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rganizers say that more affluent patrons led the Jakarta Fair to book Rp 4 trillion (US$424 million) in transactions during its 2012 session, up 8.1 percent from Rp 3.7 trillion in 2011.

“People coming to the fair used to be exclusively from the lower-to-middle class, but now it also attracts people from upper class,” PT JIExpo marketing director Ralph Scheunemann said.

“The fair is known as a ‘people’s festival’, which has a derogatory meaning of people from the lower class. We want to change its meaning into a festival for people from all social classes.”

The fair also attracted 4.5 million visitors in its 32-day run in 2012, up 9.76 percent from 4.1 million visitors in 2011, despite an increase in entrance fees to Rp 20,000 on weekdays and Rp 25,000 on weekends from Rp 5,000 previously.

The new ticket prices were deemed too steep by Iman Heryawan, a 30-year-old salesman from Tangerang who came to the fair for the first time on Sunday.

“Some of my neighbors said that they wanted to go to the fair at first, but once they learned that they had to pay just to enter the fair, they decided to not to go,” Iman said.

Okie, a 45-year-old Bekasi resident, agreed with Iman, although he said that the increase did not deter him and his family from visiting the fair a whopping five times this year.

JIExpo director Karuna Murdaya said that the average amount spent by visitors to the fair had increased over the years.

Better security at the Jakarta Fair had also encouraged more affluent Jakartans to attend, he said.

“The fair used to be a paradise for pickpockets. But when we took over the management of the fair, we increased the security by getting more help from the police and the Army.”

On the fair’s last day, organizers went all out to entertain patrons, providing a fireworks show and a host of performances from local popular artists and bands.

The venue in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta was packed with more visitors than on the fair’s previous weekends.

Meanwhile, vendors offered steeper discounts than usual, further feeding visitors’ appetites for discounted goods.

The fair has been held annually since it was inaugurated in 1968 by Jakarta’s most beloved governor, Ali Sadikin, who was in office from 1966 to 1977.

The Jakarta Fair was previously held on the grounds of the National Monument Park and on Jl. Thamrin in Central Jakarta before it was relocated to Kemayoran in 1992.

Since then, the event has evolved into a paradise for shoppers from throughout Greater Jakarta.

This year’s fair was even participated by premium luxury brands such as Ducati, Vespa and Mini Cooper. (han)