MACAU BECKONS TOURISTS AND HIGHROLLERS

MACAU, June 25 (Bernama) -- Macau, one of the two Special Administrative Regions of China, not only has grandiose casinos to attract highrollers but also an awesome history, heritage and culture to allure tourists.

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During a recent visit to the former Portuguese colony organised by the Macau Government Tourism Office for media members from Sabah and Sarawak, the writer and colleagues were equally impressed with Macau's non-casino attractions.

With a population of slightly more than half a million and 90 percent of them being ethnic Chinese from the Guangdong and Fujian province in the mainland and a small portion of Portuguese and other Westerners, Macau is a cosmopolitan state that is undergoing rapid development.

As for the writer, Macau provides many compelling attractions and a wonderful travel experience.

THE HISTORIC CENTRE OF MACAU

Our visit started with the Historic Centre of Macau, a world heritage site, that consists of historical buildings with the old Chinese and Western architecture.

Among the buildings or remnants that we visited are the Ruins of St.Paul, Na Tcha Temple, a section of The Old Walls, Senado Square, Leal Senado Building, St. Lawrence Church (built in 1858) and St.Joseph Church (1758).

It is interesting to note that the Ruins of St.Paul is actually the remaining stone edifice of the original St Paul's Church built in 1602. The church building also housed the St.Paul Jesuit College, the first Western higher education institution in Asia for astronomers and mathematicians as well.

However, in 1835, the church and the college was razed to the ground with only the front edifice remaining till today.

The Historic Centre of Macau also serves as the cultural centre for the people of Macau and Portuguese community. It is the place where cultural and musical performances are held.

A visit to Macau is incomplete without a stopover at Senado Square, a shopping district complete with local and foreign apparel boutiques, cafe and souvenir shops. The Portuguese pavement with the mosaics arranged in a pattern that looks live waves and the globular fountain at the square are very impressive.

A UNIQUE MUSEUM

In Macau, museums are aplenty with at least 17 museums each with their own theme namely arts ,wine, maritime, motorsports, communication, musical instrument, and fire and rescue services to choose from.

Museums based on themes like this saves lots of time and trouble for the visitors as they can choose the museum to go based on their interest.

However, one should not miss the Macau Museum that holds Macau's four decade of history.

As for me I was particularly impressed with Macau's Grand Prix Museum. The museum highlights Macau's motorsports history and showcases car and motorcycle replicas used in several of the world series racing.

Macau is one of the places where the Grand Prix is held. Each November, the streets at Macau city is transformed into a race circuits for the Formula 3, the starting point for racing legends.

TALL BUILDINGS

Like other leading cities of the world where tall towers are the landmark, Macau too has joined the league with the Macau Tower standing at 338 metres. It is a free standing tower like our KL Tower.

The observation deck in the tower provides a good all round view of Macau and after enjoying the breathtaking view visitors can savour a host of local delicacies at the revolving restaurant.

As for those who seek the adrenalin rush, they can take part in Sky Jump or Mast Climb at the tower.

CASINOS

Macau is synonymous with casinos, which are vital for its economy. But in Macau gambling and tourism are intertwined with the casinos owning five star hotels, holiday resorts, shopping centres and theme parks.

Several leading casino operators from Hong Kong and Las Vegas have opened up branches in Macau, extending Macau's position as reputable a gaming centre.

Even for those who don't gamble, the casinos like Macau Fisherman's Wharf, Venetian and others are worth a visit. The Casinos make nightlife in Macau exuberant with their colorful neon lights and attractions.

We were told by the organisers that more Malaysians are visiting Macau nowadays. In 2004, the number of visitor arrivals to Macau was 48,391 and the figure rose to 428,603 last year.

During the first five months this year, 136,142 Malaysians visited Macau and the increasing numbers are partly due to cheap flights provided by AirAsia to Macau.

AirAsia operates direct flights Macau-Kota Kinabalu, Macau-Kuching and Macau-Kuala Lumpur and vice-versa.