TMII sees more visitors on anniversary
TMII sees more visitors on anniversary
JAKARTA (JP): Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) marked the
final day of a week-long fiesta to commemorate its silver jubilee
on Sunday with some 80,000 visitors packing the huge
entertainment and education park.
"Usually, the maximum number of visitors on Sundays are around
60,000 people," said Djaman, a public relations official.
The significant increase of visitors will hopefully cover the
serious financial problems faced by park management due to the
severe drop in park attendance over the last few years.
Ever since the economic crisis hit the country in mid 1997,
the number of visitors has plunged drastically, from 7.23 million
in 1997 to 4.08 million the following year and 3.95 million last
year.
The trend is likely to continued this year as the park
recorded only 1.68 million visitors in the first three months.
Amidst the crisis, the park's management celebrated its silver
jubilee on April 20 by staging 77 events, mostly of the
traditional arts, and a series of contests from April 16 to April
23.
On the final day, the park in East Jakarta held 30 events,
including three animal contests: bird singing contest, Bekisar
(Indonesian fowl) contest and fish contest.
The birds singing contest was attended by 150 contestants from
Java and Sumatra, who brought along their 200 birds.
Most of the birds cost at least Rp 1 million (US$130), like a
whamay, an imported bird which looked like a canary, owned by
Iwan, a resident of Cengkareng, West Jakarta.
"I bought it for Rp 2.5 million,"he said.
"But it doesn't cost me much to feed it since expensive foods
only ruin its voice," he said, adding that crickets have become
his bird's favorite cuisine.
A famous cook who regularly appears on TV, Rudy Chaerudin, was
among the contestants cheering and applauding his eight birds.
"I have over 130 birds at home, and these eight have won 34
trophies," he said, pointing to his whamay canary and a local
bird called anis, bred in Java.
"Somebody even has offered to buy this red anis for Rp 150
million," he said proudly.
According to Rudy, who prepares the meals for his birds, the
anis birds are now in demand, partly because imported birds are
expensive, but mostly because it can sing in 159 different keys.
People also dare to spend millions on the bekisar - a hybrid
green forest fowl rooster and Indonesian hen - and tropical fish.
The bekisar that participated in the contest were anywhere
from Rp 250,000 to Rp 80 million each, while the imported koi
fish from Japan can cost as much as Rp 90 million each.
Amidst these unbelievable prices, the contestants agreed on
one thing.
"Taking care of these pets can reduce stress," said Bernardus,
a contractor who lives in Salemba, Central Jakarta. (09)