Mall Taman Anggrek
Many people think the Idul Fitri holidays are one of the best times to be in Jakarta, as the city briefly empties out and otherwise traffic-clogged roads become clear. So how have the people who have stuck around in the capital for Lebaran been using this rare road freedom?
By going to the malls, of course.
Despite an estimated 6.5 million people leaving Jakarta to pulang kampung during Idul Fitri, many of the malls reported an increased number of visitors.
Brigida Marcell, the senior public relations officer for Grand Indonesia, told Tempo that the number of people visiting the luxury mall on the first day of Idul Fitri was higher than it normally is during holidays.
“There were about 9,500 cars and about 70,000 to 80,000 visitors,” she said,, adding that the number rose to about 90,000 shoppers on the second day, representing about a 20% increase over the usual weekend numbers.
Similar increases in visitors were also recorded by other malls including Central Park in West Jakarta.
But to be fair, part of the reason more and more staycationing Jakartans are choosing to head to the malls is because the city’s more popular tourist attractions are still ridiculously crowded. Apparently over 100,000 people have already entered Ragunan Zoo just today while the line of cars waiting to enter Ancol is reportedly over 2 kilometers.
