Fair transactions total only Rp 10.8b

JAKARTA (JP): Business transactions booked over the one-month 31st Jakarta Fair ending on Aug. 2 totaled only Rp 10.8 billion (US$850,393), far less than last year's total of Rp 125 billion, a fair management executive said.

Gito Bantas, president of the fair management company PT Jakarta International Trade Fair Corporation, said Wednesday that the fair's participants had not anticipated large revenues because of the ongoing monetary crisis.

Two hundred and sixty-nine local firms participated in this year's fair, a fraction of the 2,600 local and foreign firms which took part last year.

The number of visitors to this year's fair also dropped sharply to 1.03 million from about 2.5 million last year, he said in a statement made available to The Jakarta Post.

Another fair executive, who asked not to be named, said the company was satisfied with the event despite the drop in the number of transactions, visitors and participants.

"For us, this year's fair was a success because it safely continued to the end. What's important is that there was no trouble during the fair," he said.

The fair, which was opened by President B.J. Habibie, was closed with little ceremony. (cst)