Good time to explore Jakarta’s tourist attractions

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Now that the capital city is deserted, it’s a good time to explore Jakarta’s tourist attractions which seize the moment to offer a slew of entertainment and extravagant shows to entice people staying behind during the holiday.

New characters at the Dunia Fantasi amusement park, performances by the UK-based automotive stunts team Moto Stunts International, and Slovenian basketball team and an educational Panda mobile operated by the World Wildlife Fund available in Ancol, North Jakarta.

Budi Karya Sumadi, director of PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol, said that the company aimed to attract 110,000 visitors during this year’s Idul Fitri holidays after they successfully netted 90,000 visitors last year.

Another tourist attraction, Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII), offers a wide range of programs to not only lure the Jakartans who stay in the city, but also people from outside the capital coming to the city for a holiday, according to TMII spokesperson Dwi Atmojo. He said that every pavilion in the park would show off their dances, music, handicraft products and traditional food from Aug. 19 to Aug. 26.

“Regional pavilions will perform traditional shows so that visitors who skipped the exodus this year can feel the atmosphere of their hometown,” Dwi said.

The National Monument (Monas) would be dressed up to celebrate Independence Day on Aug. 17.

“We will focus more on the Independence Day side of things than Idul Fitri as Monas is all about our country’s history,” said Monas technical unit chief Rini Haryani, adding that the monument would be bathed in red and white light.

Jakarta does not offer only inland attractions, as the regency of Thousand Islands also has activities for nature-lovers or those who simply want to shy away from boredom. From snorkeling, banana-boating, scuba-diving or simply enjoy the sea scenery, Thousand Islands offers many enticing activities for tourists, with travel agents offering special promotions during the Idul Fitri holiday from Rp 1.5 million (US$158) to Rp 2.5 million.

To enjoy such luxury, you have to grab the offers fast as the island trip is much-loved. “Our Lebaran Packages have been fully booked since last week,” Hena, an employee at Wijayatama travel, said.