A former chairman of Ocean Park says the theme park needs to make the most of its unique panda attractions to boost returns and get back to profitability. Allan Zeman, chairman of Lan Kwai Fong Group, told RTHK's Hong Kong Today programme that outside of the mainland, nowhere else in the world had six pandas and Ocean Park should create a 'panda island' to capitalise on this. "The fact that we have six pandas, if they do a panda island, they find a piece of land... have all the six pandas together... panda restaurants, panda shops... panda games... really create something that no other part of the world has. And I think that would really drive a lot of business," he said. The park unveiled its latest full-year result on Thursday, saying it recorded a deficit of more than HK$71.6 million for the financial year ending in June, despite revenue and visitor numbers hitting five-year highs. Zeman said he visited the park on Thursday when the latest panda arrivals from the mainland – An An and Ke Ke – made their public debut. He also referred to himself as the grandfather of the twin pandas born in August, due to his part in bringing over the parents to mark Hong Kong's Establishment Day in 1997. Zeman said promoting the "panda economy" would be key to the park's success going forward, especially after the government's time-limited subvention – capped at HK$280 million a year – ends after the 2025-2026 financial year. He pointed out the limitations facing Ocean Park in setting its own admission fees. The Ocean Park Corporation is a statutory board that is a not-for-profit organisation, aiming to provide education and conservation at an affordable price.
