Cruise Report

May.5th

Today was the first lecture by Mr Suma Akira, who from 2004 to 2015 served as the Bureau Chief for the NHK World Heritage Sight Project as well as numerous other TV projects. Using a range of videos and materials, he introduced not only how the World Heritage system came to be, but also how sites are registered, and how the Abu Simbel Temples in Egypt served as the starting point for the now universally-recognised standard.

Akira also spoke about how the mix of Eastern and Western cultures still present in George Town, Penang, is one of the reasons that the town was registered as a World Heritage Site. The city itself stands as a reminder to the history it has had. In the upcoming days Akira will also be speaking about World Heritage Sites in our future ports of call like Egypt and Europe, something I’m sure all the passengers are eagerly looking forward to.