Travel bookings expected to soar before Idul Fitri
Travel bookings expected to soar before Idul Fitri
JAKARTA (JP): Travel operators expect a steep rise in the number of travelers in the upcoming Idul Fitri celebration next month.
Several domestic airlines companies contacted by the Jakarta Post yesterday said that most flights have been fully booked since last December.
Sempati Air flights to main cities in Java, for example, have been booked from Feb. 6 upward.
"Unfortunately, passengers only make it onto the waiting list when they book their seats now for the whole of February," said a Sempati employee.
Inter-city bus services, on the other hand, have increased their capacities to maximize their services.
"We'll be operating up to six buses per route per day, up from two at normal times," Dika Antonina from the ANS Bus Company told the Jakarta Post yesterday.
Bus tickets have been on sale since last week.
"Beyond February 14, we're out of seats," Dika added.
Different bus companies, however, have different strategies.
Joko, from the Kramat Djati bus company, said that his company will not sell ticket buses for Idul Fitri holidays before Feb. 6. The Idul Fitri holidays will fall on Feb. 20 and 21 this year. He did not say how many tickets his company expects to sell during the holidays.
The government is also getting ready for the holidays.
Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto told members of the House of Representative here yesterday that the government had designated a number of temporary bus terminals to anticipate demand in addition to the permanent ones in Lebak Bulus, Pulogadung, Kampung Rambutan and Kalideres.
The temporary terminals are at Rawamangun in East Jakarta, Tanjung Priok, Tanah Merdeka Muara Angke and Tanah Merah in North Jakarta, Grogol, Tanjung Duren, Taman Kota, Cengkareng and Daan Mogot in West Jakarta, the Damri bus pool in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, Senayan eastern parking lot and Bintaro in South Jakarta.
To ease the flow of travelers the government has offered a 15- percent discount to those who travel by train two weeks before and after the holidays and 10 percent to those traveling three to six days before and after the holidays.
The heavy traffic at Idul Fitri will be added to by the overlapping of the holidays with the Chinese new year (Imlek) which falls just a day before the holidays.
The Ministry of Transportation estimates that 1.8 million people will leave Jakarta to return to their hometowns, an increase of 15 percent from 1.6 million last year.
In addition to domestic flocks of people returning home, some holiday makers will be leaving the country.
According to Lia Haslimin, a director of Holia Tour, tickets to some popular destinations overseas are also fully booked from Feb. 15 onwards.
"Chances of getting a ticket now, especially if you plan to go to Australia or Singapore are fairly slim," she said. (14/icn)