Local art project may need extra gov’t subsidies to survive

Fortes Pakeong Sequira, director of operation of the “Art Gate” project, located on Rua dos Ervanarios on the Peninsula’s Central District, has hinted that it may require extra money from the government to continue.
Officially known as A Porta Da Arte, the Central District art-
commercial project takes up a shop space that is over 60 years old, across three floors. Before opening, it was revamped with a regenerated vintage aesthetic.
The ground floor of the shop houses a coffee counter, from which people can purchase drinks, alongside a souvenirs retail space. The first floor has seats for people to drink their coffee bought at the shop, as well as more retail spaces. Further seating for coffee drinkers is available on the rooftop.
When the project began and prior to its opening in 2016, the Cultural Industry Fund issued a five-year subsidy to support it. The subsidy is due to expire next year.
Sequira disclosed that the project was about to break even after several years of operations but the travel restrictions amid the Covid-19 pandemic have had a hard impact on the business. He disclosed that during the toughest period, the project generated only 10% of its normal revenue. However, he stressed that the project leaders did not expect to apply for another phase of funding early this year.
The government has previously implemented a policy aimed at diverting tourist and tourism activities from the Ruins of St Paul’s to its vicinity, including the Rua dos Ervanarios, to simultaneously ease the stress on the World Heritage site and to benefit the neighborhood.
The policy was made in response to concerns that tourism is overcrowding the Ruins and causing inconvenience to the people living nearby, as well as in response to complaints that businesses in the vicinity of the Ruins could not benefit from the tourist boom.