Jakarta Fair's provincial stalls unattractive

Jakarta Fair's provincial stalls unattractive

JAKARTA (JP): If the Jakarta Fair was a competition between
exhibitors to see who could attract the most interest, then the
stands in Hall C exhibiting goods from the nation's 27 provinces
would be the losers.

Few people enter the hall to look at the goods displayed by
local exhibitors.

Most stands there have no unusual or peculiar attractions to
intrigue the visitors and make them linger.

Provincial stands give far more emphasis to displaying their
prime handicrafts instead of providing detailed information on
their major development sectors, such as tourism, trade, industry
and agriculture.

The East Java stand, for example, offers no detailed
information on tourism.

There is only a photograph on a wall under a name tag East
Java Province's Tourism, instead of a feature display of the many
major tourism attractions there. The picture is of a recreation
center in Sarangan, Magetan.

There is also a severe shortage of competent attendants able
to tell visitors about tourism in the province.

The people on duty Friday night simply chatted among
themselves, approaching visitors only when they appeared to want
to buy their traditional handicrafts or typical foods, bags,
purses and hats.

Incompetent attendants were also found at the South Sulawesi
stall.

A female attendant merely handed out booklets when asked about
tourism in the province.

Ahmad, a visitor, said he was disappointed at the stands'
performance.

"Only merchandise and snacks are on display. And they are
exhibited in such a poor way that they look unattractive," he
said.

Of the 27 provinces on the Hall C, only East Kalimantan and
West Java had well-prepared stands offering detailed practical
information about tourism, trade and industry development.

These two stands also sported desks equipped with informative
pictures and booklets on investment opportunities in the regions.

To attract visitors, East Kalimantan's stand offers people the
opportunity to have their photograph taken with Dayak women.

"Come on, pose with the woman and put on these traditional
clothes," said Yanto, a photographer at the stand.

Many visitors spent only a few minutes in Hall C before
leaving it for more interesting attractions.

Open Space 5 for games and entertainment was a big attraction.

Other places that drew crowds were Hall A for high-tech
products and Open Space 1 for residential exhibitions.

Children and their parents also flocked to international
amusement centers offering bumper car rides, Canyon rafting and
the Terminator game.

Some visitors told The Jakarta Post they had come to the trade
fair to see a range of attractions, including the dangdut musical
performances as promised by the organizer.

The Jakarta International Trade Corp. had earlier promised to
create a better atmosphere by increasing public facilities,
entertainment attractions and amusement centers.

The organizer hopes 2.5 million visitors will attend the fair
that opened June 14 and will end July 13.

The fair is open everyday from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays,
and from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekends. (03)