Pandas proving huge drawcard at Ocean Park: chairman

RTHK：Video News

The chairman of Ocean Park said on Saturday that thousands of visitors have flocked daily to see An An and Ke Ke, the pair of pandas gifted by the central government, since their public debut earlier this month. Paulo Pong also told a Commercial Radio Programme that he's optimistic that December visitor numbers will show a significant increase. “We've noticed more visitors from Southeast Asia, and it's great to see people from Europe and the US coming back too. That's why we are expecting good results this month,” he said. Pong said tourists from India and the Philippines are surging as well. “Tourists from India are topping the charts this year, with a fourfold increase for 2023-2024. Well, the base numbers might be low, but the growth from India and the Philippines is still quite impressive,” he said. Many local families are also expected to visit the theme park over the weekend and also the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays, he added. The theme park posted a deficit of more than HK$71 million for the financial year ending in June even though visitor numbers and revenue reached five-year high. Pong said 30 percent of the park’s spending is earmarked for conservation and education work, which he described as “hard to measure in monetary terms.” He said the park understands the importance of achieving break-even and will work hard to broaden its income sources, including launching panda-themed products and attracting new visitors. He also expressed hope of getting longer term government subsidies. Currently, Ocean Park receives government funding of HK$280 million each year to cover its expenditure on conservation and education work. But this is scheduled to end in 2026. Separately, Pong noted experts estimated the twin panda cubs will be safe and ready to meet the public when they turn six months old, which will be around February. But he said it might be tricky to have the twins and their parents, Ying Ying and Le Le, appear together in one venue, noting the park needs to monitor how they interact and their safety is the park's priority.