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(Hong Kong, 15 May 2007) – On 2 May, just 10 months and 2 days into the fiscal year beginning 1 July 2006, Ocean Park surpassed its previous attendance record of 4.38 million. Reaching a further new height since the record was first broken, the Park welcomed the 4.5 millionth guest today. To mark this milestone, a life-sized gift box filled with panda toys and souvenirs from the Ocean Park gift shop was presented to the lucky 4.5 millionth guest at a ceremony hosted by Dr. Allan Zeman, Chairman of Ocean Park.
"We're all thrilled to see the results, and I must commend everyone at Ocean Park for their continued dedication in maintaining our unique position as a world-class attraction with strong conservation values," states Dr. Zeman. "As Hong Kong's homegrown theme park, we'd first like to say a big thank you to the people of Hong Kong for their continued support over the past 30 years. And of course, we were only able to reach our record-breaking 4.5 million in attendance with the support of inbound tourists, overseas visitors, tour operators, and the tourism bodies of Hong Kong," he said.
"Being one of the tourist icons of Hong Kong, Ocean Park's popularity is a reflection of the vitality of Asia's World City. In fact, I am proud to share with you that Forbes Traveler recently ranked Ocean Park in their list of the top 50 Most Visited Tourist Attractions in the world. So today we celebrate not just for Ocean Park, but for Hong Kong, and for our city's status as one of the world's preferred travel destinations," says Dr. Zeman.
Milestones that helped Ocean Park achieve new heights in the 2006/2007 term included the era-hopping extravaganza, The Ocean Park 30th Anniversary Party – A Celebration for the Senses, the launch of SkyFair with Hong Kong's first and only helium balloon attraction, and the sensational 2006 Halloween Bash, which achieved record attendance. An epic groundbreaking ceremony was also held in November to usher in a new era for tourism in Hong Kong, as the HK$5.5 billion, six-year Ocean Park Master Redevelopment Project commenced.
"It's been a very special year for Ocean Park," says Dr. Zeman, "We've just celebrated our 30th Anniversary, and we are delighted that this recent May Golden Week set another attendance record for the Park over a Golden Week period, pushing attendance to new heights. Additionally, we are the entrusted care givers to a second pair of young giant pandas, which are a gift to the people of Hong Kong by the Central People's Government, and a wonderful emblem of the city's bond with the Mainland. To care for Le Le and Ying Ying as well as An An and Jia Jia is a tremendous honour, and we're all excited to share the joy with every guest who comes into Ocean Park.
"We have topped our records for three successive years, and we are confident the trend will continue into the future," continues Dr. Zeman. "Our ability to come up with what's relevant to the market, coupled with our commitment to connect guests with nature through educational and entertaining programmes, give us our differential position to succeed. We look forward to sharing our growth, through new offerings to be unveiled according to the Ocean Park Master Redevelopment Plan, and we look forward to celebrating many more record-breaking years to come, and to develop tourism together with Hong Kong and the Southern district."
The lucky 4.5 millionth visiting guest was Mr. Cheng from Hong Kong, who was visiting Ocean Park with his wife and son, and his son' school friend. The Cheng family joined Dr. Zeman and Whiskers at the celebration and toasting event at the park, where they were awarded with a life-sized panda gift case filled with panda toys and souvenirs from the Ocean Park gift shop.
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About Ocean Park
Ocean Park is Hong Kong' s unique home-grown theme park with a heritage of delivering family fun and fond memories. Since its opening in January 1977 as a non-profit organization, Ocean Park has developed itself to be a world-class attraction connecting people with nature, and recognized for its animal husbandry, research and relationship with the community. Over 80 million people have visited Hong Kong's premier park since its inception and Ocean Park has remained committed to offer adults and children experiences that blend entertainment with education and conservation.
