Big hotels fete 473rd anniversary of Jakarta

JAKARTA (JP): The Sahid Jaya and Borobudur hotels plan to hold special events, including live entertainment and fashion shows, to mark Jakarta's 473rd anniversary which falls on Thursday.

Other hotels are joining in on a more modest scale, while hostels along Jl. Jaksa, which cater mostly to foreign backpackers, have again decided to miss out on celebrations this year.

Sahid Jaya is planning a Betawi fashion show by designer Ramli, and a bazaar from June 21 to June 23 in the Sukoharjo lounge, public relations manager Shinta Langka said.

The hotel will throw in the service of fortune-teller Noerhadi for guests to the bazaar.

The Borobudur Hotel will feature a lenong performance by Betawi comedians Harry de Fretes, Ade Juwita and Mpok Atiek at Singosari restaurant on June 22, public relations manager Yanti Sri Handini said.

The restaurant will hold a Betawi food festival offering local fare, such as taoge goreng (fried beancurd), soto mie (noodle soup), kredok (vegetables with peanut sauce) and pesmol ikan gurame (fried carp cooked with seasoning).

The Bogor Cafe, famed for sop buntut (oxtail soup), plans to add kerak telor and asinan Jakarta to its menu between June 19 and June 25.

Other hotels, such as the President, Mandarin Oriental, Shangri-La, The Regent, Le Meridien and Kartika Chandra, are planning Betawi food festivals at their restaurants to mark the occasion.

The President Hotel will display a delman, a traditional Betawi horse from the Dutch colonial days, in its lobby.

"In the past, we displayed oplet (public transit van from the 1970s) or becak (pedicab)," said public relations manager Bening Setara Bulan.

All the big hotels in Jakarta will be sending their representatives to the Soekarno-Hatta Airport to greet all arriving guests on June 22.

Each hotel will send a young couple dressed in Betawi style to hand out gifts to passengers arriving at the airport.

But a hotel complained about the poor coordination between the tourism office and the airport in organizing this program in past years.

For the inexpensive hostels and hotels lining Jl. Jaksa, it will probably be business as usual during Jakarta's anniversary next week.

"The market condition is simply not conducive to hold special events," said Boy Lawalata, owner of Wisma Delima.

Some 10 hotels and numerous hostels on the street last organized Jalan Jaksa Fair to mark the capital's birthday in 1997, featuring dancing, singing and bazaars.

The economic crisis which struck later that year hurt tourism in Jakarta, including the hostels along Jl. Jaksa.

Major department stores and shopping malls announced on Monday they would offer discounts of up to 70 percent on many of their products to mark this year's Jakarta's anniversary.

In all, more than 280 retail outlets have pledged participation in the month-long Jakarta Discount Fair starting on Wednesday, the Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) said.

They include all Pasar Raya, Sogo and Pojok Busana department stores; the Taman Anggrek, Plaza Indonesia and Ambassador shopping malls; and the Hero supermarket chain, chapter chairman Pungky Bambang Purwadi said.

"Let's make Jakarta a shopping paradise," Pungky said.

Yustian Ismail, who is coordinating the discount fair, appealed to stores within the three shopping plazas to join in.

The tourist industry, including airlines, should also take part, Yustian said.

So far, the organizers have only managed to enlist Treva Hotel in Central Jakarta into the fair.

"We are targeting local shoppers to take advantage of the opportunity, especially with the coming school holiday," he said.

Yustian said a successful fair would send a positive image to the world that Jakarta was a safe city for shoppers.

He said that next year, the organizers hope to attract tourists from neighboring Southeast Asian countries and Australia to take advantage of the discount fair.

The organizers would closely monitor the sales to make sure that they are genuine bargains, he said, adding that under the new consumer protection laws companies could be prosecuted for misleading the public.

Last year, 148 retail outlets took part in the discount fair. (07)