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Revitalizing Cultural Heritage
involve the wider community in decision making through numerous activities and programmes, including listening to the feedback from the community. Closer interaction with the community enabled the city to clearly identify a series of tangible and intangible cultural heritage sites, to establish where restoration and renovation were needed and also to include the views of the public and stakeholders during the process. Stakeholders actively engaged in heritage conservation policies such as strategic urban planning, public hearings and promoting education for the young and old alike. This made implementation much smoother. As a result, the city improved the local economy and enhanced its heritage conservation programme. Annual revenue leapt to about 127,350,000 PHP in 2017: almost five times more than in 1995 (20,000,000 PHP). The influx of tourists reached about 1,046,000 in 2016, compared to only 18,505 in 1995. For sustainable development, the city is planning a River Rehabilitation Programme, a Solid Waste Management Programme and the re-use of historic buildings. It also intends to carry out a number of cultural awareness and education programmes, including the Vigan Festivals, training in traditional skills and lectures to raise awareness about heritage conservation. One factor which was emphasized in the case of Vigan City was the importance of instilling “a love of the city� in the minds of the general public in order to give the community a sense of ownership and to encourage its voluntary contribution to the process. This teaches the lesson that the passionate involvement of communities should take priority over obtaining a large amount of funding. Mayor Juan Carlo expressed his wish for the city to no longer need the help of the town's government and to be able to conserve Vigan through the community’s true love for its city.
In summary: Challenge: Overcoming resistance Strategy: Continuous dialogue with the community Lesson: Communication is vital Transfer to Kota Tua: Pay attention to the details and continuously motivate people