Jakarta Tourism Promotion: Monopoly Brings Jakarta's Urban Destinations Into Educational Spaces

The Monopoly board game has taken on a new role in Jakarta's Tourism Promotion efforts. More than just introducing players to the capital's destinations, Monopoly: Jakarta Edition is also being developed as an educational tool for students.  

The DKI Jakarta Tourism and Creative Economy Agency (Disparekraf) plans to collaborate with the Education Agency to roll out this game across school environments. The initiative aims to help children and students become familiar with the full range of tourist attractions in their home city.

Andhika Permata, Head of DKI Jakarta Disparekraf, confirmed that locations featured on the game board were selected to match current public trends, particularly the rising popularity of urban tourism.

"Every destination included in Monopoly: Jakarta Edition aligns with prevailing community interests, and all aspects of urban tourism we have discussed are represented on this board," Andhika stated during a press briefing in Jakarta.

Featured neighbourhoods include Blok M, Kemang, and Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK). These three areas reflect modern Jakarta's evolving identity as a city offering diverse experiences: from culinary destinations, communal gathering spaces, Urban Lifestyle, through to central public activity hubs.

The game is designed to do more than just teach players place names. Users are actively encouraged to visit these locations in person and experience what each neighbourhood has to offer.

"Through Monopoly: Jakarta Edition we are Running large-scale public outreach. For the Jakarta region specifically, we will work with the Education Agency to integrate this board game into school learning programmes," Andhika added.

This educational initiative targets youth, primary school and junior high school students. By using a game-based approach, introducing city destinations will feel far more engaging than simply reading tourist lists or viewing standard promotional materials.

Andhika noted that board games can recreate meaningful face-to-face interaction at a time of heavy digital technology usage. Players are able to gather, converse, and learn about different city locations together through shared play.

After learning locations from the game, members of the public are invited to explore Jakarta physically. Suggested exploration routes may begin at historic districts such as Kota Tua, continue through Blok M, and finish at Lapangan Banteng. Visitors are also encouraged to use Public Transport including the Jakarta MRT during these trips.

Jakarta's urban tourism offering extends far beyond buildings and entertainment venues. Visitors can enjoy diverse local cuisine, neighbourhood atmosphere, and iconic public spaces such as the Hotel Indonesia Roundabout, which regularly hosts community events including annual Christmas and New Year celebrations.

This promotional approach targets a very large potential audience. Data from the Ministry of Tourism records Jakarta received approximately 99.4 million Domestic Tourist trips during 2025. For August 2026 alone, domestic visitor arrivals to DKI Jakarta reached 9.14 million, a 12.53% year-on-year increase.

Separately, Jakarta is preparing events for its 500th anniversary celebrations, which will peak on 22 June 2027. Promoting city destinations via this board game is one strategy to help younger generations engage closely with Jakarta's history, neighbourhood diversity and urban development.

If the school rollout proceeds as planned, Monopoly: Jakarta Edition is set to become both a formal learning tool and inspiration for family travel. Children can discover new locations while playing, then invite their parents to visit these sites on weekends or school holidays.