Heritage Passport on the way...

THE Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) is set to roll out ‘heritage passports’ to visitors in conjunction with George Town’s first anniversary as a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Council president Tan Cheng Chui said it was working with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the state to print and distribute the passports from the July 7 anniversary date onwards.

“The passport will feature 25 historical buildings that are all located within the state’s heritage core and buffer zones.

“Visitors will be able to stamp the passports with unique chops at each building and keep the passports as a souvenir,” Tan told pressmen after a full council meeting at City Hall yesterday.

Sun Yat Sen’s Penang Base, Kapitan Keling Mosque, St George’s Church, Arulmigu Mahamariamman Temple, Fort Cornwallis and the clan Jetties are examples of stops on the heritage passport, he added.

Tan said the NGOs would be responsible for the cost of prin-ting and distribution of the passports.

“The number of booklets that will be printed is not known yet.

“There will also be a small fee charged for each booklet so people will not just take and throw them away,” he said.

“Proceeds, if there are any, will also be handled by the NGOs,” Tan said.

He added that George Town’s first World Heritage Site anni-versary celebrations would be held in the inner city from Wednesday till July 26.

“The council is predominantly involved with the opening ceremony on July 7 and the grand whole day celebrations on July 25,” he said.

“Over 5,000 programme leaflets with the itinerary of the celebrations are currently being prepared and we will start to distribute them before the end of the month through our departments, the World Heritage Office (on Lebuh Acheh), hotels and the many organisations and associations which are involved with the celebrations,” Tan said.