Hotels, malls to get info screens

Good news for visitors to Jakarta, as well as local people, who often experience trouble in obtaining information about places of interest and attractions in the capital, as they will soon be able to access information on the city using touch-screen information displays located in upscale hotels and malls.

"We have installed the displays. But, we have yet switch them on as we plan to officially launch them on July 18," Jakarta Tourism Agency head Aurora Tambunan told reporters on the sidelines of a special meeting to celebrate Jakarta's 477th anniversary at City Hall on Tuesday.

Aurora said a total of 58 displays had been located in hotels, including the lobbies of the Sahid Jaya, Gran Melia, Sari Pan Pacific and Borobudur hotels.

"We will also locate them in malls," she said without giving any names.

According to Aurora, the touch-screen displays will provide a treasure trove of essential information on the city, including company addresses and events in the city, and a map of Jakarta with zoom-in and zoom-out facilities.

She said that the holder of the yellow-pages franchise here, PT Infomedia Nusantara, would maintain the displays and keep them up to date..

"That's why we hope the displays will be able to provide a great deal of information to those who are interested, even information about films showing in the theaters," she said. -- JP