SEGi College Penang’s School of Hospitality and Tourism went on a heritage walk with controlled SOP on 4 March, after the COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. These heritage walks are a signature outing for our college.
This heritage walk, facilitated by head lecturer Lee Chin Ching and supported by two other lecturers, Sabrina Samsudin and Muhamad Irfan, allowed the students in the Tour Planning and Design class to learn through experience by seeing for themselves parts of Georgetown Penang which are widely recognised for their history and culture.
Over a hundred hectares and almost two thousand historic structures make up Georgetown’s World Heritage core historic zone. The students had a wonderful opportunity to garner historical information and learn about urban legends about these heritage locations.
The Heritage Walk route started from SEGi College Penang, to Logan Memorial, City Hall, Penang Town Hall and Fort Cornwallis. These places are the best landmarks, located at the upmost tip of the cape. The trip then continued to the Streets of Harmony which is the site of Penang’s famous religious landmarks, including the multi-cultural community along Jalan Masjid Kapitan Kelling, with four major religious buildings, namely St George’s Church, Goddess of Mercy Temple, Sri Mariamman Temple and the Kapitan Keling Mosque. Given the proximity of these structures, it is obvious that Georgetown’s diverse populations have long valued and respected one another’s religious practices. At noon, the Heritage Walk came to the end at Khoo Kongsi, a notable relic of the Chinese Clan Associations in Malaysia.
By the end of the journey, the students had acquired a wealth of knowledge and experience, leading us to conclude that the Heritage Walk is a wonderful tool for engaging our youth through their cultural heritage. These walking excursions provide participants with the opportunity to create their own observations and experiences for future adventures for others.
