Ocean Park Hong Kong is banking on its six-strong “panda family” — which includes the pair An An and Ke Ke, gifted by the central government and arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday, along with the first-ever locally born cubs — to give the 47-year-old beleaguered attraction a new lease of life.
Chairman Paulo Pong Kin-yee, who has been at the helm since 2022 when the park was struggling to deal with a fall in visitor numbers that had started well before the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2021, called the pandas and the attention they bring as “gifts bestowed by heaven”.
The pandas are also set to breathe new life into the park’s “rebirth plan” — drawn up three years ago but later largely shelved — as Pong is mulling a series of initiatives.
Negotiations are underway with professional teams to develop panda-themed intellectual property, live broadcasting, social media marketing, and peripheral products, Pong revealed in an exclusive interview with China Daily in mid-September.
Pong hopes that the pandas can not only inspire changes within Ocean Park but also spark innovation across the city. These new opportunities, he believes, could drive Hong Kong’s overall economic development.
Once a repository of memories for generations of Hong Kong residents, Ocean Park witnessed an attendance peak at 7.7 million in 2012/13, the highest since its inception in 1977, followed by 7.6 million the subsequent year, marking the second-highest attendance on record.
However, starting in 2015, Ocean Park encountered dwindling visitors and financial challenges. Attendance decreased to 2.2 million in 2019-20 and dropped to 1.4 million in 2020-2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in an operating loss of HK$ 1.1 billion ($128 million) in 2021.
To salvage the park, the Hong Kong Legislative Council endorsed a “rebirth plan” in 2021, which planned to reconstruct zones to enhance the park’s commercial prospects.
The plan encompasses three zones — a retail, dining, and entertainment zone near the entrance, and two more in the mountain area: a wellness-themed zone that offers activities like camping, yoga, and meditation, and an adventure zone featuring thrilling rides such as zip wires and bungee jumping.
ALSO READ: Welcome, An An and Ke Ke!
However, after three years, two projects— the wellness-themed zone and the retail, dining, and entertainment zone — have been shelved.
As consumer behavior has altered since the pandemic, implementing the retail, dining, and entertainment model might not be suitable. Furthermore, the proliferation of similar wellness-themed facilities in neighboring regions may impede the park’s earning potential, Pong said.
However, the park will remain steadfast in constructing the adventure zone, as there are few adventure thrill rides in Hong Kong, according to Pong.
The tendering process for this zone started last year and wrapped up in December. The outcome with a detailed plan will be disclosed in the fourth quarter of this year, Pong noted.
As part of the program, the park will introduce new facilities and phase out older ones. The specific facilities slated for replacement are currently under review.
According to Pong, currently, the park’s business is gradually improving.
Last year, the park garnered a profit exceeding HK$110 million,marking its first positive profit since 2015/16.
However, despite this positive development, the park’s attendance stood at 2.4 million, significantly lower than the pre-outbreak figure of 5.7 million recorded in 2018/19.
Substantial efforts are still necessary to return to pre-outbreak levels, with pandas serving as the primary visitor draw, Pong said.
On July 1, to celebrate the 27th anniversary of the city’s return to the motherland, the central government announced the gifting of two pandas An An and Ke Ke to Hong Kong, who arrived in the city this Thursday.
ALSO READ: Anniversary gift from mainland: A pair of giant pandas for Hong Kong
On Aug 15, Ying Ying and Le Le, the pair of giant pandas gifted to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2007, welcomed the birth of twins in the park, the city’s first locally-born panda cubs.
After the birth of the twins, the park launched official Hong Kong giant panda accounts on Instagram and Xiaohongshu, a popular Chinese mainland social media platform, to provide regular updates on these national treasures. Within just one month, the Instagram account amassed over 74,000 followers, while Xiaohongshu garnered over 30,000 fans.
Thanks to the panda craze, Ocean Park has made headlines in recent months, Pong noted.
“The 47-year-old park has been repeatedly put in the spotlight due to the presence of pandas these days, drawing great attention from both local and international media across Chinese and English languages,” Pong said.
Even some of Pong’s foreign friends, who had not heard of the park before, told him that they wanted to visit after reading news about the new pandas.
