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pandas, four red pandas, Chinese salamanders, and hundreds of birds in Amazing Asian Animals. Moreover, we’ve just brought in over 100 animals for Polar Adventure. Within the mix of attractions and offerings, we wanted to have two-thirds animals, education and conservation, and then the other third would be more visceral – which meant rides. That’s where Thrill Mountain comes in, it’s purely kinetic. We said very early on that, with the arrival of
Disney, there was no sense in us getting into 3D and 4D experiences. There isn’t enough media content in the libraries of the world to even come close to what Disney puts on; they do a fantastic job with their intellectual property and their 3D/4D experiences. Why dabble in that market when they do it so well? Let’s focus on what we do well, which is animals and “real world” experiences.
Hong Kong history
The redevelopment was very much like performing open-heart surgery on a marathon runner while they are still running. About the only part of the park we didn’t touch was the Cable Car Plaza. Although it wasn’t part of the MRP, we thought there was a great opportunity to transform this transition area that all guests pass through going to or coming from the cable car that links the Waterfront to the Summit. We came up with the concept of Old Hong Kong, and we’ve had a lot of compliments on it. Because Hong Kong is such a dynamic city, it moves very quickly and it’s hard to find historical reference points around town. The greatest thing about Old Hong Kong is seeing grandparents point out things they remember from when they were young to their grandchildren, whether it’s a rickshaw, the Kowloon Motor Bus or the Dai Tat Dei Market. In 2005 we brought all the park’s food and beverage back in-house, hired our own executive chefs, changed the menus, and took over the kitchens and the warehouse, as well as the procurement process. I am proud to say we are perhaps one of the only parks in the world that is ISO 22000 certified for food hygiene and safety. Our team is completely committed, and recently we have
IMAGES, TOP TO BOTTOM: Sea Life Carousel, Old Hong Kong, Rainforest/Rapids, Thrill Mountain RIGHT: Goldfish Treasures/Amazing Asian Animals
watched our per capita spending on food and retail nearly triple. We have what I think are some of the greatest sit-down dining restaurants in the industry, including the new Tuxedos restaurant in Polar Adventure. We have changed guest behaviour because of this; they are now eating at the park, staying later and we have been able to extend the park hours as a result.
Beyond the MRP Polar Adventure opened this June and was the final part of the Master Redevelopment Plan to be completed. We are now about to enter a second phase of development with the addition of a waterpark and two hotels, set for completion around 2016. This will allow us to put a second gate in place and position Ocean Park as a destination resort. I want to develop the world’s best waterpark, on every level – an indoor, outdoor, year-round operation that combines the very best waterpark experiences in the world, complemented by hotel-like cabana facilities that will allow us serve a whole new market consisting of both local and destination travellers. We already say that the park has more things than you can do in one day, and so most people run out of time before they run out of things to do. There should be a seamless link from the park to the hotels, which will also have an entertainment, education and conservation component to them. We are really leaving the door open to developers to bring in their very best ideas related to the Ocean Park theme. With 42 million people coming to Hong Kong last year and an expectation of, I think, 44 to 45 million this year, the city is currently short of accommodation, especially on the South side of the island. Once we get the MTR South Island Line [subway] connection in 2015, we are going to be a very simple transfer from downtown in just a few minutes.
People’s Park With the exception of myself and a few other expats, this is a park that is run by locals, and supported and funded by the local people. That is why we are happy to call ourselves “Hong Kong people’s park”. When we set about devising the MRP, we did not take the normal approach to feasibility, which is sometimes driven by a desire to build the park you want rather than the park you can afford. We wanted to build a park that never becomes a burden to the
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SEPTEMBER 2012
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