Jakarta attractions prepare for visitor boost through Eid holidays

In the run up to the Idul Fitri (Eid al-Fitr/Eid) holiday, marking the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting, attractions in Jakarta have unveiled a range of new animal exhibits, entertainment and events.

The festival marks the peak holiday season in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, with the holiday season this year also running into Indonesia's Independence Day celebrations on 17th August.

At Ocean Ecopark, Ancol, North Jakarta, managed by PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol, Director Winarto explained "we have prepared a number of programs for the holiday season, including a fantastic Middle East show in Dunia Fantasi theme park, (the) 'Spongebob Squarepants 4D' underwater theatre show in Ocean Dream Samudra, live music and a pinang climbing competition."

The Ancol theme park is expecting more than one million visitors during the holiday period, the Taman Impian Jaya Ancol theme park in North Jakarta has launched numerous special programs to welcome the long holiday period while Indonesia Safari Park (TSI) in Bogor is set to present its new collections to visitors during the holiday season.

TSI spokesperson Yulius Suprihardo told the Jakarta Post that the park had added 17 twin-humped Bactrian camels, which were sent from a zoo in Moldova, to its collection, stating "visitors can see the new animals, which are very rare: there are only around 2,000 or 3,000 of its kind in the world, in Taman Safari."

According to the management, the Safari Park is the only animal park in Southeast Asia with the twin-humped camels. The Bactrian camels, native to Bactria in the Middle East, is a herbivore that can weigh up to 725 kilograms and grow to 2 metres in height.

Aside from the new collection, TSI has also prepared up to nine special shows, including a cowboy show and a lion show, for the holiday season.

During the peak holiday season, TSI expects to see up to 20,000 visitors a day, with Suprihardo adding "we expect the number of visitors will reach the peak on the third day of Idul Fitri."

Meanwhile, the Ragunan Zoo in South Jakarta among the most popular attractions in the Indonesian capital - is anticipating a surge in the number of visitors during the holiday season.

Ragunan Zoo spokesperson Wahyudi Bambang explained "we are adding alternative parking areas and ticket counters from 18 counters on regular days to 60 counters. We will also add the number of signs inside the zoo."

Wahyudi said that the number of two-wheeled vehicles could reach 22,000 while four-wheeled vehicles 4,000 on peak days, adding "the number of visitors might exceed 40,000 per day.

"Last year, we saw 700,000 visitors during the Idul Fitri holiday season."

Overall, more than 9.7 million Jakarta residents are expected to leave the capital for their respective hometowns to celebrate Idul Fitri with families.

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