. (ANTARA) - People spent the second day of the Eid al-Fitr celebrations in Kota Tua tourist area for museum tour. In addition to visiting the museum, people can enjoy various other activities, such as going biking on rental bicycles, clicking pictures with sculpture-like humans and costumed artists, and employing the services of a hand palm reader or temporary tattoo maker. (ANTARA/Yuni Arisandy)
Several protocol roads in the capital city of Jakarta remained silent from the sounds of motorized vehicles on the first and second day of Eid al-Fitr celebrations on Wednesday (June 5) and Thursday (June 6).
However traffic congestion was reported outside Jakarta, as hoards of people were heading out of town to visit their relatives.
Earlier, most of Jakarta's tourist attractions were shut down on the first day of the Eid holidays in accordance with Jakarta Governor's Regulation No. 63 of 2018 on Optimizing Activities and Handling Visitors in Tourism Places on Special Days.
Tourist attractions in Jakarta that were closed to public comprised the Ragunan Wildlife Park, National Monument, Jakarta History Museum, Inscription Museum, Joang 45 Museum, Museum MH. Thamrin, Shadow Puppet Museum, Textile Museum, Fine Arts and Ceramics Museum, Maritime Museum, Onrust Archaeological Park Museum, Si Pitung House Museum, and Setu Babakan Betawi Cultural Village.
Some tourism areas also closed to the public comprised Kota Tua, Taman Ismail Marzuki Area, DKI Pavilion at Taman Indah Indonesia Indah, Banteng Field, and Proclamation Monument.
However, from 8 a.m. Western Indonesia time, on the second day of the Eid al-Fitr celebrations, those tourist attractions and destinations were opened. Hence, the residents of Jakarta and the surrounding areas began thronging some tourist attractions that were opened this Thursday.
The Kota Tua tourism area in West Jakarta was one of Jakarta's tourist attractions that was swarmed by visitors.
Head of the Kota Tua Area Management Unit Norviadi Setio Husodo remarked that over 50 thousand people had visited the Kota Tua tourist area on the second day of the Eid al-Fitr celebrations.
"There was a notable rise in the number of visitors on the second day of Lebaran (Eid al-Fitr). Yesterday, on June 5, the first day of Eid, we recorded more than 30 thousand visitors, and presently, the figure has reached more than 50 thousand visitors," he noted.
Husodo explained that on the first day of 2019 Eid al-Fitr, on Wednesday (June 5), museums in the Kota Tua tourism area remained closed, so people could only visit and conduct activities in the open field of the Kota Tua area.
However, on the second day, all museums were opened to the public. In fact, the opening hours of museums in the Kota Tua Tourism Area were extended from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. local time, which was earlier only until 5 p.m. local time.
The museums worth exploring in Kota Tua are the Jakarta History Museum, Shadow Puppet Museum, Bank Indonesia Museum, Bank Mandiri Museum, Museum of Fine Arts and Ceramics, and Maritime Museum, as well as the latest one is the Museum of 3D Magic Art.
At the Jakarta History Museum, visitors can get to witness typical kitchen buildings of the ancient Betawi people and some relics of Dutch heritage in Indonesia. This museum also showcases prisons during the Dutch colonial period.
Visitors interested in seeing various collections of shadow puppets from across Indonesia can head to the Museum Wayang or Shadow Puppet Museum.
At the Bank Indonesia Museum, visitors can watch a historical documentary on Bank Indonesia in a theater room. The visitors can also get a glimpse of various collections of money from ancient times to the latest ones stored in the numismatic room.
The newest museum in the Kota Tua tourism area is the 3D Magic Art Museum that presents different interesting three-dimensional paintings to help people create some unique and interesting photos of themselves.
Ester Dearaujo ,17, a local tourist from Cikarang visiting Kota Tua, was admittedly content with the concept of a museum tour in Kota Tua and considered the ticket fares for entry into the museums as being quite affordable.
"For instance, I paid just Rp5,000 for entering the Jakarta History Museum, while the entry ticket price for the Shadow Puppet Museum is for Rp 5,000," Esther, who will also visit the 3D Magic Art Museum, remarked.
The ticket price for the 3D Magic Art Museum is Rp60 thousand for adults, Rp40 thousand for children and teenagers up to 17 years of age, and Rp20,000 for toddlers aged between three to five years.
In addition to visiting the museum, people can enjoy various other activities, such as going biking on rental bicycles, clicking pictures with sculpture-like humans and costumed artists, and employing the services of a hand palm reader or temporary tattoo maker.
Bunga Rosdiana, who recently graduated from high school, chose to spend some of her Eid holidays at Kota Tua since it is a tourist attraction, with a large area and several activities in the offing.
"I have entered the Jakarta History Museum, and it is really interesting. It houses some relics related to the history of Jakarta since the Dutch era," Bunga, who chose to cycle around Kota Tua after her museum visit, noted.
The Kota Tua Area Management Unit has estimated the number of visitors at the West-Jakarta-located tourist attraction to peak on June 8-9, 2019, two days prior to the end of the Eid holidays.
Hence, as a precautionary measure against a considerable spike in the number of visitors during the Eid holiday season, the Kota Tua Tourism Area Management Unit has mobilized all existing resources to maintain security, cleanliness, and electricity supply in the tourism area.
In an effort to provide the best possible services, the Kota Tua Area Management Unit has mobilized all security personnel and cleaners that have been placed in three shifts to maintain security and cleanliness round-the-clock at the tourist attraction.
"All related stakeholders are involved to ensure that visitors can enjoy their vacation time in Kota Tua in a safe and comfortable manner," Husodo, head of the Kota Tua Area Management Unit, stated.
By Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
Editor: Gusti Nur Cahya Aryani
