‘Anim’Arte Nam Van’ lacks activities, visitors claim

The new “Anim’Arte Nam Van” is described as “a new landmark for leisure, culture and creativity.” However, several locals and tourists interviewed this week claimed that the space could be used for further diverse activities to attract more visitors.
According to Fion Lei, a local craftswoman who sells her creations in one of the booths set up besides the lake under the “Anim’Arte” project, additional activities such as “small concerts or a bicycle exclusive lane” are needed to lure locals, especially tourists to visit the place.
Lei revealed that the open space attracted a vast number of visitors especially during the dragon boat festival but she claimed residents would only visit the venue during the weekends.
“There are more tourists during the weekdays but on the weekends, local people come to visit,” she said.
Although Lei said the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) was effectively promoting the recreational area, a local resident, Vicky Wei, argued that the recreational activity’s advertisement was “insufficient,” and that the area allowed for paddle boating is “too small.”
Several visitors who rode the paddleboat also highlighted the small-scale water area. “The area for paddle boating needs to be a little bit larger because it’s quite small. It [the route] was just going around,” said a tourist from Hong Kong.
Conversely, Lei believes that the local government is “doing a good job” compared to the city’s neighboring regions, considering that MSAR provides the art pavilion space for free.
“We tried to do this in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan but we have to pay,” she stressed. “It is very nice indeed when compared to other places in Asia.”
However, Cristina Cheong, a university student, said the handcraft fair at Tap Seac offers more in terms of crafts than Nam Van.
“There are not enough [handcrafts] here. I don’t know if it’s because it’s still the beginning of the event or not,” she commented.
Although Cheong agreed that there are “plenty” of events happening in the area, she believes it is the government’s duty to arrange such leisure activities.
When the space known as “Anim’Arte Nam Van” officially opened to the public earlier this month, the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam said that the new leisure hub “breathes a new dynamic into the neighborhood but also enables residents and visitors to unwind, relax and experience the beauty of Macau.”
Although several visitors said the open space provides a “pretty good” activity area for friends and family, they argued that it still lacks several attractions especially during weekdays.
“Macau should always have had these kinds of activities,” said a student. “I think the old and young would be really interested if Macau had more activities like this.”
“Anim’Arte” is a project jointly organized by the IC, Sports Bureau (ID), Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) and the Institute for Tourism Studies. They have planned to organize special performances and activities aside from its cultural and creative shops; and its indoor handcraft market and workshops to draw in more visitors. The idea to revamp the area on the perimeter of the lake was offered last year by Tam during the Policy Address presentation.
The Times contacted the Office for the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, the ID and the IC. We asked those institutions to conduct an assessment of the “Anim’Arte Nam Van” project. However, only the ID replied by press time, stating that since the opening in early June, “the MGTO has been putting efforts to promote this project, residents and visitors are getting to know about this new landmark, while other departments will continue to improve and enhance the diversity of elements in the Anim’Arte.”
“It is believed that through different promotion efforts and campaigns, this innovative project will continue to gain in popularity among residents and visitors,” the bureau replied. Staff reporter