 27 15.9 16.0 31.4
8 53 31.2 31.4 62.7
9 26 15.3 15.4 78.1
Completely Satisfied 37 21.8 21.9 100.0
Total 169 99.4 100.0
Missing 98 1 .6
Total 170 100.0

30
Table 8 : The access to Macau cultural heritage sites

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid 3 2 1.2 1.2 1.2
4 1 .6 .6 1.8
Neutral 2 1.2 1.2 3.0
6 14 8.2 8.4 11.4
7 18 10.6 10.8 22.2
8 49 28.8 29.3 51.5
9 34 20.0 20.4 71.9
Completely Satisfied 47 27.6 28.1 100.0
Total 167 98.2 100.0
Missing 98 2 1.2
System 1 .6
Total 3 1.8
Total 170 100.0

31
Table 9 : The Macau cultural heritage information

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid 3 1 .6 .6 .6
Neutral 2 1.2 1.2 1.8
6 15 8.8 9.0 10.8
7 20 11.8 12.0 22.8
8 34 20.0 20.4 43.1
9 43 25.3 25.7 68.9
Completely Satisfied 52 30.6 31.1 100.0
Total 167 98.2 100.0
Missing 98 3 1.8
Total 170 100.0

32
Table 10 : The touristic guides

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid 8 29 17.1 17.1 17.1
9 51 30.0 30.0 47.1
Completely Satisfied 90 52.9 52.9 100.0
Total 170 100.0 100.0

33
Table 11: The touristic agency

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid 2 1 .6 .7 .7
3 2 1.2 1.3 2.0
4 2 1.2 1.3 3.4
Neutral 6 3.5 4.0 7.4
6 2 1.2 1.3 8.7
7 12 7.1 8.1 16.8
8 31 18.2 20.8 37.6
9 37 21.8 24.8 62.4
Completely Satisfied 56 32.9 37.6 100.0
Total 149 87.6 100.0
Missing 98 20 11.8
99 1 .6
Total 21 12.4
Total 170 100.0

34
Table 12 : How safe you feel in the cultural heritage sites?

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid 3 1 .6 .6 .6
Neutral 1 .6 .6 1.2
6 2 1.2 1.2 2.4
7 16 9.4 9.6 12.0
8 26 15.3 15.6 27.5
9 54 31.8 32.3 59.9
Completely Satisfied 67 39.4 40.1 100.0
Total 167 98.2 100.0
Missing 98 3 1.8
Total 170 100.0

35
Table 13: The cultural heritage sites commercial environment

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Completely Dissatisfied 2 1.2 1.2 1.2
3 1 .6 .6 1.8
4 3 1.8 1.8 3.6
Neutral 15 8.8 9.0 12.6
6 19 11.2 11.4 24.0
7 20 11.8 12.0 35.9
8 39 22.9 23.4 59.3
9 32 18.8 19.2 78.4
Completely Satisfied 36 21.2 21.6 100.0
Total 167 98.2 100.0
Missing 98 2 1.2
System 1 .6
Total 3 1.8
Total 170 100.0

36
Table 14 : The cultural heritage sites cleanliness

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid 1 1 .6 .6 .6
2 1 .6 .6 1.2
3 3 1.8 1.8 2.9
Neutral 7 4.1 4.1 7.1
6 13 7.6 7.6 14.7
7 21 12.4 12.4 27.1
8 37 21.8 21.8 48.8
9 42 24.7 24.7 73.5
Completely Satisfied 45 26.5 26.5 100.0
Total 170 100.0 100.0

37
Part II: Sites Perception

In this part, the interviewees answered to 5 questions about their perceptions of the St. Paul Ruins, St.

Dominic Church, Leal Senate Square, A-Ma Temple and Fortress Hill.

9. Regarding the perceptions of the Caucasian tourists on the St. Paul Ruins or Mother of God

Church, 32.9% were completely satisfied. There are 28.2% who gave 9, and 22.9% picked 8. In

total, there are 84% who went for 8+. Even so, there is 0.6% who was completely dissatisfied and

1.2% selected 5, which is neutral. According to the result of this research, the tourists are mostly

satisfied with the Ruins of St. Paul’s.

10. Interviewed about the St. Dominic Church, 32.4% of the sightseers from 20 different foreign

countries were completely satisfied. There are 30.6% who opted for 9, and 22.9% picked 8.

Altogether 85.9% selected 8+. Nonetheless, there is 0.6% who gave 3, and 1.8% chose 5, that is

neutral. From the investigation, the tourists are quite satisfied with St. Dominic Church.

11. Questioned about the views of the foreign guests on the Leal Senate Square, there are 33.5% who

were completely satisfied. There are 29.4% who decided on 9 and 21.8% gave 8. All in all, there

are 84.7% who opted for 8+. Remarks, approximately 35% of them gave 10. There aren’t any,

who were dissatisfied. The lowest score is 5, means neutral. The study illustrates that most of the

tourists are satisfied with the Leal Senate Square.

12. Precisely 30% of the sightseers who took part in the survey were completely satisfied. 28.2% of

them chose 9, and 17.1% went for 8. Generally speaking, 75.3% gave 8+. There is 0.6% who

selected 2, another 0.6% picked 3 and 1.2% decided on neutral. Even though there are 1.2% of the

tourists who were not satisfied. But in reality, the majorities were satisfied with the A-Ma Temple.

38
 13. Inquired about the impression of the Western holidaymaker on the Fortress Hill, 32.5% of them

were completely satisfied. There are 29.1% who opted for 9 and 18.5% picked 8. Overall 80.1%

of them decided on 8+. There are 0.7% who chose 4 and 4.6% who selected 5 that is neutral. The

data demonstrates that less than 1% were not as satisfied. Nevertheless, greater parts of the tourists

are satisfied with the Fortress Hill.

The results derived from Questions 9 to 13 of the questionnaires are displayed in Tables and Charts 15 to

19.

Statistics – 3

The ST. The Leal

The ST. Paul Dominic Senate The A-Ma The Hill
Ruins church square temple Fortress
N Valid 170 170 170 170 151
Missing 0 0 0 0 19
Mean 8.69 8.72 8.76 8.48 8.58
Median 9.00 9.00 9.00 9.00 9.00

39
How satisfied are you with…

Table 15: The St. Paul Ruins (Mother of God Church)

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Completely Dissatisfied 1 .6 .6 .6
Neutral 2 1.2 1.2 1.8
6 5 2.9 2.9 4.7
7 19 11.2 11.2 15.9
8 39 22.9 22.9 38.8
9 48 28.2 28.2 67.1
Completely Satisfied 56 32.9 32.9 100.0
Total 170 100.0 100.0

40
Table 16 : The St. Dominic Church

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid 3 1 .6 .6 .6
Neutral 3 1.8 1.8 2.4
6 6 3.5 3.5 5.9
7 14 8.2 8.2 14.1
8 39 22.9 22.9 37.1
9 52 30.6 30.6 67.6
Completely Satisfied 55 32.4 32.4 100.0
Total 170 100.0 100.0

41
Table 17 : The Leal Senate square

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Neutral 3 1.8 1.8 1.8
6 3 1.8 1.8 3.5
7 20 11.8 11.8 15.3
8 37 21.8 21.8 37.1
9 50 29.4 29.4 66.5
Completely Satisfied 57 33.5 33.5 100.0
Total 170 100.0 100.0

42
Table 18: The A-Ma Temple

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid 2 1 .6 .6 .6
3 1 .6 .6 1.2
Neutral 2 1.2 1.2 2.4
6 14 8.2 8.2 10.6
7 24 14.1 14.1 24.7
8 29 17.1 17.1 41.8
9 48 28.2 28.2 70.0
Completely Satisfied 51 30.0 30.0 100.0
Total 170 100.0 100.0

43
Table 19: The Hill Fortress

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid 4 1 .6 .7 .7
Neutral 7 4.1 4.6 5.3
6 7 4.1 4.6 9.9
7 15 8.8 9.9 19.9
8 28 16.5 18.5 38.4
9 44 25.9 29.1 67.5
Completely Satisfied 49 28.8 32.5 100.0
Total 151 88.8 100.0
Missing 98 19 11.2
Total 170 100.0

44
 Likert-scale is used to evaluate the contentment of the foreign visitors. In Part III, the questions

are answered on a scale basis that is from one to seven.

1 means strongly disagree. 7 means strongly agree. And the middle of the scale is 4, which means

neutral, neither disagrees nor agrees.

Part III: Cultural Perception

In this part, the interviewed tourists provided their cultural perceptions to 10 questions:

14. There are 21.4% of the tourists who strongly agreed that the Macau cultural heritage is basically

Portuguese. 23.2% of them selected 6. There are 19.6% who were neutral, they chose 4. There are

6.5% who gave 1, strongly disagree, and 3.6% decided on 2. In addition, there is 0.6% who did

not understand the question.

