BEHIND THE WALLS

Since being recognised as the World's Leading Tourist Attraction at the World Travel Awards in 2020, Intramuros, the 453-year-old ‘Walled City’, has again attracted attention from across the globe.

- Franz Sorilla

International and local tourists alike have been rediscovering the historic spot, which has been undergoing constant restoration and development since the Presidential Decree 1616 was enacted in 1979. With the decree, the Intramuros Administration (IA) was established. Today, Intramuros has been vibrant and more alive since its significant destruction in the Second World War.

Its old charm remains to bridge the people to their cultural roots, and more efforts to revitalise it have been in effect after earning Asia's Leading Tourist Attraction award in 2022. Receiving the same award in 2024 is a testament to the success of the dramatic changes made in a matter of two years, thanks to the adaptive reuse project of experts in the fields of interior design, heritage and cultural conservation, history and more, working alongside IA and the Office of the First Lady of the Philippines. In addition, Intramuros is on the tentative Last November 21, the newly-built Centro de Turismo inside the old site of San Ignacio Church and its adjacent Museo de Intramuros reopened to the public with better curation of its spaces and more durable architectural support. Using the conservation management plan as the backbone for its visual storytelling, the centre features the history of Intramuros spanning over four centuries from a social, economic and pastoral perspective. Centro de Turismo serves as a starting point for everyone who wishes to understand the district and the history of its people before visiting other sites.

IA's curatorial team for the present look of Centro de Turismo and Museo de Intramuros includes Eric Zerrudo, Mico Manalo, Hannah Cunanan, and Al Valenciano, among others. They have built upon the existing curation and exhibition texts of IA's Esperanza Gatbonton, Martin Tinio, Santiago Pilar, and Dino Carlo Santos, and more.