Anti-American rallies deeply affect nightspots
JAKARTA (JP): Nightspots popular with foreigners have experienced an average 50 percent decrease in the number of patrons due to anti-American protests, club and bar managers said.
One of the most popular hangouts for foreigners, the Tanamur, on Jl. Tanah Abang in Central Jakarta, claimed it had suffered a 50 percent drop in clientele since demonstrations hit the city.
"Previously, we had around 600 people per night, but now 400 is the most, and that's on the weekend," Merry, the assistant manager of Tanamur told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
During weekdays, the number is even lower, especially when a demonstration has taken place during the day.
"Our place is located at the center, not too far from the sites of frequent demonstrations, such as the U.S. Embassy and the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, making our guests easily worried," she said.
Although Tanamur has not become the target of sweepings, as has been threatened by certain radical groups seeking out Americans, its management is very worried that the hangout could become the next target.
"We hope there won't be such a thing (sweeping) in our place. If that happens we'll suffer from a sharp decrease in our revenue as most of our visitors are foreigners," Merry said, while refusing to divulge any revenue figures.
She said the adjacent JJs club, which is under the same management as Tanamur, also experienced a 50 percent drop in average patronage levels.
The Cinnabar in Central Jakarta, where foreigners make up 70 percent of the clientele, also said it had experienced a 50 percent reduction in visitor numbers since the beginning of anti- American demonstrations.
Although some of its regular customers, mostly foreign journalists, are still frequenting the nightspot, the management noticed the absence of its other regulars.
"When I asked our customers, some said they are concerned with the security in the city, while the others are indifferent," said Christy, the bar captain at Cinnabar.
Meanwhile, the Jaya Pub now relies on its members to keep the place alive, as it struggles to keep up with the newer and trendier nightspots while also trying to endure the impact of the rallies.
"We still have our regular customers, about 20 of them who would drop by almost every night, but the anti-American demonstrations have indeed affected us as well," said Usman Manik, manager of the pub.
He said the pub's revenue has fallen from Rp 10 million (US$ 985) a night to Rp 5 million (US$ 492.50) due to the recent protests.
However, nightspots at five star hotels are not much affected as their visitors are mainly hotel guests.
O'Reillys at the Grand Hyatt only experienced a 10 percent fall in revenue, as did BATS at Shangri-La hotel.
"Aside from our regular customers, we also have the hotel guests who would usually drop by at BATS," said Tania Walla, Shangri-La's assistant communications manager.
One foreigner who used to visit nightspots at least once a week said that she would rather stay home than go out to bars.
"It's not because I'm afraid, but we are advised to keep a low profile by our embassy and to be cautious, especially when going out at night," a American woman, who refused to be identified, told the Post.
"I think it's important to remain cautious these days," she said. (06)