UNIQUE EXPERIENCE OF ENTERTAINMENT, CONSERVATION AND EDUCATION ENJOYED BY ALL
(Hong Kong – 23 December 2008) Ocean Park today gave out a warm welcome amidst great fanfare for over 150 guests who are visiting Hong Kong on the first-ever tour for non-Guangdong Shenzhen residents. The visit to Ocean Park was organized by CTSHK Metropole International Travel Service (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd. Seen here in (Photo 1) are Ocean Park mascots, Whiskers and James Fin H2O, interacting with guests as they arrived. For Photo 2, Matthias Li, Deputy Chief Executive of Ocean Park and Huang Sheng He, Deputy General Manager of China Travel Service (HK) Ltd (both centre), presided over a welcoming ceremony at the Main Entrance, and posed with the guests alongside Ocean Park mascots Whiskers, Swift and James Fin H2O.
The guests then went to The Hong Kong Jockey Club Giant Panda Habitat to meet giant pandas An An, Jia Jia, Ying Ying and Le Le (Photo 3). The guests also visited Sea Jelly Spectacular and Atoll Reef, followed by the spectacular Sea Dreams! performance with the Park’s dolphins and sea lions. Some lucky guests also had close encounters with the Park’s animal ambassadors (Photo 4). Most guests are in Hong Kong for the first time and were excited at experiencing the Park’s unique animal offerings.
Ocean Park’s Matthias Li said, “Ocean Park is a homegrown marine animal-based theme park. Last year, we welcomed over two million guests from the Mainland, which is about 40% of our total annual attendance. We are thankful for their support. We would also like to thank the Central People’s Government and CTSHK Metropole International Travel Service (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd for facilitating this visit to Hong Kong by non-Guangdong Shenzhen residents.”
“This is the first time I have seen giant pandas up close. They are really cute and I’m very happy to meet our national treasures here,” said Shenzhen-based Miss Huang (Photo 5), who is in Hong Kong for the first time.
Guests from different provinces (Photo 6, from the left) Mr Peng (Heilongjiang), Miss Wang (Hubei), Miss Li (Guangdong) and Mr Ma (Sichuan) were thrilled with the visit. “The park is very big and we all love the scenery here. Sea Dreams! with all the dolphins and seals, was also truly inspiring!”
Mr Liu (Photo 7) from Henan said he was impressed with the intricate and distinctive design of Sea Jelly Spectacular. “I have learned something new about marine life from this visit to Ocean Park, and I thank Ocean Park and their people for their great hospitality shown to us today.’
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About Ocean Park
Ocean Park is Hong Kong’s unique homegrown theme park with a heritage of delivering family fun and fond memories. Since its opening in January 1977 as a non-profit organisation, Ocean Park has developed itself to be a world-class attraction connecting people with nature, and recognised for its animal husbandry, research and relationship with the community. Over 90 million people have visited Hong Kong's premier park since its inception and Ocean Park has remained committed to offering adults and children experiences that blend entertainment with education and conservation. Part of the proceeds from the Ocean Park admission tickets and some retail items will go to Ocean Park Conservation Foundation, Hong Kong to support its wildlife conservation projects.
