Vacationers scramble for train tickets<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
All executive train tickets to several cities in Java for
\nThursday next week are sold out while some out-of-town hotels are
\nfully booked ahead of the four consecutive holidays that start on
\nMay 15.<\/p>\n
As executive train tickets can only be purchased a week in
\nadvance, passenger hopefuls were seen queuing up on Thursday
\noutside the Juanda train ticket reservation center in Central
\nJakarta at 6 a.m. to guarantee themselves a May 15 departure.<\/p>\n
However, many scalpers are offering tickets for May 14 or May
\n15 departures.<\/p>\n
When The Jakarta Post arrived at the reservation center,
\nseveral ticket scalpers asked: "Do you want to go to Yogya, Solo,
\nor Surabaya? All these destinations are sold out. How many
\ntickets do you want?"<\/p>\n
They were offering Argo Dwipangga tickets to Yogyakarta for
\nMay 14 or May 15 for Rp 250,000, which is almost double the
\noriginal price of Rp 165,000 per ticket.<\/p>\n
Many people plan to take advantage of the government's
\nintroduction of new holiday measures to revive the tourist
\nsector, and will travel out of town for the four-day holiday.<\/p>\n
The government decided that this year's holiday commemorating
\nthe birthday of the Prophet Muhammad should fall on Thursday, May
\n15, instead of May 14, so that people could enjoy two consecutive
\ndays off with the national holiday observing Buddha's Day of
\nEnlightenment on Friday.<\/p>\n
Digna Maria, an employee of a media firm, decided to buy
\ntickets from a ticket scalper. She said she wanted to avoid
\nstanding in the long queue because she was pregnant.<\/p>\n
She plans to leave for Yogyakarta on Friday and she bought a
\nticket for Rp 200,000, even though they are regularly only Rp
\n150,000.<\/p>\n
"I have also checked the airlines, but they said there were no
\nmore seats left," she said with a sigh.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, some hotels near Jakarta are fully booked.<\/p>\n
Hexa, a public relations staff member at Solelite Marbela
\nAnyer in Banten said all 300 of its rooms had been reserved.<\/p>\n
Unlike most weekends when many rooms are vacant, she said
\nthere was not one room left for the holiday next week.<\/p>\n
Novotel Hotel in Bogor is also fully booked, according to
\nYenni, a public relations staff member. But for Wednesday, 60
\npercent of the rooms are still available, she added.<\/p>\n
At Raddin Hotel in Ancol Park, North Jakarta, 80 percent of
\nthe hotel's 292 rooms have been reserved for next week's
\nholidays.<\/p>\n
"When the holidays get closer next week, I believe that it
\nwill become overbooked," said the hotel's public relations
\nmanager, Ruth M. Tyas.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Nuraini B. Prabdanu, the public relations manager
\nfor Horison Hotel, also in Ancol, said the hotel had not seen an
\nincrease in reservations so far. "Currently only 25 percent of
\nthe hotel's 440 rooms have been reserved."<\/p>\n
However, in most cases, she said, the hotel would become
\noverbooked when the holidays drew nearer.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/vacationers-scramble-for-train-tickets-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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