Recreation places see increase in numbers of visitors<\/p>\n
Evi Mariani and Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta\/Bogor<\/p>\n
Unlike previous years when Greater Jakarta was unusually quiet
\nduring Idul Fitri holidays, an increase in the number of visitors
\nto popular recreation sites all over the capital has highlighted
\na trend of celebrating the day away from home.<\/p>\n
The management of Ancol Dreamland Park, North Jakarta,
\nestimated an increase in the number of visitors by 15 percent
\ncompared to last year. On Tuesday alone, the first day of the
\nholidays, the amusement park recorded more than 95,000 visitors.<\/p>\n
\"We expect the number of visitors in the ten days after Idul
\nFitri holidays to reach one million,\" park spokesman Mukrijul
\nsaid on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The holiday, which marks the end of the Ramadhan holy month,
\nfell on Nov. 25 and Nov. 26.<\/p>\n
This year, the two biggest Muslim organizations in the
\ncountry, Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), which usually
\ndiffer on the exact date of the holiday as it is determined by
\nlunar sightings, set the same date.<\/p>\n
At Ragunan Zoo, South Jakarta, the number of visitors
\nincreased 27.5 percent from 24,130 people on the first day of
\nIdul Fitri last year to 30,766 people this year.<\/p>\n
However, the zoo's operator still have to deal with visitors
\nwho litter and those who hurt the animals.<\/p>\n
Spokeswoman Titisari Puntorini said that the management had
\nhired 20 additional sweepers to handle the garbage during the
\nholiday.<\/p>\n
Besides littering, zoo visitors are often seen trespassing in
\nanimal enclosures, stepping on flower plants and wading through
\nponds.<\/p>\n
Suryana, one of the sweepers told The Jakarta Post that during
\npeak season visitors usually threw \"disgusting\" garbage.<\/p>\n
\"I'm only sweeping dried leaves or used plastic bags for
\nnow ... But tomorrow (Wednesday), you'll see people throwing
\ntheir food and that is disgusting.\"<\/p>\n
With tickets at just Rp 3,000 (35 U.S. cents) for adults and
\nRp 2,000 for children, the zoo has been a favorite recreation
\nplace since its opening in 1966. The zoo now has 3,421 animals
\nfrom 273 species.<\/p>\n
The zoo received two Sloth bears and two leopards from Sri
\nLanka last September, and are expecting kangaroos, kookabura
\nbirds and parrots from Australia in December, according to
\nTitisari.<\/p>\n
She said that besides the animals, the main attractions at the
\nzoo were the Schmutzer Primate Center and the lake.<\/p>\n
The 6.2-hectare primate center houses several kinds of
\nprimates including gorillas, gibbons, long-tailed macaques,
\nsiamang, orangutan and Griffith silver-leaf monkeys.<\/p>\n
However, there is no camel back-riding this year as one of the
\ncamels is pregnant.<\/p>\n
The Safari Park in Cisarua, Bogor, also experienced an
\nincrease in the number of visitors although the Jakarta to Puncak
\nroute was severely congested during the holiday.<\/p>\n
Park spokesman Yulius H. Suprihardo said that most of the
\nvisitors were Jakartans but many were from other cities or areas
\nsuch as Semarang, Lampung and even from Kalimantan island.<\/p>\n
\"The main attraction here is the Bird Park, whose collection
\nis of endemic birds .... We expect a peak of thousands of
\nvisitors next Sunday,\" he told the Post, adding that the number
\nof visitors on Tuesday had reached 3,625 people.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/recreation-places-see-increase-in-numbers-of-visitors-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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