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ans of famous Japanese cartoon character Hello Kitty, known as Kitty-ra, no longer need to go to Malaysia or other countries to enjoy their favorite character, with the opening of a new attraction in Jakarta.

Dunia Fantasi (Dufan) amusement park operator PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol, in cooperation with Sanrio Company Ltd., launched Hello Kitty Adventure in Ancol, North Jakarta, on Friday.

Pembangunan Jaya Ancol recreation director Teuku Syahrir said the attraction, built on a 1,150-square-meter plot of land, was divided into three sections '€” pre-show, main attraction and photo-taking session.

He explained that his company had chosen Hello Kitty because she was famous around the world, including in Indonesia.

'€œBased on our survey, Hello Kitty is pretty popular in Indonesia,'€ he said.

During the pre-show, visitors can enjoy various interactive games in a futuristic space. They then enter a 200-seat cinema where they can watch Hello Kitty traveling to cities and countries around the world, introducing their local wisdom and culture with her time machine. On her travel itinerary are Jakarta, Bali, Japan, Egypt, the United States, England, the North Pole and Greece.

After enjoying the 15-minute film, visitors can snap photos with Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters like Mimmy, Tippy, Tracy and Monkichi.

Syahrir said Hello Kitty Adventure could accommodate 6,400 people a day.

'€œIf we open for eight hours, all Dufan visitors can enjoy the attraction,'€ he said.

He revealed that the new attraction, which cost Rp 20 billion (US$1.58 million), aimed to tap
the market of mothers and their children.

'€œMost of our attractions are for teenagers. With the new attraction, we hope more family members will visit Dufan,'€ he said, adding that he hoped to see three million visitors next year, up by 20 percent from this year'€™s 2.5 million.

Hello Kitty Adventure represents a further addition to the park, which also added Ice Age Adventure in April this year.

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya, who attended the launch ceremony, said that he hoped the new entertainment feature could attract more domestic and foreign tourists.

'€œWe hope the presence of Hello Kitty can also affect other creative industries like films and cartoons. Maybe we can create an Indonesian friend for Hello Kitty,'€ he said.

Cinta Zakia Purnamasi, an 8-year-old Kitty-ra who got the chance to see the attraction for the first time, said she was delighted with all the sections.

'€œI'€™ve been in love with Hello Kitty for the past two years. I want to come here often,'€ she said.

Cinta'€™s mother Windasari, who also loves Hello Kitty, said she had even had a special t-shirt made for the event. '€œMy extended family members also love Hello Kitty, including my sister,'€ she said.

However, she lamented the small number of interactive games at the attraction. '€œThe games and the attractions are too few. You can only enjoy looking at the statues. I hope they'€™ll provide more,'€ said the 36-year-old mother.

News broke recently that, contrary to popular perception, Hello Kitty is not a cat. According to the website of brand owner Sanrio, her real name is Kitty White and she was born in the suburbs of England on Nov. 1, 1974.

The mouthless white character is a cheerful and happy little girl with a heart of gold who lives in London with her parents and twin sister, Mimmy. She has blood type A and loves baking cookies and making new friends.