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Time stood still in the center of Lisbon. The lack of tourists from the pandemic paints a void in the center of the Portuguese capital, with many shops closed and merchants at the door waiting for the customers they once had.
The streets are full of people, but few stop at shops and restaurants.
The president of the Baixa Pombalina Dynamics Association explains to the Lusa agency, in the center of Praça da Figueira, that with the disappearance of tourism there are almost no customers in the historic center.
“Everything was geared towards making tourism the main purchasing force in Baixa Pombalina. Restoration and commerce both lived – and it is not an exaggeration – at least 70%, at the expense of tourism ”, says Manuel Lopes.
Under a bright sun in the middle of autumn, the former entrepreneur acknowledges that consumers will take time to regain confidence and purchasing power.
“Tourism has disappeared, customers have disappeared and residents are scarce. Obviously, with this covidito, without people’s confidence to move, Baixa is the one that suffers the most, ”he says, noting that there are many deals to be closed.
Now, he says, it is cheaper for a business to close than to open. In the association’s accounts, approximately 115 commercial spaces will have already been closed.
“There were many people – and it is not worth ignoring – who began to live at the expense of tourism and obviously tourism has left due to these circumstances that we all know. And now to bring back and fill our commercial space will take your time “, he assumes.
In his opinion, the biggest problem for commerce is not gentrification, but the new lease contracts, since employers “will not be able to renew their rent.”
In front of the statue of Juan I stands Alfredo Tavares, general manager of the Hotels My Story hotel chain, which has had to close almost all areas due to lack of tourists.
“We have five hotels in the center of Lisbon. At the moment, we have four hotels closed and open,” the businessman sighs, recalling that since March, only two hotels have reopened in summer.
According to the official, The hotel group suffered greatly from the restrictions imposed by the new coronavirus.
“We had big cancellations. There is no demand at the moment. I can say that in the last three days we have had four reservations,” he says in dismay, not knowing what the future holds.
Alfredo Tavares reveals that some 25 workers, out of 80, have not seen their contracts renewed, because the group has breaks above 90%.
At Rua da Prata, a door opens to the east. The aroma of ramen (Japanese pasta broth) activates the sense of smell and whets the appetite.
Paula Dias tells Lusa that the Japanese restaurant Panda Cantina had to adapt to the new reality, stressing that it was never “dependent on tourism.”
“We had to create a new takeout dish. Our restaurant specializes in ramen. We had to create a dish without broth. […]. We didn’t want to lose the quality of our main dish, ”he says.
According to the space manager, production was cut in half. The restaurant is small and, with hygiene and safety measures, it is not possible to have meals for more than 15 people at the same time.
In this odyssey through the almost lifeless streets of Lisbon, closed with commercial spaces, more and more immigrants are the souvenir shops from Asia that give light to the city center.
Among the many dozens of stores with lock on the door, there is one that appears with a notice on Rua da Madalena: “This establishment will close permanently at the end of December. We sell everything, including furniture at reduced prices.”
At the counter is Homero Cardoso, who explains that the pandemic has led customers to the Portuguese handicraft store Santos Ofício and does not see an easy future for the activity.
“I’m tired of fighting for a project always with mountains of difficulties. Ourselves, at a certain time, after the pandemic […]However, we felt that things could improve a little, but only got worse, “he emphasizes, noting that the agreement was” completely dependent on tourism. “
According to the owner, the lack of support closed the space, which is 25 years old.
“[No verão] 200 foreigners came. Of the 200 foreigners who probably bought five, the other 195 came as if they were coming to see a museum, they came and went, and some stole, ”he says.
The store has only been open in recent months because I was hoping that “something could improve”, a wish that did not materialize.