From the information assembled, it explains there are 44.6% who agreed that the Macau cultural

heritage is basically Portuguese. Though, there are 10.1% who disagreed.

15. Is the Macau cultural heritage basically Chinese? The foreign day-trippers gave this evaluation in

the survey: There are 6% who strongly agreed, 16.1% chose 6. There are 20.8% who went for 5,

and 19% selected neutral. Those who strongly agreed were 12.5%, and those who opted for 2 were

13.1%. Additionally, there is 0.6% who answered “Don’t understand”.

There are 25.6% who disagreed on the subject. On the other hand, there are 16.1% who agreed.

There are 39.8% who decided on neutral +, which means they neither disagreed nor agreed. The

survey explicates that the tourists viewed that the Macau cultural heritage not basically Chinese.

16. There are 27.8% who strongly agreed that the Macau cultural heritage is basically Chinese-

Portuguese and 20.7 of them picked 6. Those who chose to answer neutral were 24.3%. Those

45
 who strongly disagreed were 3%; there were 1.2% who opted for 2. Besides, there were 1.2% who

selected “Don’t understand” and 1.8% chose “Don’t know”. The statistic displays that 48.5%,

that means almost half of them agreed the cultural heritage of Macau is basically Chinese-

Portuguese. There were 4.2% who disagreed. However, there are 40.3% who selected 4+, which is

neither agreed nor disagreed.

17. Inquired about the point of view of the visitors on the Macau cultural heritage, whether or not it is

basically multicultural. There are 16.6% who strongly agreed, 21.3% chose 6. There are 17.8%

who picked neutral and 16% went for 5. Those who strongly disagreed are 3.6%, and 5.9%

selected 2. Furthermore there are 7.1% who did not know how to answer and 0.6% did not

understand the question.

Accordingly, there are 37.9% who agreed that the cultural heritage of Macau is basically

multicultural. There are 33.8% who decided on 4+, they were neither agreed nor disagreed.

Furthermore, there are 9.5% who disagreed.

18. In relation to the protection of the cultural heritage of Macau, 31.1% of the foreign tourists

strongly agreed. There were 29.9% who decided on 6 and 25.7% gave 5. There was 0.6% who

strongly disagreed. There was 1.2% who went for 2 and 3.6% opted for 3. Those who chose

neutral were 4.2%. Moreover, 3% picked “Don’t know” and 0.6% selected “Don’t understand”.

Despite there were 5.4% who disagreed that the Macau cultural heritage is protected.

Nevertheless, there were 86.7% agreed.

19. Is the Macau cultural heritage in danger? The visitors had this response: 8.9% of them strongly

agreed. 12.5% opted for 6. There were 16.7% who chose neutral and another 16.7% who gave 5.

Those who completely disagreed were 13.1%, there were 12.5% who selected 2. Besides, there

were 7.1% who did not know the answer and 0.6% did not understand the inquiry.

46
 As a result, 33.4% of the tourists decided on 4 +, they were neutral; they neither agreed nor

disagreed. 21.4% agreed that the Macau cultural heritage is in danger. Nevertheless, there are

25.6% who disagreed. There were more people who picked neutral, because they were not too

sure whether the Macau cultural heritage is in danger or not!

20. Are the casinos well integrated in the Macau cultural heritage? There were 9.5% of the foreign

tourists who strongly agreed, 11.8% decided on 6. There were 14.8% who chose to give 5, above

neutral. With 17.8% who selected neutral, 12.4% picked 4, below neutral. Those who gave 2 were

13.6% and 8.9% strongly disagreed. Furthermore, 11.2% picked to answer “don’t know”.

The result of the survey shows that 21.3% went for 6 +, they are the one who agreed that the new

casinos are well integrated in the cultural heritage of Macau. However, 22.5% disagreed with this

issue; they only opted for 2 or less. In fact, 45% of them thought it was so and so, as they chose 3,

4 and 5.

21. Do the Caucasian tourists think that the urban design of the city is well integrated in the Macau

cultural heritage? The data illustrates that 12.9% strongly agree; 21.2% gave 6. There were 15.3%

who chose 5, above neutral. 18.8% were neutral and 17.6% selected 3, below neutral. 8.2% picked

2 and 2.9% strongly disagreed. Moreover 2.9% did not know how to answer the question.

Consequently, 34.1% decided on 6 +, which means they agreed with the topic. There were 11.1%

who did not agree, they opted for 2 and 1. Actually, more than half of the interviewees 51.7%

believed it is just average; they selected 3, 4 and 5.

22. How about the urban equipments, are they well integrated in the cultural heriage of Macau? 11.8%

of the guests stronly agreed and 21.2% selected 6. There were 19.4% who gave 5, and 23.5% were

neutral. There were 8.8% who answered 3, another 6.5% picked 2 and only 1.2% who strongly

disagreed. Additionally, 2.4% did not understand and 5.3% did not know how to answer the

47
 question.

The statistics explain that 33% of the interviewed visitors agreed that the urban equipments are

well integrated in the Macau cultural heritage; they went for 6 +. There are 42.9% who assumed it

was standard, they picked 4 and 5. Despite 1.2% who strongly disagreed. There are still 15.3%

who also disagreed; they selected to answer 2 and 3.

23. How do the Western sightseers think about the traffic? Is it well integrated in the Macau cultural

heritage? 14.1% strongly agreed and 21.2% picked 6. There are 26.5% who opted for 5 and 14.1%

were neutral. Those who selected 3 were 12.9%; there are 5.9% who went for 2, only 0.6% who

strongly disagreed. And there were 4.7% who chose to answer “don’t know.”

As a result, 35.3% agreed that the traffic of the city is well integrated in its cultural heritage; they

decided on 6 +. There were 26.5% above neutral, they answered 5. There were 27% who were

neutral or a little bit below neutral; they selected 3and 4. In general, 53.5% supposed it was

mediocre. And there were 6.5% who disagreed about the issue, they gave 2 or less.

The results derived from Questions 14 to 23 of the questionnaires are presented in Tables and Charts 20

to 29.

Statistics – 4

Urban
New design Urban
Macau Macau CH Macau casinos is well equipment Traffic is
CH is Macau is basically CH is Macau Macau are well integrat s are well well
basically CH is Chinese basically CH is CH is integrated ed in integrated integrated
Portugue basically Portugues multicultu protecte in in the Macau in the in Macau
se Chinese e ral d danger Macau CH CH Macau CH CH
N Valid 168 168 169 169 167 168 169 170 170 170
Missing 2 2 1 1 3 2 1 0 0 0
Mean 4.96 3.98 5.38 5.06 5.86 4.24 4.46 4.65 5.05 5.04
Median 5.00 4.00 6.00 5.00 6.00 4.00 4.00 5.00 5.00 5.00
*Macau CH- Macau Cultural Heritage

48
How strongly do you represent Macau cultural heritage?

Table 20: Macau cultural heritage is basically Portuguese

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly Disagree 11 6.5 6.5 6.5
2 6 3.5 3.6 10.1
3 13 7.6 7.7 17.9
Neutral 33 19.4 19.6 37.5
5 29 17.1 17.3 54.8
6 39 22.9 23.2 78.0
Strongly Agree 36 21.2 21.4 99.4
9 1 .6 .6 100.0
Total 168 98.8 100.0
Missing System 2 1.2
Total 170 100.0

49
Table 21 Macau cultural heritage is basically Chinese

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly Disagree 21 12.4 12.5 12.5
2 22 12.9 13.1 25.6
3 20 11.8 11.9 37.5
Neutral 32 18.8 19.0 56.5
5 35 20.6 20.8 77.4
6 27 15.9 16.1 93.5
Strongly Agree 10 5.9 6.0 99.4
9 1 .6 .6 100.0
Total 168 98.8 100.0
Missing System 2 1.2
Total 170 100.0

50
Table 22: Macau cultural heritage is basically Chinese-Portuguese

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly Disagree 5 2.9 3.0 3.0
2 2 1.2 1.2 4.1
3 7 4.1 4.1 8.3
Neutral 41 24.1 24.3 32.5
5 27 15.9 16.0 48.5
6 35 20.6 20.7 69.2
Strongly Agree 47 27.6 27.8 97.0
8 3 1.8 1.8 98.8
9 2 1.2 1.2 100.0
Total 169 99.4 100.0
Missing System 1 .6
Total 170 100.0