“It is like we get a huge gift bestowed by heaven”, Pong said, “we are so grateful for the opportunity and will make full use of it to attract more visitors.”
Buoyed by these responses, Pong said that he is “confident in the panda economy”.
Work is underway to cash out the “panda” craze. The park is engaging professional teams to strategize the creation of a panda intellectual property.
Good panda stories in South Korea and Japan have already been widely told and absorbed by overseas visitors owing to social media.
However, Pong believes that Hong Kong’s panda IP will narrate a more compelling story, as it revolves around a total of six pandas, forming a panda family spanning various age groups—an unprecedented tale not yet explored by other regions.
ALSO READ: Arrangements with mainland firmed up to bring pandas to HK
Moreover, Pong noted that beyond Instagram and Xiaohongshu, the park is also contemplating establishing additional panda accounts across various social media platforms. A live broadcast is also on the way.
Yet, panda fans were not satisfied with the photos being released on Instagram and Xiaohongshu – with one post each day on average and most of photos of the cubs being taken from a single angle.
Pong explained that the current images are captured by the caretakers overseeing the panda cubs — as they are placed in incubators and not yet able to meet public. As the pandas mature, a professional photography team will capture more high-quality photos of the pandas.
Pong also said that after the arrival of the two giant pandas in Hong Kong, a naming contest will be staged for them, followed by one for the two cubs.
“We need to collaborate with the government to conduct the naming process,” Pong said. “Of course, we hope to involve more residents by then.”
To entice visitors from the Chinese mainland, Pong said the park will try to offer a distinctive experience beyond mainland panda encounters.
For instance, the park is considering constructing a new panda pavilion, which might integrate technology to enhance the digital experience.
To entice international visitors, the park will partner with other attractions in the Southern District, such as Repulse Bay and Stanley, to establish a distinctive tourist experience characterized by its natural beauty.
The aim is to tell foreign visitors that Hong Kong extends beyond the bustling districts of Central, Mong Kok, and Tsim Sha Tsui; it also includes the Southern District – which has eye-catching natural scenery as well. Hong Kong is not solely about downtown areas and skyscrapers; visitors can also relish the natural beauty of mountains and waterfronts, Pong said.
Moreover, the city offers more than just dining and shopping—it also provides opportunities to interact with animals, he added.
Raising a six-member pandas family – a job that the park has a good track record – is not going to further burden the park financially, Pong said.
For one thing, maintaining pandas is not as expensive as many imagined.
The current number of panda caregivers at Ocean Park is sufficient; there is no requirement to hire additional staff. The baby pandas, who are currently breastfeeding, do not impose a significant financial burden. Moreover, the Hong Kong government has already expressed support for the construction of the new panda arena, Pong said.
The pandas will further enhance the park’s animal conservation and bio-education endeavors, which could also create a positive impact.
The Ocean Park Conservation Foundation has already allocated over HK$30 million to support more than 90 conservation research, nature education, and other projects related to giant pandas. Meanwhile, the park has initiated 18 educational programs related to pandas or Sichuan between 2023 and 2024.
Under the park’s care, Jia Jia held the title of the world’s longest-living giant panda in human care until her passing in 2016 at the age of 38, equivalent to 114 years in human terms. An An, who passed away in 2022 at the age of 35, was the world’s longest-living male giant panda. Ying Ying is the world’s oldest first-time giant panda mum.
“These three records showcase to the world that Hong Kong excels not only in finance and art but also in the field of animal protection,” Pong said.
When the park’s conservation initiatives gain more acknowledgment, more organizations will be willing to provide support to the park, Pong said.
READ MORE: Ocean Park head: Live broadcasts of giant pandas coming soon
Even though conservation efforts may not directly translate into direct economic gains for the park, they play a pivotal role in educating more residents about environmental consciousness, which is the park’s key social responsibility, Pong said.
When Pong took on the role of the park’s chairman in 2022, the park was already bogged down in a financial crisis – coupled with the loss of visitors and worsened by the pandemic. The city’s tourism sector and its collateral sectors are yet to spring to life despite the end of the pandemic.
The pandas have shone a beacon of hope for Pong’s second term as the park’s helmsman.
“We can no longer proceed at a slow pace. It’s time for us to accelerate and make strides.” Pong said.
Fang Xue contributes to the story.
