Sunday’s public debut of Hong Kong’s first locally-born giant panda twins drew a record-breaking crowd of 5,000 visitors to Ocean Park. The park plans to extend visiting hours and introduce additional panda-themed activities in the near future to take advantage of the current wave of enthusiasm.
On the back of the surging interest experts called on the city's tourism and cultural sectors to further drive the "panda economy” with creative ideas like adding panda-themed activities to study tours.
The day after celebrating their six-month birthday, the panda twins, affectionately nicknamed “Elder Sister” and “Little Brother”, greeted their fans at Ocean Park, their Hong Kong residence. Residents visited the cubs from 10 am to 3 pm, with each visitor enjoying around five minutes with the adorable duo.
During the five-hour visiting period on Sunday, over 5,000 people flocked to the park’s Giant Panda Adventure habitat to see the panda twins, breaking the venue’s single-day attendance record. On average, it logged 800 to 1,000 visitors per hour. Additionally, thousands also visited the park’s online shop to view panda-themed merchandise, the park’s chairman, Paulo Pong Kin-Yee, revealed on a radio show on Monday.
He said that as the twins’ mother, Ying Ying, resides in a nearby habitat, the park plans to arrange for all three pandas to appear in the same venue and extend the viewing time for visitors. However, he noted that as the twins are only six months old, the park still needs to reserve time for feeding them. The visiting hours will remain until 3 pm daily for the time being.
Acknowledging the immense popularity of the twins, Pong disclosed future plans for a series of panda-centric activities. Starting from Tuesday, the park will introduce VIP tours from 9:30 am to 10 am, accommodating 40 guests each day at a cost of HK$1,500 ($192.8) per person.
ALSO READ: Pandas: A beacon of hope for Ocean Park to restore glory
Pong said that the VIP tour has already received hundreds of applications. Some commercial organizations booked all the slots on the day. He also confirmed that the regular visiting hours for other guests will remain unaffected.
Moreover, the park is gearing up to unveil new facilities focusing on giant pandas, enhancing the visitor experience through technologies such as virtual reality.
Additionally, within the next one to two months, the park intends to roll out more fee-based activities, such as making food for pandas and recycling paper from panda dung. Pong said he hopes to sustain the panda fervor among residents in various engaging formats via these initiatives.
Perry Yiu Pak-leung, a lawmaker representing the tourism sector, described the number of park entries on Sunday as pleasantly surprising, far exceeding his expectations.
Emphasizing creativity in driving the "panda economy”, he suggested integrating panda-themed activities, such as preparing food for the pandas and experiencing the work of the conservationists, into study tours for teenagers.
He said such initiatives would attract more young people from Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland and overseas to the park, supporting panda conservation and education efforts, and injecting fresh vitality into the city’s tourism industry.
READ MORE: Birth of panda twins brings double joy to Hong Kong
As for Ocean Park's future plans, Yiu said he sees potential in the VIP tour, particularly among business travelers and tourists with strong purchasing power.
Noting that such tours can be a good choice for companies to conduct team-building activities or entertain guests, he said he hopes participants can enjoy services that are differentiated from regular visits, such as more detailed explanations.
He also recommended that the park enhance its layout, as currently the six pandas are scattered between its upper and lower mountain areas. Possible additions such as a panda-themed museum could also amplify the visitor experience, he added.
Timothy Chui Ting-pong, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Association, said that the six pandas are sure to boost Hong Kong's allure for visitors, particularly international tourists.
Looking forward, he suggested that Hong Kong unite various sectors to craft a local panda-themed IP, similar to the IP created by the film Kung Fu Panda and the South Korea-born panda Fu Bao.
