Marriott blast affects neighboring businesses
Marriott blast affects neighboring businesses
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Two commercial centers, the closest trading hub to the JW
Marriott Hotel in Kuningan, South Jakarta, were the most affected
by the bomb blast which killed at least 10 people and wounded 149
others.
Almost all shop tenants at Ambassador Mall and the adjacent
International Trade Center (ITC) Kuningan which are only some 300
meters from the hotel, said visitors had dropped by around 50
percent since the tragedy.
Some tenants even stated that visitors dropped by up to 70
percent on the second and third day after the incident. On
Saturday, business had not totally recovered, but it was better
than the previous days.
"I hope that this condition will not last too long," Melisa,
an attendant of a shoe shop on the first floor of ITC Kuningan
told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.
Arief, an attendant at a T-shirt shop on ITC Kuningan's second
floor, said that usually the center was crowded with employees
working in the surrounding offices during lunchtime and after
office hours.
Arief estimated that visitors had dropped by 50 percent
compared to normal.
"Maybe, people feel safer staying at their offices rather than
hanging around here," he added.
Sumiati, an attendant of a drink kiosk at Ambassador Mall,
said that business had not significantly recovered even on
Saturday.
She said hundreds of visitors usually flocked the food court
at the mall during the weekend.
"You can see that the there are not too many people here.
Usually we are very busy serving customers," Sumiati told the
Post on Saturday.
Similar complaints were also expressed by attendants at other
shops selling cellular telephones, computers, clothes, electronic
goods both at ITC and Ambassador Mall as well as at the Carrefour
hypermarket at the ITC Kuningan basement.
Jejen, not his real name, a security officer at Ambassador
Mall, admitted that the blast had seriously affected the number
of visitors there, seen from the number of cars parked in the
parking lots.
"Usually, the parking lots are packed with cars at this time,
but now it is not even half full," Jejen, said adding that the
security had been strengthened since the bomb blast.
He said, however, the situation was better on Saturday
compared to the previous days.
He said apart from deploying some 120 security officials, the
Ambassador Mall also involved 13 personnel of the Police Mobile
Brigade to bolster security at the mall.
"The management of the mall briefed us and said that the
number of security personnel would be doubled now so that the
visitors feel secure," Jejen said.
Meanwhile, some visitors at a food court at the mall also said
they did not feel as secure as before.
But for Anita, 23, a resident of Kampung Melayu in East
Jakarta, the two shopping centers were much safer than visiting
other places.
"If there will be another bomb blast, it must not be here, but
in another place," Anita argued.