Organizers revise down visitor target due to transportation<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): With 11 more days to go before closing,
\norganizers of the Jakarta Fair have reduced their visitor target
\nfrom two million people to 1.5 million.<\/p>\n
Nugroho Aditomo, corporate communication officer of PT Jakarta
\nInternational Trade Fair, blamed poor public transportation to
\nthe fairground in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, for the lower than
\nexpected turnout at the month-long fair, which ends on July 9.<\/p>\n
The organizers are offering a Rp 5,000 to Rp 10,000 incentive
\nto public buses operating nearby to make a short detour and pass
\nby the fairground, but so far there have been no takers, Nugroho
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
They have also arranged shuttle buses to take people from
\nnearby bus stops to the fairground.<\/p>\n
Lack of public transportation has been cited as one the main
\nreasons for the lack of enthusiasm among Jakartans to attend the
\nannual fair, held to commemorate the 473th anniversary of the
\ncapital which fell on June 22.<\/p>\n
Visitor numbers to the fair have dropped in line with the
\neconomic crisis of the last two years, from a record 2.5 million
\npeople in 1997, to 980,000 in 1998 and 700,000 last year.<\/p>\n
With the country's economy picking up again this year, the
\norganizers were optimistic that this year's event would draw more
\npeople.<\/p>\n
They were counting on some 1,000 public buses and public
\nminivans making a daily detour from their ordinary routes to
\nbring people to the fairground.<\/p>\n
Since the administration moved the venue to the site of the
\nformer Kemayoran airport from the Monas Park in Central Jakarta
\nin 1992, the event has increasingly lost its appeal among
\nordinary Jakartans. The lack of access by public transportation
\nhas compounded the problem.<\/p>\n
"The previous location allowed people from all walks of life
\nto visit the fair," Toli, a worker at softdrink stall, said.<\/p>\n
Many visitors have complained that the admission fees of Rp
\n3,500 per person during the week and Rp 5,000 at weekends were
\ntoo expensive and defied the official billing of the event as a
\n"Party for Jakartans".<\/p>\n
Nugroho however said the ticket price, which includes life and
\naccident insurance, was comparable with tickets at Taman Mini
\nIndonesia Indah and Ancol Dreamland.<\/p>\n
Nugroho said the Jakarta International Trade Fair hoped that
\naccess to the fairground would improve in the coming years with
\nthe construction of a nearby toll road and a plan to widen the
\nroads around the complex.<\/p>\n
These road projects will make the fairground even more
\ndesirable as a site for businesses, recreation and homes, he
\nsaid. (06).<\/p>",
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