Dr Sharif Shams Imon teaches cultural heritage management (CHM) at the Macao Institute for Tourism Studies (IFTM), where he is the Academic Coordinator for the Cultural and Heritage Management programme. He is also a Visiting Assistant Professor at the Architectural Conservation Programme of the University of Hong Kong.

Trained as an architect and an urban planner, Dr Imon has an MBA in Finance and a PhD in Urban Conservation and had received training at ICCROM on integrated urban and territorial conservation. He has published research papers and book chapters on CHM and heritage tourism and co-authored three training manuals for heritage professionals, one of which has been translated into seven languages.

Dr Imon specialises in cultural heritage and tourism management, especially in historic settlements. He has conducted capacity building training programmes for heritage and tourism professionals and administrators in 14 countries and presented papers on heritage and cultural tourism in universities and organisations internationally. He has been a consultant to UNESCO, UNESCAP and governments on World Heritage nomination and management, cultural tourism, tourism management and heritage interpretation projects. As an international expert in cultural heritage, Dr Imon regularly carries out World Heritage technical evaluation and monitoring of heritage sites internationally.

Professional Memberships:

President - International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Bangladesh

Fellow - Institute of Architects Bangladesh (FIAB)

Expert Member -  International Committee on Historic Towns and Villages (CIVVIH)

Member - Bangladesh Institute of Planners (MBIP)

Invited Member - Macau Urban Planning Institute (MUPI)

Member - DOCOMOMO

Member - HERITAGE Asia-Pacific (HeritAP)

• DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY, THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG, HONG KONG, CHINA
• MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, UNIVERSITY OF DHAKA, BANGLADESH
• MASTER OF SCIENCE IN URBAN PLANNING, THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG, HONG KONG, CHINA
• BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE, BANGLADESH UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY, BANGLADESH

• Choi, S-H, Couto, U. & Imon, S. S. (2020). Resident Attendees of Macao's Drunken Dragon Festival: A Cluster Analysis. International Journal of Event and Festival Management. ISSN 1758-2954. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEFM-12-2019-0062.
• Choi, S-H, Imon, S. S. & Couto, U. (2020). Negotiating with Authenticity to Ensure Sustainability of Traditional Cultural Festivals: Residents' Perspectives about Macao's Drunken Dragon Festival. Sustainability, 12(3), 885. ISSN 2071-1050. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12030885.
• Wong, U. I. & Imon, S. S. (2018). Reflecting public needs in regeneration projects in historic urban areas. Modern Conservation, 6, 227-239.
• Imon, S. S. (2017). Heritage Management under Tourism Pressure. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 9(5), 335-348. ISSN: 1755-4217
• Rahman, M. M., & Imon, S. S. (2016). How Can Historic Waterfront Conservation Help to Improve the Quality of Life in Old Dhaka. American Scientific Research Journal of Engineering, Technology, and Sciences, 26(2), 200-218. ISSN: (Print) 2313-4410, (Online) 2313-4402
• Imon, S. S. (2016). Public Participation and Sustainable Urban Conservation. Context: Built, Living and Natural, 12(2), 21-30. ISSN: 0973-502X
• Imon, Sharif Shams, L. D. DiStefano and H. Y. Lee (2011). “UNESCO-ICCROM Asian Academy for Heritage Management initiative to establish interpretation and presentation standards at World Heritage Sites in Asia.” International Journal of Heritage Tourism, Volume 6, No.3.
• Imon, S. S. (2008), “Managing Change in the Historic City of Macao”, Historic Environment, Vol . 21, No. 3.
• DiStefano, L. D., Imon, S. S., H. Y. Lee and J. J. DiStefano (2005). “Bridging Differences: A Model for Effective Communication Between Different Disciplines Through Training Programmes for Professionals,” City and Time, Vol. 1, No. 2.