51
Table 23: Macau cultural heritage is basically multicultural

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly Disagree 6 3.5 3.6 3.6
2 10 5.9 5.9 9.5
3 19 11.2 11.2 20.7
Neutral 30 17.6 17.8 38.5
5 27 15.9 16.0 54.4
6 36 21.2 21.3 75.7
Strongly Agree 28 16.5 16.6 92.3
8 12 7.1 7.1 99.4
9 1 .6 .6 100.0
Total 169 99.4 100.0
Missing System 1 .6
Total 170 100.0

52
Table 24: Macau cultural heritage is protected

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly Disagree 1 .6 .6 .6
2 2 1.2 1.2 1.8
3 6 3.5 3.6 5.4
Neutral 7 4.1 4.2 9.6
5 43 25.3 25.7 35.3
6 50 29.4 29.9 65.3
Strongly Agree 52 30.6 31.1 96.4
8 5 2.9 3.0 99.4
9 1 .6 .6 100.0
Total 167 98.2 100.0
Missing System 3 1.8
Total 170 100.0

53
Table 25: Macau cultural heritage is in danger

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly Disagree 22 12.9 13.1 13.1
2 21 12.4 12.5 25.6
3 20 11.8 11.9 37.5
Neutral 28 16.5 16.7 54.2
5 28 16.5 16.7 70.8
6 21 12.4 12.5 83.3
Strongly Agree 15 8.8 8.9 92.3
8 12 7.1 7.1 99.4
9 1 .6 .6 100.0
Total 168 98.8 100.0
Missing System 2 1.2
Total 170 100.0

54
Table 26: The new casinos are well integrated in the Macau cultural heritage

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly Disagree 15 8.8 8.9 8.9
2 23 13.5 13.6 22.5
3 21 12.4 12.4 34.9
Neutral 30 17.6 17.8 52.7
5 25 14.7 14.8 67.5
6 20 11.8 11.8 79.3
Strongly Agree 16 9.4 9.5 88.8
8 19 11.2 11.2 100.0
Total 169 99.4 100.0
Missing System 1 .6
Total 170 100.0

55
Table 27: The urban design is well integrated in the Macau cultural heritage

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly Disagree 5 2.9 2.9 2.9
2 14 8.2 8.2 11.2
3 30 17.6 17.6 28.8
Neutral 32 18.8 18.8 47.6
5 26 15.3 15.3 62.9
6 36 21.2 21.2 84.1
Strongly Agree 22 12.9 12.9 97.1
8 5 2.9 2.9 100.0
Total 170 100.0 100.0

56
Table 28: The urban equipments are well integrated in the Macau cultural heritage

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly Disagree 2 1.2 1.2 1.2
2 11 6.5 6.5 7.6
3 15 8.8 8.8 16.5
Neutral 40 23.5 23.5 40.0
5 33 19.4 19.4 59.4
6 36 21.2 21.2 80.6
Strongly Agree 20 11.8 11.8 92.4
8 9 5.3 5.3 97.6
9 4 2.4 2.4 100.0
Total 170 100.0 100.0

57
Table 29: The traffic is well integrated in the Macau cultural heritage

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly Disagree 1 .6 .6 .6
2 10 5.9 5.9 6.5
3 22 12.9 12.9 19.4
Neutral 24 14.1 14.1 33.5
5 45 26.5 26.5 60.0
6 36 21.2 21.2 81.2
Strongly Agree 24 14.1 14.1 95.3
8 8 4.7 4.7 100.0
Total 170 100.0 100.0

58
Summary

This chapter is divided into two sections: descriptive analysis and data analysis. In the descriptive

analysis section, the data depict the foreign tourists’ personal perception on the Macau cultural heritage.

Then, it illustrates their views on the famous historic sites of Macau. And finally, it shows their cultural

perception on the Macau cultural heritage. Furthermore, the results of each question from the

questionnaires are also being presented in Tables and Charts 1 to 29.

A number of findings are found on the personal perception of the overseas visitors. From the

survey collected, 68.7% of them were satisfied with the cultural heritage conservation of Macau.

Regarding the access to the cultural heritage sites of Macau, there were 77.8% who showed their

satisfaction.

Overall, 77.2% of them were satisfied with the cultural heritage information of Macau.

Moreover 82.9% of the interviewees were more than pleased with the work and the attitude of the

tourist guides; in fact, 52.9% of them were completely satisfied. Their impressions of the travel agency

were not too bad, 83.2% of them were contented.

The most important finding is to know that 88% of the participants felt safe while visiting the

cultural heritage sites in Macau. Questioned about the commercial environment in the heritage sites of

Macau 64.2% of them thought it was acceptable, yet 30% of them believed it was mediocre. And, 73% of

the tourists were satisfied with the cleanliness in the cultural heritage sites of Macau.

Summarizing the sites perception of the 170 Caucasian guests, 84% of them were satisfied

with the Ruins of St. Paul’s. The statistics demonstrate that 85.9% enjoyed St. Dominic Church.

Within the 84.7% who were satisfied with the Leal Senate Square, there were 35% who were

completely satisfied. Although the satisfaction of the A-Ma Temple is not as high as the above sites,
59
however there were still 75.3% who liked the temple. Finally, asked about the Fortress Hill, 80.1% took

pleasure in the place.

Concerning the cultural perception of the sightseers from the 20 different countries; the data

shows that less than half of them, 44.6% agreed that the Macau cultural heritage is basically Portuguese.

Nevertheless, 25.6% disagreed that the Macau cultural heritage is basically Chinese, and 39.8% chose to

answer neutral. Besides 48.5%, thought that the cultural heritage of Macau is basically Chinese-

Portuguese, 40.3% picked neutral. And there are 37.9% believed that the cultural heritage of Macau is

basically multicultural; in this question there are 33.8% who answered neutral. By choosing neutral

means they neither agreed nor disagreed with the above questions.

A significant finding was discovered; a big percentage of the Western tourists, 86.7% of them

agreed that the Macau cultural heritage is protected. However, 21.4% of them agreed that the Macau

cultural heritage is in danger; still 25.6% who disagreed in the issue. Since 33.4% selected neutral, it

means that they were not too sure whether the Macau cultural heritage is in danger or not!

Inquired whether the new casinos are well integrated in the cultural heritage of Macau. Despite,

21.3% agreed; however, 22.5% disagreed. There are 45% who answered neutral; it indicates that they

doubted while replying to the question.

Is the urban design of the city well integrated in the Macau cultural heritage? 51.7% of the

participants assumed it is so and so, and 34.1% agreed in the subject. In fact, 33% of them agreed that the

urban equipments are well integrated in the Macau cultural heritage. Nonetheless, 42.9% thought it is

regular; and 15.3% disagreed.

There are 35.3% of the interviewees who agreed that the traffic is well integrated in the cultural

heritage of Macau. Yet, 53.5% of them believed it is just average.

The next chapter, conclusion and recommendations, concludes the findings of this research and

offers recommendations of a perfect Macau Cultural Heritage.

60
 Chapter Five – Recommendations and Conclusion

Introduction

This chapter starts with the comments writing by the interviewees in the surveys. From the 170

questionnaires distributed, there are 90 copies which came back with some suggestions or comments.

These implications and remarks will be summarized. Moreover, recommendation will be offered.

Suggestions and Comments of the tourists

1. None, I am just a visitor - very much enjoyed all aspect of our visit.

2. Pollution Control.

3. Having great Tour guides really helps! We had a wonderful Tour guide!

4. I think this is Fine.

5. Don't have any, everything was wonderful.

6. I enjoyed everything I saw.

7. Maintain political independence from Mainland.

8. Have a cultural video that is very short playing on screen in Square, on tour buses, other places

and have one page comparison hand out to go with it.

9. Have better weather.

10. Map with history of different heritage sites available on website with pictures.

11. Better signage to explain heritage.

12. Map presenting all the cultural heritage!

13. I was very satisfied, but wish I had been told to buy Macau t-shirts in old section because I

couldn’t find during our free time.

14. None.

61
15. More free time - more historical artifacts.

16. Stop casino building.

17. Have guide point out antique and Macau arts.

18. Don't know.

19. More time to go on your own - at least 2 hrs.

20. Protect as much as best you can. Enjoyed tourand information presented.

21. Nothing.

22. More time.

23. I think you are doing a good job, keep it up.

24. Seems to be under control.

25. Use some of the profits from the casinos to preserve the cultural historic sites.

26. Rebuild St. Paul’s from casinos taxes.

27. More English language into boards with history, stories or explanations or old pictures. E.g. At the

Old Fort have a picture near the guns showing what the view was like when the Portuguese first

built the fort.

28. There was a good balance between historical information and modern stories making the tour very

enjoyable.

29. The information that was given to us was very informative and enjoyable.

30. Give all the tourists a small booklet at the end of every tour, which explains some history of each

destination. This way we will remember more and be encouraged to undertake further reading and

research.

