Jakartans flock to West, Central Java for APEC holidays

JAKARTA (JP): Thousands of Jakartans fled to West Java's major tourist destinations, such as Bandung and Carita, and even as far as Semarang, in Central Java, and Yogyakarta.

The out-of-season visitors who booked hotels, strolled along streets and browsed in shopping centers were Jakartans trying to make the most of the government's decision to declare Monday and Tuesday public holidays.

Congestion being one of the capital's major headaches, the decision to declare a holiday was made to reduce traffic so as to facilitate the smooth run of transporting APEC delegates between the conference venues and hotels where they are staying.

Besides visiting tourist destinations, many Jakartans are using this opportunity to visit relatives in their ancestral hometowns.

The hordes of Jakartans visiting Bandung, the capital city of West Java, have caused traffic jams in the city's main streets, such as Jl. Cihampelas, Jl. Lingkar Selatan, Jl. Sudirman and Jl. Setiabudi and also around tourist sites.

According to data from local police, there were around 50,000 cars with Jakarta number plates in Bandung on Saturday.

Antara news agency reported that many Jakartans also traveled to the city by train even though there was standing room only. All seats were sold out several days earlier.

Hotels in Bandung, from five-star such as Panghegar and Horison, to middle and low range such as those on Jl. Pasirkaliki and Kebonjati, were fully booked.

"The visitors mostly booked rooms for four days starting Friday," Nina, a hotel manager in Bandung, told the news agency.

The West Java coast is also filled with Jakartans. Around 100 hotels in Merak, Anyer, Cinangka and Carita have been fully booked since Saturday.

Cottages, villas and houses were booked by those desiring recreation after a mundane week of work.

Hotel occupancy rates jumped from an average of only 35 percent to 99 percent over the long weekend.

People are also renting rooms in houses owned by locals, who have doubled rates from Rp 10,000 (US$4.57) to Rp 20,000 per day.

City cars

Parking lots in hotels and guest houses near tourist sites around Yogyakarta are full of cars with Jakarta number plates. The guests have mostly booked rooms for three days ending Tuesday.

"I'm using the holiday to visit Yogyakarta with my family," Sulistyo, an employee of a private company in Jakarta, said as quoted by Antara.

Malioboro, the famous street in downtown Yogyakarta, was full of visitors buying handicrafts. "I have sold lots of handicrafts over the last two days because there are a lot of tourists," said Andi, a vendor.

This unexpected influx of tourists has caused traffic jams in streets in the Malioboro area.

Jakartans who originate from Central Java were seen milling in Terboyo bus terminal and Tawang railway station in Semarang waiting for buses to other small towns in the province.

Antara estimated that the number of passengers who traveled by both bus and train is 30 percent higher than on other days.

The activity at Achmad Yani airport in Semarang increased due to the extra number of passengers from Jakarta. Mandala Airlines, one of Indonesia's private airline companies, has provided additional flights to meet the demand.

The local authorities have decided to increase the number of public transport vehicles with the aim of preventing anyone trying to return to Jakarta from getting stranded.

An officer at Bandung railway station said the state-owned railway company Perumka had decided to provide additional train carriages.

Tickets for trains plying Semarang-Jakarta on Monday were sold out by Saturday. (yns)