Fair transactions total only Rp 10.8b

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)