Heritage | IC asked to request Guia Circuit listing

José Estorninho, President of the Association for the Promotion and Development of the Guia Circuit of Macau, has submitted a request to the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) to have the racetrack listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

Estorninho is hopeful that the IC will agree with the proposal to have the Guia Circuit listed and will request the United Nations body to grant the approval. He told the Times yesterday that “they [the IC] seem to be aware of the situation as well” and “the reception to my [letter] was very positive.”

In the letter, addressed to the President of the IC, Estorninho wrote that the Guia Circuit ought to be listed as a heritage site because it is the oldest of its kind in Asia, having existed for 65 years.

“The reason [we are proposing this] is because everyone knows this is part of the historical and cultural background to Macau. In this case, why do we have to wait for UNESCO to come to us?”

“The circuit covers almost one-third of Macau,” added Estorninho. “Apart from the racetrack – which is a monument itself – we have many more places included on the track which are already regarded as national heritage.”

Asked if Estorninho’s plans have anything to do with speculation that the Guia Circuit might need to be altered in order to meet new International Automobile Federation regulations, the association president admitted, “we want to avoid changing the track according to the new regulations.”

“Nobody knows exactly what will happen in the future,” he added, “and so we want to protect the track as it is [today].”

The Guia Circuit covers much of the Historical Center of Macau, which is already listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List by its own right.