Jakarta Fair attracts 62,000 visitors within three days

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.