“This percentage clearly shows that the area’s commercial ecosystem was, in the past, heavily dependent on activities linked to illegal gambling,” which left ZAPE with “an extremely undiversified commercial structure and a very weak capacity to withstand risk,” he told PLATAFORMA.
For that reason, he warned, recovery “cannot be achieved in the short term” and “the essential thing is the complete abandonment of dependence on illegal gambling and the deep promotion of sectoral transformation.”
Kot acknowledges that public support may ease the immediate pressure on operators, but rejects the idea that subsidies can solve the underlying problem.
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“Government subsidies for businesses operating within the law mainly serve as short-term relief measures,” he said, stressing, however, that such measures “cannot structurally resolve the area’s economic distortion.”
In his view, the response should involve “a transition towards tourism-related services, specialised retail, catering, cultural and creative industries, and other priority sectors.”
The analyst further argues that public support should “focus on assistance for transformation — including vocational training, modernisation of business models, and initiatives for promotion and customer acquisition — rather than being limited to direct financial aid.”
He added that the area “should be aligned with Macau’s overall economic development strategy,” making use of “Macau’s strengths in cultural tourism, conventions and exhibitions, and other key sectors.”
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According to TDM, around 22 percent of ZAPE’s shops have already closed, out of approximately 580 establishments. Secretary for Economy and Finance Tai Kin Ip admitted the possibility of financial incentives for specific neighbourhoods, with the creation of outdoor dining areas as a starting point for redefining NAPE’s image — a proposal received cautiously by a shopkeeper interviewed by the broadcaster.
Also cited by TDM, Wu Kam Hon, director of the NAPE Industrial and Commercial Federation, warned that creating a few outdoor dining areas would not be enough, arguing for a distinctive identity for the inner streets and support for the renovation of commercial premises, while Tsang Ka Wa, deputy convener of the Central District Social Services Consultative Committee, called for the area to be included in a broader urban revitalisation strategy.