31. Continue to boost the image of the city and to further educate your international audience.

32. Show Chinese heritage alongside Portuguese.

33. Have all sites open on tour days.

34. More signs, explanations, information desks.

35. Books for sale on heritage.

62
36. More time.

37. The casinos.

38. Conserver patrimonio cultural Portugues y Chino. (written in Spanish) Safeguard the Portuguese

and Chinese cultural heritage. (translated by myself, Henriette Sales)

39. Conserver patrimonio cultural Portugues y Chino. (written in Spanish) Safeguard the Portuguese

and Chinese cultural heritage. (translated by myself, Henriette Sales)

40. More protection of the cultural heritage.

41. Es mui importante preserver el patrimonio cultural. (written in Spanish) It is important to preserve

the cultural heritage. (translated by myself, Henriette Sales)

42. Conserve patrimonio Portuges y Chino. (written in Spanish) Safeguard the Portuguese and

Chinese heritage. (translated by me, Henriette Sales)

43. I suggest that old Portuguese buildings should be kept for the future generations. History and

architecture go together, they are important for the education of young people and remembrance

of the seniors.

44. More green (TREES).

45. Keep on the way you are doing.

46. I like the way it is, I know casinos bring in revenue but problems as well. Not sure if it is worth it.

47. More safety in public spaces.

48. OK

49. Do not become bloody Americans.

50. Don’t follow the American way of life!

51. Keep on going with these tours! Thanks!

52. Préserver les maisons coloniales, les temples et construire moins de toures et de casinos. (written

in French) Preserve the colonial houses, temples and build less skyscrapers and casinos.

(translated by myself, Henriette Sales)

63
53. I wish that Chinese rules will comply with the Portuguese culture – in the future.

54. Should have more time for the beautiful old places, in order to imagine what happened in the very

old time.

55. To reset the outside of new casinos. The tour well done!

56. The immigration access is terrible make it easier.

57. Excellent guide. Spanish information.

58. Have more information available when the tour is booked.

59. Protect the heritage sites.

60. Have more guides like Henriette. Excellent commentary.

61. Maybe it's possible to show some old photos or paintings copies of the culture places.

62. Promover a cultura Portuguesa (written in Portuguese). Launch the Portuguese culture. (translated

by myself, Henriette Sales)

63. Recover the Portuguese monuments.

64. Tem de se recuperar os edifícios antigos o mais rápido possível (written in Portuguese).

Need to improve the old buildings as soon as possible. (translated by myself, Henriette Sales)

65. Uma cidade mais limpa, mais organizada e mais bonita do que há 26 anos atrás (written in

Portuguese). A cleaner city, more organized and much prettier than it was 26 years ago.

(translated by myself, Henriette Sales)

66. More information for tourists.

67. Improve old buildings and facilities, instead of just building new hotels and casinos.

68. Now Stop Casinos.

69. Cidade simpática (written in Portuguese). A sympathetic city. (translated by myself, Henriette

Sales)

70. It’s a very nice city.

71. Aumentar a preservação e relevância da cultura Portuguesa. (written in Portuguese) Increase the

preservation and the importance of the Portuguese culture. (translated by myself, Henriette Sales)

64
 72. More Portuguese spoken.

73. More money for the conservation of cultural buildings (painting), not changing street names.

74. Clean the sites and access to the sites.

75. The older part of Macau be better preserved (buildings).

76. No casinos.

77. The urban design should take care of the cultural heritage.

78. Happy with the heritage.

79. I enjoyed the sites away from traffic – so maybe traffic free areas e.g. pedestrian only.

80. No American commercial sites – McDonald’s, etc.

81. Interpretive signage at significant landmarks - for self guided tour.

82. Cooler weather.

83. Promote with traditional costumes at sites.

84. Remove McDonald’s, etc from the sites.

85. There are enough casinos. Too much will make it like Las Vegas.

86. More English speaking people.

87. Stop casino.

88. Fenire di costruire casino. (written in Italian). Stop to build casinos. (translated by myself,

Henriette Sales)

89. No casino! Stop buildings!

90. Stop building casinos. Conserve the historical heritage.

Summary of the Suggestions and Comments of the tourists

From the comments, it shows that the foreign tourists were satisfied with their visits in Macau.

Some of them said that Macau is a nice, clean and organized city. Moreover, they enjoyed the City Tour

and most of all; they were very pleased with the work of the touristic guides. They liked the explanation

given by the guides during their tour in Macau.

65
 From the 90 copies that had suggestions, 15 of the participants that mean 16.6% gave their

observations about the cultural heritage. Indeed, many of them are very useful for improving the cultural

heritage of Macau. They recommended in safeguarding both the Portuguese and Chinese cultural heritage.

They told to preserve the Old part of the city especially the colonial houses, temples, and so on. Few of

them said that the old buildings needed to be renovated. One of them advised not to change the streets’

names. And another one suggested that the urban design should pay attention to the cultural heritage. One

of the interviewee had a good idea; he proposed to use some of the profits from the casinos to preserve

the cultural heritage sites. There is a humorous offer from one of the visitors, saying to rebuild the Ruins

of St. Paul’s with the taxes collected from the casinos!

Some of the Portuguese guests hoped that Macau would enhance the perpetuation and the value of

the Portuguese culture. Furthermore, they wished that Portuguese is more spoken. In addition, someone

proposed to promote the traditional costumes at the historic sites.

There are 13 interviewed tourists, which mean 14.4% out of the 90 copies, were neither in favor of

the casinos nor the skyscrapers such as the new big hotels. They wrote like this: “Stop to build casinos”

“No casinos” “Stop buildings”. One of them advised to reorganize the outside of the casinos. Another one

said to improve the old buildings instead of just building new hotels and casinos. They had negative

approaches on the casinos; one declared he was NOT sure if it is worth as they bring problems to the

place. They really did not want Macau to turn out to be Las Vegas! They even suggested not following

the American way of life! Moreover, few of them asked to remove the American commercials such as Mc

Donald’s, which are situated near the heritage sites.

Several day-trippers thought that they should have more free time during their visit. Some of them

stated that the visit in Macau was too short. Quite a few of them complained that they did not find the

things they wanted to buy, such as Macau t-shirts, antiques, Macau arts and /or heritage books.

66
 Some of the sightseers assumed that there should be better interpretive signage, more information,

and maps for the so-called Facilitated Individual Travel (FIT). There are also some suggestions that were

given to the touristic agencies. The tourists advised that each of them should receive a small booklet at the

end of each tour, about the history and heritage of Macau. Or more information should be given to them

while booking the tour. Few asked for some pamphlets in Spanish. Others proposed to show old pictures

or paintings with the history of the heritage sites; thus, they could imagine how the place looked like in

the old days!

One person recommended having some short cultural videos played at the sites or inside the tour

buses. And another one required placing the history, maps, and heritage sites on the website.

Several of the visitors were more environmental friendly; they suggested having the pollution

control, and plating more trees. One of them wished it was traffic free at the different sites that means

more pedestrian zones.

More comments were given; some of them complained that it took them too long at the

immigration. Some requested more English speaking people. One advised to have all sites open every day

and another was concerned with the safety in the public places. Additionally, one of them made a remark

saying to continue the political independence from China! There were few funny notes asking for better

and cooler weather! Despite all these commentaries, their overall impressions about Macau are positive.

Recommendations

Part I: Personal Perception

The Macau cultural heritage conservation

Following the inscription of the “Historic Centre of Macau” on the UNESCO’s World Heritage

List; the government made some efforts on the issue of conservation. Nevertheless, these heritage sites

67
are facing immense challenges with the inappropriate infrastructure, unexpected growth, environmental

pressure and heavy carrying capacity.

In Macau, the threats of the historic sites are human causes, mainly by negligence and ignorance.

The big mass of the tourist visiting the sites and unintentional damage cause pressure as well.

Additionally, natural disasters such as flood, typhoon, humidity and insects are the hazard of Macau’s

cultural heritage.

The Macau government’s accumulated huge budgetary surpluses these last few years, therefore

needs to invest more money into the conservation and preservation of the cultural and historical

resources.

With Heritage Protection Law (Decree56/84/M, Decree83/92//M) and with the great support of

the government; the Macau Cultural Heritage Department must have a good management plan in order to

avoid the threats above mentioned.

Here are some of my recommendations about the cultural heritage conservation of Macau:

• Set up long-term cultural heritage management goals.

• Finance and manage all the cultural heritage conservation, preservation and maintenance at a

governmental level.

• Levy tax from the casinos for the conservation, preservation, maintenance of the cultural heritage

sites and all the old buildings as well.

• Raise alertness in safeguarding of the buffer zone.

• Determine equilibrium between the heritage conservation and property developers.