• Choi, S. H., Couto, U., & Imon, S. S. (2019). Festival-specific Dimensionality of the Perceptions about Regional Traditional Festivals: An Exploratory Study and Longitudinal Replication in a Chinese Context. Paper presented at the CAUTHE 2019: Sustainability of Tourism, Hospitality & Events in a Disruptive Digital Age. Queensland, Australia. 11-14 February.
• Choi, S., Couto, U. & Imon, S. S. (2017). Participating and non-participating residents’ perceptions and attitudes towards Macao’s Drunken Dragon Festival. 4th International Conference on Events (ICE) 2017: Beyond the Waves. University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA. 12-14 December.
• Imon, S. S. & Wong, U. I. (2017). Conflict resolution between host communities and heritage authorities: The application of Selfish Gene Theory in Heritage. Paper presented at the 19th ICOMOS General Assembly and Scientific Symposium, Delhi, India. 11-15 December.
• Imon, S. S. (2016). Teaching Heritage Interpretation to Non-events Students. Paper presented at the Global Events Congress VII, IUPUI, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. 5-8 July.
• Imon, S. S., Couto, U., & Choi, S. H. (2015). Making More Sense of Cultural Spaces within a Changing Urban Landscape: The Case of the Drunken Dragon Festival in Macao. Paper presented at the 3rd International Conference on Events, Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao. 7-9 September.
• Imon, Sharif Shams (2015). “The Value of Islamic Heritage on the World Heritage List”. International Conference on Religious Heritage: Toward Understanding the Outstanding Universal Value of Religious Heritage. Gongju City, Korea. 22-25 April.
• Imon, Sharif Shams (2014). “Making sense of ‘cultural spaces’ within a changing cultural landscape”. 18th ICOMOS General Assembly and Scientific Symposium: Heritage and Landscape as Human Values. Florence, Italy. 09-14 November.
• Wong Un In and Imon, S. S. (2009) “‘What I wanted is Not What I Got’: Reflecting Public Needs in Urban Regeneration Projects in Macao”. 2nd Asian Academy for Heritage Management Conference, Macao, China.
• Ana Tarrafa, Imon, S.S. and Roders, A. P. (2009) “Tackling Tourism-driven Development in World Heritage Cites: A Comparison between Macao, China and Évora, Portugal”. 2nd Asian Academy for Heritage Management Conference, Macao, China.
• Imon, S. S., L. D. DiStefano and H. Y. Lee (2008), “Deals, Wheels, and Keels: Economic Considerations in the Rapid Reshaping of Cultural Traditions in Macao”. Eleventh Conference of the International Association for the Study of Traditional Environments (IASTE), Oxford, UK.
• Ong, C. E., L. A. Dioko and S. S. Imon (2008), “The V-Print: A New Tool in Visitor Education and Impact Management”. European Council on Hotel, Restaurant & Institutional Education (EUROCHRIE) 2008, The Emirates Academy, Dubai, UAE.
• Imon, S. S. (2008), “Integrating tourism with management planning for cultural heritage properties”. A School of Canadian Studies Heritage Conservation Symposium, supported by FASS (Carleton University), the National Historic Sites Directorate, Parks Canada Agency, and the City of Ottawa. Ottawa, Canada.
• Imon, S. S., L. D. DiStefano and H. Y. Lee (2008), “Preserving the Spirit of the Historic City of Macao: Complexity and Contradiction(s”). 16th General Assembly and Scientific Symposium of ICOMOS, Quebec, Canada.
• Imon, S. S., L. D. DiStefano and H. Y. Lee (2008), “Cultural Heritage Specialist Guide Training and Certification Programme: A UNESCO-ICCROM Academy for Heritage Management Initiative to Establish Interpretation and Presentation Standards at World Heritage Sites”. Sixth World Archaeological Congress (WAC-6), Dublin, Ireland.
• Imon, S. S. (2008), “Managing Change in a World Heritage City: case Studies from Macao”, in Amoêda, Rogério et. al. (eds.), World Heritage and Sustainable Development: Heritage 2008Conference, Green Lines Institute for Sustainable Development, Vila Nova de Foz Côa, Portugal.
• Imon, S. S. (2007), Facing Conservation Challenges in Asia: Current Thinking and Approaches. Keynote paper presented in Old but New::New but Old: Seminar on Urban Conservation/Regeneration, North South University and British Council, Dhaka.
• Imon, S. S. (2007), Towards a New Development Agenda for Historic Areas: Case Studies from Old Dhaka and Other Asian Cities. Proceeding from the conference “Society, Architects, and Emerging Issues”, Commonwealth Association of Architects and Institute of Architects Bangladesh, Dhaka.
• Imon, S. S., L. D. DiStefano and H. Y. Lee. (2006), Can public participation fill the gap of inadequate measures for protection and management of heritage places and their setting in developing countries?: Case studies from Old Dhaka. Proceedings from the research conference “Asian Approaches to Conservation”, UNESCO-ICCROM Asian Academy for Heritage Management, Bangkok, Thailand.
• Imon, S. S., L. D. DiStefano and H. Y. Lee. (2006), The Meaning of Integrated Conservation in a Historic Urban Area: A Case Study from Old Dhaka. Paper presented in the conference “Urban Revitalization and Social Sustainability”, Baden Baden, Germany.
• DiStefano, L. D., S. S. Imon, H. Y. Lee and J. J. DiStefano. (2004), Bridging Differences: A Model for Effective Communication Between Different Disciplines Through Training Programmes for Professionals. Proceedings of the seminar “Interfaces in Integrated Urban Conservation: Bridging between Disciplines and Cooperative Action”, CECI: Recife, Brazil.

