Redefining Jakarta's electronic frontier<\/p>\n
By Adrian Gunadi<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): As technology and public awareness continue to
\nexpand in the modern era, traditional emblems may no longer be
\nenough to establish the identity of a country. So what better way
\nto break into the global community than with a web page on the
\nInternet?<\/p>\n
As a developing country, Indonesia has had a strong tradition
\nin marketing its natural resources. Yet in the past decade,
\ntourism has grown to play an increasing role in earning national
\nrevenue, moving well into the five largest sources of income.<\/p>\n
In an effort to continue promoting this recent trend, the
\nJakarta City Tourism Office has entered into an agreement with
\nthe Pacific Century Associates to produce an official Internet
\nsite for Jakarta. Both parties launched Sunday a marketing
\ncampaign to set up the web page under the Discover Jakarta brand
\nthrough a variety of other media forms, including books and
\nbrochures.<\/p>\n
\"We sincerely look forward to showing you why Jakarta is one
\nof the most talked about and exciting visitor destinations in the
\ndynamic Asia Pacific region,\" said Chief of the Tourism Office
\nFauzi Bowo. The Discover Jakarta website, at http:\/\/www.discover-
\njakarta.com, remains one of the key aspects in fulfilling this
\nobjective, by building a positive and inviting image of
\nIndonesia's capital city.<\/p>\n
\"Our mission is to promote trade, tourism and industry through
\nan electronic magazine format,\" said Mary Jane Edleson of Pacific
\nCentury E-Media. \"But the focus will remain on metropolitan
\nJakarta.\"<\/p>\n
The Discover Jakarta site provides an extensive list of
\nfeatures designed to accommodate both domestic and overseas
\ninterests. From the main menu, selections are made and branch out
\ninto more specific areas of information -- from economic news to
\nthe latest selection of shopping malls. To help initiate
\nbeginners, a \"Virtual Tour\" loads up a slide show of the best
\nthat Jakarta has to offer. In contrast, using the RealAudio
\nfeature will allow users to hear correct pronunciation of
\nIndonesian phrases.<\/p>\n
For a more casual browse, the \"Spices\" and \"Specials\" segments
\noffer a database of current events and general points of
\ninterest. The \"List\" feature, on the other hand, provides
\nsomething for the curious explorer and the Jakarta resident
\nalike. An index of hotels, restaurants, embassies, services,
\ntravel information and emergency help provide a wealth of
\ninformation.<\/p>\n
In the nine months that the site has been running, it has won
\noutstanding awards from search engines like Yahoo and Webcrawler.
\nOn average, the site receives three to five thousand hits per
\nday.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian government will also continue to support the
\nInternet page through its varied marketing activities. E-Media
\nalso intends to promote the site online through international
\nsearch engines and by linking up with other sites in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
In the next month, the web page will undergo a host of new
\nadditions that will enhance the experience. A search engine
\ndevoted to the site will be able to compile information from the
\nDiscover Jakarta database at the request of users, while the
\n\"Special Feature\" section will include weekly updates of
\nmiscellaneous topics. There are also plans to add a \"Meet the
\nPeople\" feature, where users can view facts and pictures on local
\nJakartans. Page visitors will also have the ability to initiate
\nJakarta-based programs or even add their own classified
\nadvertisements to the site itself.<\/p>\n
The site's development will continue well into this year, with
\nplans to translate the page into Japanese and Indonesian. E-Media
\nalso hopes to provide hotel business centers with access to the
\nDiscover Jakarta database.<\/p>\n
The Discover Jakarta web page has clearly established
\nIndonesia at the forefront of modern technology, in creating an
\nimage of Jakarta which will do credibility to both the growing
\ninterest in tourism and the country as a whole. In many ways, it
\nrepresents the future of Indonesia not only as a political and
\neconomical competitor, but also as a pioneer on the electronic
\nfrontier.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/redefining-jakartas-electronic-frontier-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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