• Train and employ local construction workers in the conservation, preservation and maintenance

of the historical buildings.

• Re- use of all the old and historic buildings.

• Offer general education within the community.

• Restrain the cultural heritage asset through public education.

68
 • Regulate visitors’ numbers.

• Educate the tourists to respect the cultural heritage sites.

• Control the commercialization near historic sites.

The access to Macau cultural heritage sites

With the growing number of visitors to the cultural heritage sites, they are often been portrayed as

chaotic. The lack of parking spaces at the different sites has severely affected the quality of the place.

Macau Cultural Heritage Department needs to collaborate with the Macau Transport Bureau in order to

solve the parking problem near the heritage sites.

Here are some of my recommendations about the access to the cultural heritage sites of Macau:

• Need to have visitor management.

• Delimit a parking area for the tour buses by collecting parking fees.

• Need to set a good plan to control the overcapacity of the sites.

• Provide special events at the heritage sites during the non-pick hours, in order to alleviate the

overcrowding.

• Advise the travel agencies to control the visitation of the tour buses by different time of the day.

• Provide adequate facilities for the senior citizens and disables.

The Macau cultural heritage information

The Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) has all together 8 information counters in

Macau: Macau Business Tourism Centre, Macau Ferry Terminal, Barrier Gate, Guia Lighthouse,

Fisherman's Wharf, Taipa Temporary Ferry Terminal, Macau International Airport and Macau

69
International Airport, Passenger Terminal Building, Mezzanine Level. They provide printed information

such as maps, leaflets, guidebooks for free. The brochures are mainly about of the churches, temples,

museums and so on.

Here are some of my recommendations about the cultural heritage information of Macau:

• Good promotion of the heritage sites is very vital.

• Provide site interpretation.

• Set up projectors in the open spaces at the major sites, showing all the historic monuments of

Macau.

• Reposition the information counters: Cancel the ones inside the Macau Fisherman's Wharf and

Macau International Airport, Passenger Terminal Building, Mezzanine Level.

However, some heritage sites definitely need to have information desks e.g. Ruins of St Paul’s, A-

Ma Temple.

• With the globalization, Macau receives tourists from all around the world. The Macau

Government Tourism Office supplies free maps, brochures, guidebooks in Chinese, Portuguese,

English, and Japanese. In order to meet the requirement to become an international destination,

MGTO should consider printing some flyers in French and Spanish as well. Why in those two

languages? It is because they are the two out of the six official languages of the United Nations

(Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish).

The touristic guides

A professional and qualified tourist guide should provide authentic interpretation on the Macau

history and heritage sites. He / she can help the visitors to better understand and appreciate the Macau

cultural heritage. The hospitality of the local guides is extremely significant in welcoming the tourists.

70
 There are more than 2500 Government Licensed guides in Macau; nevertheless, many of them are

only working as part time tour guides. Does Macau need large quantity guides or quality guides? The

Institute for Tourism Studies should have more consideration at this issue.

The travel agencies are always emphasizing that there are NOT enough guides working in the

field. It is not the fact; it is because these entrepreneurs are not willing to pay the right salary for the

qualified guides!

Moreover, there are some unlicensed or unqualified individuals working as guides, they are

harming the tourism industry. Their illegal activities are from time to time destroying the entire image of

Macau; hence the Macau Government Tourism Office should really look after this matter.

Here are the tasks of the touristic guides:

They play a significant role in safeguarding the historic monuments and the cultural heritage.

They can contribute to the protection and management of the heritage sites.

They can encourage appropriate visitors’ behavior.

They can remind and educate the visitors.

They play an important role in Cultural Tourism.

Here are my recommendations for the tourist guides:

• They should demonstrate their professionalisms.

• They should know the sites, their audiences and the community.

• They should be conscious of all the threats that could happen.

• They need to prepare themselves.

• They should up grade themselves.

• They must have 360 degrees vision.

• They should not have short-term eclipse career prospects in their minds.

71
The touristic agencies

Tourism industry is the second pillar of the economy of the city; accordingly, it is very important

for Macau. Our Chief Executive Edmund Ho said in the Policy Address for the fiscal Year 2008, Macau

should not rely too much in the gaming industry, he emphasized the city should diversify its economy in

order to maintain a sustainable development.

Here are my recommendations for the touristic agencies:

• The “Historic Centre of Macau” is the best tool for diversifying the economy of the city! Macau is

very rich in history and cultural heritage; consequently it has great potential to become a

successful cultural tourism destination.

• Everywhere around the world, the opportunities for developing cultural tourism are expanding and

World Heritage Sites are nowadays the foremost attractions.

• The travel agencies in Macau are mainly dealing with mass-tourism. Their goals are the numbers.

Obviously, cultural tourism or “niche” tourism is smaller size tour. Nonetheless, the cultural

tourists are willing to pay higher price to have an individual cultural tour with a qualified cultural

heritage guide!

• A well-designed cultural tourism could be up-market tourism. However, a good cultural tour

should be conducted by a knowledgeable cultural heritage guide. It is in fact an educational tour

for the tourists visiting the place.

How safe you feel in the cultural heritage sites?

The Public Security Police Force is responsible for the public order of the city. Although, Macau

is still safe compare to some other places. The security of the tourists is the most fundamental.

Here are my recommendations for the safety in the Macau cultural heritage sites:

72
 • It is the obligation of the tourist guides to inform their guests to beware of the pickpockets. It

actually spoils the image of Macau! But as a professional tour guide, there is a need to tell the

tourists before something unwanted really happens.

• On the pick days and pick hours, there are some policemen around the heritage sites, which is very

good. Have these policemen patrolling from the Ruins of St. Paul’s all the way down to the Leal

Senate Square would be a great help for the precautions of the tourists.

• The safety measures of the visitors should NOT be only overseen within the cultural heritage sites;

however, it should be within Macau! It is really a misfortune that there are some pickpockets

inside and around the Macau Ferry Terminal! The Macau Police Force and the Customs should

collaborate with this issue.

The cultural heritage sites commercial environment?

From July 2003, Beijing launched the so-called Facilitated Individual Travel (FIT) scheme, which

has resulted in strong growth for the visitors arriving from the Mainland. Since, the number of the tourists

visiting Macau has quadrupled. Consequently, the commercial environment changed completely. In the

past, by the foot of the Ruins of St. Paul’s, along the pedestrian street, there were many arts & craft, old

Chinese furniture and antique shops. Their clients were the Portuguese who resided in Macau, the

Westerners who lived in Hong Kong and the foreign tourists as well. Yet, many of those shops almost

gone, instead they are replaced to the cookie shops and drug stores. Currently, majority of the FIT visitors

are from China and Hong Kong; they demand for another types of goods. In fact, to run a small business

selling Macau souvenirs, such as postcards, fridge magnets, key chains, T-shirts, etc… would not survive,

because of the high rent!

Here are my recommendations about the commercial environment at the Macau heritage sites:

73
 • Since Macau is now a cosmopolitan city, there is a need to have more varieties of local souvenirs

for the tourists.

• The Macau Cultural Heritage Department should encourage reviving the Macau traditional

craftsmanship. Such as the flour doll maker and profile cutter.

• Showcase the woodwork – Religious Figure Carving which became the National Intangible

Cultural Heritage in June 2008.

• There is a “yellow colonial building” at the foot of the Ruins of St Paul’s, which is empty. Re-use

it to set up a platform to revitalize these dying artifacts. Moreover, encourage small businesses to

open their stalls inside the building, where they could sell some of the Macau souvenirs, for

example: T-shirts, heritage books, VCD’s about the cultural heritage, fridge magnets, postcards,

key chains, and so on. As the building is a public property, the rent should not be too costly, for

allowing these small businesses to survive.

The cultural heritage sites cleanliness

Macau is a touristic city, having nice environment and hygienic public places are good signs for

the visitors. It promotes and boosts the “International Image” of the place. Therefore local people should

be conscious with this issue.

Here are some of my recommendations about the cleanliness of the cultural heritage sites:

• The Municipal and Civic Affairs Bureau is in charge for the cleanliness of the city. Even so, the

locals and tourists need to be helpful as well.

• Throwing chewing gums on the ground, littering, and spitting are the oblivious gestures of some

of the visitors. There should be more promotions about “the government regulation” on littering.

• Setting up more signage on the prohibition of littering nearby the cultural heritage sites.

74
 • Introducing inspectors around the cultural heritage sites, to supervise the visitors’ behaviors, and

to ensure the cleanliness of the place.

• Reinforcing “the government regulation” on littering. A penalty should be applied for those who

violate the law. Nonetheless, this suggestion is appropriate only after strengthening the

promotions on the veto of littering.

