Jakarta Fair attracts 62,000 visitors within three days

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Jakarta Fair is still a magnet for residents of Greater Jakarta.

Since it was inaugurated by Vice President Hamzah Haz on Friday, over 62,000 people had visited the event up until Sunday morning. Last year, it only booked some 52 visitors for the same period.

Most people came to the fair held at Jakarta Fairground in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, in groups with their families on Sunday morning.

"I think this is an appropriate place for a family. My children can play comfortably while I and my wife can look at the various kinds of goods on display," said Suleman Angsana, who visited the event with his wife, two children and a maid.

Suleman asserted that his family did not visit the event to purchase the goods, which were displayed by some 1,600 participants.

"If I wanted to buy something, I would rather go to the malls near my home," he told The Jakarta Post, referring to his house in Kebayoran Lama area, Central Jakarta.

"My family usually go to the mall to spend time together on weekends. We sometimes go to recreational sites, but it requires more money," Suleman remarked.

Another visitor, Rully, came to the fair with her extended family, including her three children, her husband, her parents and her husband's family.

Rully's family visited the event with their neighbors, who had rented a public bus to transport them from Japos, Tangerang to the fairground.

"This event is suitable for my family and it's affordable. We can see several popular artists perform who we usually only see on television," said Rully, who spent Rp 60,000 for the entrance fee.

Rully and her group had brought their meals with them as they planned to enjoy the fair from 11 a.m to 7 p.m.

She told the Post that her family rarely visits recreational sites as they could not afford it.

"Well, we're only a middle class family. It's hard to find an affordable place for the family to spend time; so here we are," said Rully, whose husband is an employee of a private company in Tangerang.

However, both Suleman and Rully complained about the lack of games for children.

"Why didn't the organizer think about children? There are some games, but not many. A fair is supposed to offer more games, right?" asserted Suleman.

This year is the 35th Jakarta Fair. It was first staged at the National Monument (Monas) park in Central Jakarta in 1968, during the tenure of governor Ali Sadikin.

The governor, supported by the government, conducted the fair for trade promotion, particularly for local companies. At the time, over 1.4 million people visited the 35-day-fair, which accommodated 161 participants.

In 1992, the fair was moved to the former Kemayoran airport. The fair, which was initially organized by the administration, has been organized since the early 1990s by the Jakarta International Trade Fair (JITF), which is owned by businessman Edward Soerjadjaja.

This year, the organizer expects 2 million people to visit the fair and to generate Rp 200 billion in transactions. In a bid to attract visitors, the organizers feature not only business and trade exhibitions but also cultural and art performances with various noted performers.