Bogor Park gives Rp 400m to city

BOGOR: Kebun Raya Bogor (Botanical Garden Park) beginning this year will contribute between Rp 200 and Rp 400 million to the city mayoralty, depending on the number of visitors to the park per year.

Park management and the mayoralty signed a memorandum of understanding on the contribution on Wednesday as part of efforts to increase revenues from local sources.

With such a cooperation, the mayoralty is obliged to help the park's management, particularly on the issues of security, vendors and environment.

Park officials also announced that beginning in February this year, it will raise the price of its entrance tickets from the current Rp 3,000 to Rp 3,500 for each visitor. It will be the second increase in less than one year, after it was raised in August from Rp 2,500 to Rp 3,000.

The management said that park income during 2001, with a total of 1.2 million visitors, amounted to Rp 4.8 billion, a substantial increase from Rp 3.2 billion in 2000.

According to the management, some 150,000 foreign tourists visited the park last year, mostly from the Netherlands, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Belgium, Switzerland, France and South Korea. --JP