• Supervising the cleanliness of the cultural heritage sites in NOT adequate, it should be within the

entire city. The Macau Hong Kong Ferry Terminal is the “Door of Macau”; however, rubbish are

everywhere around the parking lot. The tour buses’ drivers need to be educated not just wiping the

garbage left by the tourists outside the tour buses. Here a fine should really be implemented, as

they are locals and they should not abuse the rule.

Part II: Sites Perception

The Macau Cultural Heritage Department is responsible for the conservation, preservation,

maintenance and management of all the cultural heritage sites. Nevertheless, the department needs the

cooperation of different governmental entities in order to achieve a good quality management.

The St. Paul Ruins (Mother of God Church)

Here are my recommendations concerning the Ruins of St. Paul’s:

• The Cultural Heritage Department should constantly keep an eye on the ex-libris of Macau. There

are foliage growing near the sculptures and statues on the façade.

• The littering of the surrounding Ruins of St. Paul’s by the snack shops selling food and juices is a

problem. The Municipal and Civic Affairs Bureau should have a meeting with the retailers at least

once a month, overseeing the issue of cleanliness around the site.

75
 • The Ruins of St. Paul’s is the representation, the landmark of Macau. Tolerating activists to

protest near the site is totally wrong. They disrupt the overall visitors’ experience. This type of

demonstrations should be restricted at or near such a significant site, because in reality it is

damaging the image of Macau. The Macau government should study and propose a specific area

for them to protest!

The St. Dominic Church

Here are my recommendations concerning the St. Dominic Church:

• The restoration of the St. Dominic Church needs to be looked after as a whole. The outside of the

church was painted recently. However, the interior needs to be refreshed; molds are all over the

walls and some of the paintings are decaying and dropping out. The Cultural Heritage Department

needs to pay continuous attention in all the heritage sites.

• During some of the public holidays, the same group of protesters nearby St. Paul Ruins are also

manifesting in front of the church. This kind of activities should be banned nearby such a

momentous heritage site like the St. Dominic Church!

The Leal Senate Square

Here are my recommendations concerning the Leal Senate Square:

• Nowadays, there are more and more Filipino and Indonesian workers working in Macau. Every

Sunday they meet at the square, because it is their day off. It becomes a place where they get

together and have parties! They bring their cooked food there, thus the hygiene of the plaza is

becoming a problem. They stay in the open space the whole day, when they are tired, they sleep

everywhere!

A good management of the square is fundamental; if not, it will spoil the site itself. The Macau

government should design or open a specific place, for example: a stadium, for these expatriates to
76
 have their reunions on Sundays. Otherwise, the Leal Senate Square would be the next Hong Kong

Time Square on Sundays!

• Many government entities or different associations use the square to have all kinds of functions or

events. Indeed, the square is already full of tourists! For all types of occasions or gatherings, the

government bodies or private organizations are advised to make use of the Tap Siek Square, in

order to alleviate the heavy carrying capacity of the place.

The A-Ma Temple

A-Ma Temple is one of the foremost cultural heritage sites within the “Historic Centre of Macau”.

However, it is of private management. Therefore, the temple is a money-making place, it is too

commercial!

Here are my recommendations concerning the A-Ma Temple:

• Besides looking after the conservation and preservation of the temple, the Cultural Heritage

Department needs to follow up in relation of its management.

• It is a tradition for the Chinese to burn incense in the temples. Yet, the persons in charge of the A-

Ma temple should be environmentally friendly! They should NOT sell the gigantic incenses! They

are harmful to the structure of the temple and to the environment.

The Cultural Heritage Department needs to collaborate with the Environmental Protection Bureau

to stop the dealing of the giant incenses.

• The responsible of the temple should not allow their staffs to ask for donations from the tourists!

The endowment should be given from the heart of those who are willing to contribute.

• Allowing beggars to beg in front of A-Ma Temple, such a meaningful cultural heritage site, would

give visitors a very bad impression! The Cultural Heritage Department should work together with

the Social Welfare Bureau to help these beggars. After being assisted, they should not be

permitted to continue begging.

77
The Hill Fortress

Here are my recommendations concerning the Fortress Hill:

• The Macau Museum is closed every Monday, therefore the most convenient way to go up to the

Fortress Hill is not accessible. The escalators are stopped on Mondays; hence the only option is

going up by the stairs. Those tourists who are not willing to climb would not have the opportunity

to see the Fortress. The escalators should be in service every day. They should be used by

everybody and not only by the people going to the Macau Museum.

• The Macau Museum opens at 10:00 a.m. and closes at 6:00 p.m. The visitors who are still at the

Fortress Hill after 6:00 p.m. have to come down by the uneven staircase. In winter, the day light is

short, at 6:00 p.m. it is already dark. Furthermore the lighting facilities are poor! In order to avoid

any inconveniences to the tourists, the door and the escalators to the Fortress Hill should extend

the operation hours from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Part III: Cultural Perception

Is the Macau cultural heritage basically Portuguese?

“The Historic Centre of Macau” embraces the legacy of a Portuguese colonial town in Asia. The

Macau cultural heritage sites are predominantly Portuguese.

Baroque or Portuguese Churches: St. Lawrence’s Church, St. Augustine’s Church, Cathedral, St.

Dominic’s Church, St. Joseph’s Seminary and Church, St. Anthony’s Church and Ruins of St. Paul’s.

Fortresses: Guia Fortress, including “Guia Chapel and Lighthouse”, Mount Fortress.
78
Portuguese squares: Barra Square, Lilau Square, St. Augustine’s Square, St. Dominic’s Square, Senado

Square, Cathedral Square, Company of Jesus Square and Camões Square.

Portuguese colonial buildings: Moorish Barracks, Sir Robert Ho Tung Library, “Leal Senado” Building,

Dom Pedro V Theatre, Holy House of Mercy, Casa Garden.

Despite there are a lot of Portuguese influences in the architecture. The population is basically Chinese;

accordingly the ambiance is more Chinese. This is indeed the uniqueness of Macau!

Is the Macau cultural heritage basically Chinese?

Within the “Historic Centre of Macau”, there are only three Chinese temples and two Chinese

mansions with courtyards.

Chinese temples: A-Ma Temple, Sam Kai Vui Kun Temple, Na Tcha Temple.

South China architecture mansions: Mandarin’s House, Lou Kau Mansion

Section of the Old City Walls

In the Macau cultural heritage, there are more Portuguese constructions, and only very few

Chinese structure buildings. Nonetheless, the road signs, streets’ names, shops’ names around the area are

both in Chinese and Portuguese. There is a strange fact; the names of the shops in Chinese are usually

bigger than the ones in Portuguese; that is for the glimpse of the Chinese customers. The “Historic Centre

of Macau” is the only one of its kind!

Is the Macau cultural heritage basically Chinese-Portuguese?

Macau is a very strange and exceptional place. Even though, there is a strong representation of

Portuguese in its architectures. The Chinese culture is sturdy as well. With mutual respects, both Chinese

and Portuguese are living in peace and harmony. Because of that, both cultures are co-existing very well.

79
The Chinese are commemorating the Drunken Dragon Festival in front of the St. Dominic Church! They

are celebrating the Lunar New Year or the Mid Autumn Festival at the Leal Senate Square. During these

big feasts, the Portuguese squares are full of Chinese decoration objects! The Chinese customs is

intermingled in the Portuguese colonial town. This is why Macau is so different!

Is the Macau cultural heritage basically multicultural?

These past few years, Macau is becoming a cosmopolitan city. Nowadays, the people leaving in

Macau consist of different ethnics. There are more and more foreign workers working in the casinos,

hotels, restaurants and so on; many of them work as security guards, domestic helpers, waiters, etc… The

Macau people are gradually accepting these expatriate workers. With reciprocal respect, it will become a

trans-cultural place; the different cultures would integrate into the local culture. On the other hand, the

Macau cultural heritage is still far away to be multicultural!

The Portuguese were in Macau for more than four hundred years. The Portuguese solid

representations in Macau are the architectural legacies; they are blended together with the Chinese

civilization. Their contributions would never fade away despite the increasing number of the foreign

workers!

Is the Macau cultural heritage protected?

In 2006 - 2007, the city was going through a period of intense transformation. The unprecedented

growth has brought serious problems to the Macau cultural heritage. They tackled great challenges,

because of the fierce development.

Here are my recommendations:

80
 • The Cultural Heritage Department is merely focusing at the conservation and preservation of the

cultural heritage sites. Nonetheless, they have ignored the visitors’ management of the sites.

• The Cultural Heritage Department should revise the actual management. A well-managed cultural

heritage is vital for the perpetuation of the sites.

• The Macau historic sites and the old buildings should be protected as a whole. And not just to

mention about the cultural heritage sites within the “Historic Centre of Macau”.

Is the Macau cultural heritage in danger?

