Jakarta is now only a touch away

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Good news for travelers in Jakarta who wish to now where to go and find out all about events and happenings in the capital.

The Jakarta administration in cooperation with yellow-pages publisher PT Infomedia Nusantara inaugurated 60 touch-monitor information booths on Wednesday in a number of malls, hotels and other public places around the city.

Jakarta Tourism Agency director Aurora Tambunan said that the information booths would help tourists, as well as Jakarta residents, to access all the information they needed about the city.

"We have placed the booths in strategic places ... however, some building operators refused to allow the booths to be placed on their premises, even though they were being installed for free," she said, adding that the new booths were procured by PT Infomedia.

Information is provided on entertainment, nightlife, shopping, sporting events, hotels, transportation, restaurants and cafes, public services, spas and beauty care, gadgets and luxuries, and out-of-town trips, as well as a calendar of events.

The displays also feature an interactive map on which users can zoom in and out to find the exact location they are looking for.

The Jakarta Post had a brief opportunity to try out the new booths by enjoying a preview of some of the movies now being screened in the city's theaters.

Unfortunately, many of the data fields in the displays are still empty.

A senior executive with the content provider, Bambang Wijayanto, admitted that the company was finding it difficult to upload the required information. "It takes time. We hope that we will have completed uploading the contents by the end of the year."