A three-day workshop has taken place in the Malaysian city of George Town to tackle the pressures facing museums in the city and those in Melaka and the Philippines city of Vigan.

Using funding from the Japanese government, the workshop, which ran from 29-31 October 2018, brought together 70 participants in order to address common challenges in the cities, such as increasing development pressure, the dying trends of traditional skills and community legacies and impacting on youth alienation from cultural roots.

Melaka and George Town are jointly recognised by Unesco as World Heritage Sites under the Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca moniker, while Vigan is also a World Heritage site in and of itself. The plan for the three cities will look to join up their ideas about how best to preserve their historic and cultural relevance to keep tourism thriving.

Each of the three cities has committed to carrying out projects under a wider programme such as reviving traditional kilns, supporting creative industries, enhancing the World Heritage brand, creating participatory cultural mapping, holding exhibitions focused on community’ memories and outreach activities to tighten the bond between young citizens and their heritage.

Plans for Melaka also include upgrading 23 of its museums as the city has identified only three of its institutions to be generating enough money.

Melaka Heritage and Culture Com­mittee chairman Datuk Muhammad Jailani Khamis said: "In addition, we will also re-position the museums so that they are located in one area to make it convenient for visitors."

This project is the second phase of the World Heritage Sites and Museums programme, which started in 2011 in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. This first phase initiated nine regional exhibition, educational programmes and ‘photovoice’ initiatives linking regional World Heritage sites.