Nowadays, the background the Ruins of St. Paul’s is the beautiful blue sky. Just imagine if one

day, there is a huge building being built at the backside of the façade, it will totally destroy the whole site!

From the Lighthouse case and the Pier 16 case, t h e y reflect the response to an alarming awareness in the

protection of the cultural heritage sites within Macau.

Here are my recommendations:

• With the rapid growth of Macau, there is an urgent need for the government to study a good

Master Plan for the city.

• Poor awareness of the buffer zone will jeopardize the cultural heritage sites. Therefore, a careful

revision should be analyzed as soon as possible.

• Regulating the height of the buildings, and extending the buffer zone would help protecting the

“Historic Centre of Macau”.

• Lawmakers should now on revise the actual heritage conservation Decree Law 56/84/M and
83/92/M.
• The “Historic Centre of Macau” is listed on the UNESCO’s prestigious World Heritage List.

However, if it is not well preserved, this Pride could be taken away from Macau. The government

should be extra aware in this issue and take it into serious consideration.

81
Are the new Casinos well integrated in the Macau cultural heritage?

The new casinos are jeopardizing the Macau cultural heritage. Today, the cannons at the Fortress

Hill are all pointing to the hotel/casino Grand Lisboa!

Here are my recommendations:

• The threat of the Macau cultural heritage is the skyscrapers built around the cultural heritage sites.

By broaden the buffer zone and regulating the height of the buildings would resolve the problems.

• The integrity of the casinos with the heritage sites should be carefully studied by the decision

makers, before approving any construction within or outside the buffer zone of any Macau cultural

heritage.

• Regulate the high of the new casinos and hotels, if they are built near the buffer zone.

Is the urban design well integrated in the Macau cultural heritage?

It is not easy to have a good balance between the development and the heritage. Nonetheless, by

knowing the cost of expansion would allow the decision makers to have a better vision.

Here are my recommendations:

• It is urgent for Macau to have a Master Plan of the city!

• The government needs to execute land use planning.

• Poor land use planning may imperil the Macau cultural heritage.

• It is vital to view the cultural heritage as a component of the urban development.

• The urban development and the “Historic Centre of Macau” should be regarded as a whole.

• The challenging of the demand for land is fierce. The developers would not have any

consideration to the heritage sites; they are more concern in building news skyscrapers and

82
 casinos! The Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau needs to collaborate with the Cultural

Heritage Department to study all the development within, around or outside the buffer zone.

Are the urban equipments well integrated in the Macau cultural heritage?

These past few years, the booming economy stimulated the enhancement in the constructions. The

Macau Government plays a significant role in the public infrastructures.

Here are my recommendations:

• The construction of the Macau Light Rapid Transit (LTR) will start probably next year. The

government should consider having stops near the heritage sites; in order to be integrated into the

Macau cultural heritage.

• Although the Tap Siac parking is designed for the use of the tour buses, however it is most of the

time empty! It is too far to walk from the Tap Siac square to the Ruins of St. Paul’s without good

facilities. In order to make a good use of the existing parking, there is a need to study how to link

the Tap Siac square with the Old City. The idea is to expand the pedestrian zone from Tap Siac

square to St. Paul Ruins.

• Along with this suggestion, invite the rickshaw men or the tri-cyclists to ride the tourists from the

Tap Siek square to the Ruins St. Paul. Thus, it will solve the problem of the sightseers who do not

like to walk. Additionally, it will create more jobs for the middle aged and non-skilled people.

Finally it will revive and preserve the continuity of this intangible heritage. If this idea would be

implemented, it will certainly be win/win situations for the government, visitors, and rickshaw

men /tri-cyclists.

• With the development of the city, new casinos and hotels are being built, and some are still under

construction. There is a need to control the noise and construction pollutions.

83
Is the traffic well integrated in the Macau cultural heritage?

Traffic congestion had become a daily annoyance. According to the Statistics and Census

Services, the number of licensed vehicles reached 182,765 in 2008. Based on the area of Macau, which is

29.2sq km, there are 6,259 vehicles per square kilometer. Indeed, the traffic is not very well integrated in

the city’s cultural heritage.

Here are my recommendations:

• Because of the ever-increasing amount of visitors, there are too many tour buses going to the sites
during pick hours. There is a need to regulate the visit in tour buses. By suggesting the touristic
guides or agencies to choose non-pick hours for the visitation of the sites.
• The Macau Light Rapid Transit (LTR) system if well studied could alleviate the traffic going into

the cultural heritage sites.

• The Macau Transport Bureau needs to build a parking lot for the tour buses near by the Ruins of

St Paul’s as soon as possible!

At the Rua Belchior Carneiro, there are several dilapidated, empty, three story public houses; the

people who used to reside in those houses were arranged to live in other flats. It is suggested to

pull down those houses and delimit a parking zone or built a parking lot in the above mentioned

place.

Summary

If Macau wants to be a famous destination for the tourists, there should be improvement not only

within the “Historic Centre of Macau,” but within the entire city!

The first image of the tourists about Macau starts while they step into the place. The services at

the Macau Immigration count a lot, because it is the “Door of Macau”. Nevertheless, sometimes the

visitors have to wait too long at the Macau Immigration, both at the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Pier and at

the Frontier Post of the Border Gate!

84
 The Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Pier was not appropriately designed. It was maybe calculated for

the day- trippers only and not for the overnight tourists! First, it is very dangerous to carry big suitcases to

go up or down the escalators. Second, it is a big annoyance, when the escalators are out of order. The

tourists have to take their heavy luggage up or down the stairs before arriving to the parking lot or vice-

versa to the ferry terminal. In fact, this situation happens frequently! The Macau Government Tourism

Office needs to cooperate with Macau Transport Bureau to work in this problem. The parking place

designed for the shuttle buses of the casinos and hotels could be considered for the use of the tour buses

with passengers carrying big suitcases.

Many of the above recommendations will not be able to achieve an effective outcome without the

full support of the Macau Government!

Conclusion

The result of the survey which focused on the Personal Perception of the foreign tourists illustrates

that their overall opinions were positive on the issues of conservation, access to the sites, information,

safety, cleanliness and commercial environment of Macau.

The upshot of the analysis which focused on the Sites Perception of the Caucasian visitors

demonstrates that they were very satisfied with the following cultural heritage sites: Ruins of St. Paul’s,

St. Dominic Church, Leal Senate Square, and Fortress Hill. The score given to these sites were from

80.1% to 85.9%. Yet, the mark given to the A-Ma Temple was a bit lower 75.3%.

And finally, the corollary of the data which focused on the Cultural Perception of the Western

sightseers shows that despite some of them thought that the Macau cultural heritage is protected. Even so,

in some of their comments, they requested to safeguard both the Portuguese and Chinese cultural heritage.

Furthermore, many of them were against the casinos. They asked to stop building the skyscrapers and the

casinos.

85
 Does Macau want to continue to be a regional destination or an international destination for the

tourists? If Macau keeps on building casinos, it will remain as a regional destination!

By marketing Macau as the “Las Vegas of Asia” would not work with the foreign tourists.

Therefore, if Macau wants to become an international destination, Macau should be promoted as the

“Little European Town in China”!

86
 Bibliography

1. Ascenso, R. (2008, December 10). Official affirms Guia construction compensation will be
justified. Retrieved February 18, 2008, from Macau Daily Times:
http://www.macaudailytimesnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=archivecategory&id
=0&year=2008&month=12&module=1&limit=9&limitstart=846

2. (1997). Cities & Names - 1. In I. Calvino, Invisible Cities (p. 61). London: Vintage.

3. DSEC. (2008, December). Visitor Arrivals. Retrieved February 15, 2009, from Staristics and
Census Bureau: http://www.dsec.gov.mo/Statistic/TourismAndServices/VisitorArrivals.aspx

4. (2007). Influencing Visitor Behaviour and Experience. In Cultural Heritage Specialist Guide -
Training Handbook (pp. 5-4; 5-5; 5-6). Macao SAR: UNESCO and Institute For Tourism Studies.

5. Leong, S. (2007, January 22). IAS pledges not to demolish 'Blue House'. The Macau Post Daily ,
p. 3.

6. Leong, S. (2007, January 22). Pier 16 tenants voice protest aginst planned fence. The Macau Post
Daily , p. 5.

7. Leong, S. (2007, January 30). Promise to protect Guia Lighthouse 'world-heritage view'. The
Macau Post Daily , p. 1.

8. Lung, D. (2002). The Furure of Macao's Past: An Epilogue. In Revista de Cultura - Edition 4 (p.
14). Macau: Instituto Cultural de Macau.

9. Lung, D. (2002). The Furure of Macao's Past: An Epilogue. In Revista de Cultura - Edition 4 (p.
15). Macau: Instituto Cultural de Macau.

