A LOCAL working group established this month in Jakarta will partner the Jakarta provincial tourism and culture office and related shareholders to revitalise the historic Old Batavia area in the capital.
Jakarta’s tourism and cultural authorities had last year announced plans to focus on the reconstruction of Old Batavia, also known as Kota Tua, and the former heart of the Dutch East India Company’s administration and lucrative spice trade, in 2013.
Restoration plans involve 134 buildings in the area of which only five, including a few museums, belong to the Jakarta provincial administration. The rest are owned by state-owned companies and the private sector.
Old Batavia has to be developed comprehensively, from reconstruction to the management of old buildings, as the area is a valuable tourism asset in Jakarta, said Firmansyah Rahim, director general tourism development, Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.
Firmansyah pointed out that while a large part of the main Fatahillah Square and buildings around the Plaza had been restored, challenges remained in the form of managing hawkers and rejuvenating other buildings.
