Lack of Hotels; Number of Guests for Independence Day Celebration in New Capital Reduced, Says Jokowi

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo or Jokowi said that the number of state guests invited to attend the 79th Independence Day celebration in the New Capital City of Nusantara (IKN) had been reduced due to the insufficient number of hotels. From the original plan to invite 8,000 people, the guest list now has only 1,300 names.

"Initially, 8,000 (guests) were invited, (after) some calculations, we learned that there weren't enough hotels. "Accommodation is not enough, food is also very difficult," Jokowi said in a speech at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Nusantara International Convention Center and Hotel in IKN, East Kalimantan, on Monday, August 12.

Jokowi admitted that the ecosystem at IKN was not fully ready. At first, the number of guests was reduced to 4,000. But it was still too many to accommodate and feed.

"We then though to reduce it from 4,000 to 2,000. But even for 2,000 there are still not enough rooms and food. "The final decision taken the other day was to invite only 1,300 guests to the State Palace in IKN to attend the 79th Independence Day celebrations," the president said.

Nevertheless, the event will still be attended by people from the surrounding areas who do not need hotels or other accommodations. Therefore, Jokowi admitted that he was happy to lay the foundation for private hotels.

Jokowi believes that the presence of private hotels will help address issues such as the shortage of rooms.

The president said that due to IKN's appeal, many people are asking to be invited to celebrate Independence Day. Given his enthusiasm, Jokowi appreciated the construction of hotels and convention centers in IKN.

ANTARA

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