10. Mayle, P. (1991). A year en Provence. London: Vintage.

11. Nora, P. Realm of Memory , vol. 1.

12. The Construction of the French Past, Symbols, vol. III. In P. Nora, Realm of Memory
(p. xii)

87
13. Outstanding Universal Value of "The Historic Centre of Macao". (n.d.). Retrieved February 10,
2009, from Macao Património Mundial: http://www.macauheritage.net/mherit/mhValueE.asp

14. Policy Address for the Fiscal Year 2007. (2006, November 16). Retrieved February 19, 2008,
from Gov.mo Macao SAR Government Portal:
http://www.gov.mo/egi/Portal/rkw/public/view/area.jsp?id=21

15. Porter, J. (1996). Memories. In J. Porter, Macau The Imaginary City (p. 91). Colorado: Wesrview
Press.

16. Smith. (1990). Midway Sojourners, Macanese Moments and Stoical Settlers. In C. M. Cheng,
Macau A Cultural Janus (p. 162). Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.

17. Stovel, H. (2002). Approaches to Managing Urban Transformation for Historic Cities. In Revista
de Cultura - Edition 4 (p. 44). Macau: Instituto Cultural de Macau.

18. The Rev. G.N.Wright, M. (1845). China Illustrated. Its Scenery. Architecture, Social Habits,&c.
In C.Jorge, & R. Coelho, Viagem por Macau (p. 218). Hong Kong, 1997: C&C Offset Printing.

19. Thomson, J. (1898). Through China with a Camera. In C. Jorge, & R. Coelho, Viagem por Macau
(p. 226). Hong Kong. 1997: C&C Offset Printing .

88
 Appendix A: Sample of Questionnaire

MACAU CULTURAL HERITAGE

I am conducting a Master research project for the Macau Inter-University Institute (IIUM) on foreign perceptions of Macau
Cultural Heritage. I have the honor to invite you to take part in this survey. We are not asking you for your name and you will
not be identified or traced in this study. We guarantee you complete anonymity. The following questions ask how satisfied you
feel, on a scale from zero to 10. Zero means you feel completely dissatisfied. 10 means you feel completely satisfied. And the
middle of the scale is 5, which means you feel neutral, neither satisfied nor dissatisfied.

Part I: Personal Perception

Completely Completely Don’t Don’t
How satisfied are you with… Dissatisfied Neutral Satisfied Know Understand
1. The Macau cultural heritage conservation? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DK DU

2. The access to Macau cultural heritage sites? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DK DU

3. The Macau cultural heritage information? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DK DU

4. The touristic guides? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DK DU

5. The touristic agency? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DK DU

6. How safe you feel in the cultural heritage sites? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DK DU

The cultural heritage sites commercial
7. environment? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DK DU

8. The cultural heritage sites cleanliness? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DK DU

Part II: Sites Perception

Completely Completely Don’t Don’t
How satisfied are you with… Dissatisfied Neutral Satisfied Know Understand
9. The St. Paul ruins (Mother of God church)? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DK DU

10. The St. Dominic church? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DK DU

11. The Leal Senate square? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DK DU

12. The A-Ma temple? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DK DU

13. The Hill Fortress? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DK DU

Part III: Cultural Perception

Strongly Strongly Don’t Don’t
How strongly do you represent Macau cultural heritage? disagree
Neutral
Agree Know Understand

14. Macau cultural heritage is basically Portuguese 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 DK DU

15. Macau cultural heritage is basically Chinese 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 DK DU

Macau cultural heritage is basically Chinese-
16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 DK DU
Portuguese
17. Macau cultural heritage is basically multicultural 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 DK DU

18. Macau cultural heritage is protected 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 DK DU

19. Macau cultural heritage is in danger 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 DK DU

The new Casinos are well integrated in the Macau
20. cultural heritage 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 DK DU

The urban design is well integrated in the Macau

21. cultural heritage 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 DK DU

The urban equipments are well integrated in the Macau

22. cultural heritage 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 DK DU

23. The traffic is well integrated in the Macau cultural 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 DK DU

89
heritage

Part IV: Demographics

24. Your gender is

Male
Female

25. Your age is

18-25
26-35
36-45
46-55
56-65
Above 65

26. Your education background is

Primary or below
Secondary
Matriculation
Tertiary / Degree Holder

27. What is your occupation?

Executive (Owner, CEO, director,
Plant or machine operators, drivers or
manager) assemblers

Professional (physician, engineer,
Non-skilled workers
lawyer, architect, teacher, etc.)

Student

Technician or associate professional

Housewife

Secretarial or clerical

Unemployed

Service or sale workers

Retired

Craft or similar workers
Others

28. Your marital status?

Never Married
Separated but not divorced

Married
Divorced

de factor or living together
Widowed

29. What is your nationality?

90
30. Write one simple suggestion to improve the Macau cultural heritage

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you very much for your participation!

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Chapter One— Tourism and Heritage

Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1

Research Objective ............................................................................................................. 2

Significance of Study ......................................................................................................... 2

Organization of the Study .................................................................................................... 3

Chapter Two—Literature Review

The Cultural legacy of Macau.............................................................................................. 4

The Cultural task of Macau ................................................................................................. 6

Heritage VS Development ................................................................................................... 7

Heritage VS Tourism........................................................................................................... 9

Chapter Three—Methodology

Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 15

Foreign Tourists’ Survey .................................................................................................... 15

My work as a Touristic Guide ............................................................................................ 18

Methodology ...................................................................................................................... 19
Chapter Four—Results and Analysis

Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 20

Results of the Foreign Tourists’ Survey .............................................................................. 20

Results of the Analysis

1. Part I Personal Perception ............................................................................. 27

2. Part II Sites Perception .................................................................................. 38

3. Part III Cultural Perception............................................................................ 45

Summary ............................................................................................................................ 59

Chapter Five—Conclusions and Recommendations

Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 61

Suggestions and Comments of the tourists .......................................................................... 61

Summary of the Suggestions and Comments of the tourists ................................................ 65

Recommendations

1. Recommendation for Part I Personal Perception ........................................... 67

2. Recommendation for Part II Sites Perception ................................................ 75

3. Recommendation for Part III Cultural Perception .......................................... 78

Summary ............................................................................................................................ 83

Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 84

Bibliography ..................................................................................................................... 85

Appendix A: Sample of Questionnaire .............................................................................. 87

 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure

Page

2 – 1 Big Macau Map ......................................................................................................... 12

2 – 2 Macau Peninsula Map................................................................................................ 13

2 – 3 Macau- Image 3141 ................................................................................................... 14

LIST OF TABLES

Table & Chart

Page

4 – 1 Tourists’ Gender ..................................................................................................... 21

4 – 2 Tourists’ Age .......................................................................................................... 22

4 – 3 Tourists’ Education Background ............................................................................. 23

4 – 4 Tourists’ Occupation............................................................................................... 24

4 – 5 Tourists’ Marital Status .......................................................................................... 25

4 – 6 Tourists’ Nationality ............................................................................................... 26

4 – 7 The Macau cultural heritage conservation ............................................................... 30

4 – 8 The access to Macau cultural heritage sites ............................................................. 31

4 – 9 The Macau cultural heritage information................................................................. 32

4 – 10 The touristic guides ................................................................................................ 33

4 – 11 The touristic agency ................................................................................................ 34

4 – 12 How safe you feel in the cultural heritage sites? ...................................................... 35

4 – 13 The cultural heritage sites commercial environment ............................................... 36

4 – 14 The cultural heritage sites cleanliness ..................................................................... 37

4 – 15 The St. Paul Ruins (Mother of God Church) ........................................................... 40

4 – 16 The St. Dominic Church ......................................................................................... 41

4 – 17 The Leal Senate Square........................................................................................... 42

4 – 18 The A-Ma Temple .................................................................................................. 43

4 – 19 The Fortress Hill ..................................................................................................... 44

4 – 20 Macau cultural heritage is basically Portuguese ...................................................... 49

4 – 21 Macau cultural heritage is basically Chinese ........................................................... 50

4 – 22 Macau cultural heritage is basically Chinese- Portuguese ........................................ 51

4 – 23 Macau cultural heritage is basically multicultural.................................................... 52

4 – 24 Macau cultural heritage is protected ........................................................................ 53

4 – 25 Macau cultural heritage is in danger ........................................................................ 54

4 – 26 The new casinos are well integrated in the Macau cultural heritage ......................... 55

4 – 27 The urban design is well integrated in the Macau cultural heritage .......................... 56

4 – 28 The urban equipments are well integrated in the Macau cultural heritage ................ 57

4 – 29 The traffic is well integrated in the Macau cultural heritage .................................... 58