• Imon, S. S. (2019). “Tourism risk preparedness, Kaesong, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Case Study”. In Walter Jamieson and Richard Engelhardt, The Planning and Management of Responsible Urban Heritage Destinations in Asia: Dealing with Asian urbanism and tourism forces. Goodfellow Publishers. ISBN: 978-1-911396-58-1
• Samayeen, N., & Imon, S. S. (2016). The cultural landscape of Pohela Boishakh festival and the making of a national identity in Bangladesh. In A. Sinha & K. D. Silva (Eds.), Cultural Landscapes of South Asia: Studies in Heritage Conservation and Management. New York: Routledge. ISBN: 978-1-138-94757-3
• Imon, Sharif Shams. (2014) “Urban Design and Quality of Life in Dhaka.” In Dhaka: An Urban Reader, Ed. Mahbubur Rahman. Dhaka: University Press Limited. ISBN: 978-984-506-149-0
• Imon, Sharif Shams. (2013) “Issues of Sustainable Tourism at Heritage Sites in Asia.” In Asian Heritage Management: Contexts, Concerns & Prospects, eds. Kapila D. Silva and Neel Kamal Chapagain. Routledge. ISBN: 978-0-415-52054-6
• Imon, S. S. (2009), “Current Thinking and Approaches – Facing the Conservation Challenges in Asia Pacific.” In Old but New :: New but Old- Architectural Heritage Conservation, ed. Mahbubur Rahman, pp. 348-366. UNESCO: Dhaka, Bangladesh.
• Imon, S. S., L. D. DiStefano and H. Y. Lee (2006), “The Meaning of Integrated Conservation in a Historic Urban Area: A Case Study from Old Dhaka.” In Urban Revitalization and Social Sustainability, ed. George E. Lasker and Greg Andonian, vol. 1, pp.7-12. IIAS: Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

• Ong, C. E., S. S. Imon and F. I. Lam (2007), Training Manual for Macao Heritage Tour Guide – Cultural Heritage Specialist Tour Guides Training and Certification Program for UNESCO World Heritage Sites (Site Module), Institute For Tourism Studies: Macao.
• Imon, S. S. and C. E. Ong (2007), Cultural Tourism Site Management: A Training Manual for Trainers in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and Institute For Tourism Studies (IFT), Macao SAR, China.
• Imon, S. S., L. A. N. Don & C. E. Ong (2006), Cultural Heritage Specialist Guide Training and Certification Program for UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Training Handbook (4th ed.). Institute For Tourism Studies: Macao.

• DOCOMOMO Macau
• Member, Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP)
• International Member, International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)
• Professional Member, Hong Kong Institute of Architectural Conservationist (HKICON)
• Member, Institute of Architects Bangladesh (IAB)

• Certificate in University Teaching (with Distinction), Centre for the Advancement of University Teaching, HKU
• Special Training in Integrated Territorial and Urban Conservation(ITUC), ICCROM, Rome