(CN - HKG) Ocean Park seeks Disney alliance

[Guest guest]

http://china.scmp.com/chimain/index.html

 

South China Morning Post

Monday, April 26, 2004

 

Ocean Park seeks Disney alliance

Chairman Allan Zeman says cross-promotion and mutual benefit are

preferable to competition

by CARRIE CHAN

 

Ocean Park is attempting to forge an alliance with the new Disney

theme park, rather than go head-to-head against the entertainment giant when

it opens its attraction on Lantau next year.

 

Allan Zeman, chairman of Ocean Park, said he had established

dialogue with Disney executives because " the government is the landlord for

both of us " .

 

" Potentially in the future we can do a cross-promotion with Disney.

Many of the parks in Florida allow customers to buy two tickets together at

a discount, " Mr Zeman said.

 

" The stronger [Ocean Park and Disney] can make Hong Kong as a theme

park business, the more we can attract family tourists. "

 

A Disney spokesman was unavailable for comment.

 

Speaking to promote Ocean Park's revamp, Mr Zeman said it hoped to

boost annual visitors from 3 million to 5 million. The figure mirrors

estimates by Disney, which is hoping to attract 5.6 million visits.

 

Ocean Park executives are still drawing up plans for the revamp, to

take place between 2006 and 2009. The project will involve two hotels, Lan

Kwai Fong-style restaurants and more animal attractions - perhaps including

killer whales.

 

" There will be upmarket, medium and low restaurants, " said Mr Zeman.

" We will do it in Ocean Park style. Diners may sit inside the aquarium, or

eat with polar bears and pandas. "

 

To repackage the 27-year-old park, Mr Zeman said attractions had to

carry themes that reflected the name of the park. " The idea is to get as

much water [on the outside] and the inside, " he said.

 

By 2009, Mr Zeman expects visitors will be able to get from Central to

Aberdeen in just five minutes via the MTR on the South Island line.

 

From there, visitors will take the newly refurbished cable car to the

park's headland, or ride on a new funicular through the mountain.

 

" We would like to have killer whales but the animal protection people

are trying to stop their capture, " said Mr Zeman. " There's not many left in

captivity and some of the parks which have them are quite protective. " Other

new animals could include polar bears, penguins, more fish and marine

mammals.The park's hilltop area, where most of its amusement rides were

located, would be shut during the reconstruction.

 

Mr Zeman said increases in the number of mainland tourists would mean

more visitors would spend at least six hours in the park. About 60 per cent

of Ocean Park visitors are tourists, with 52 per cent of those from the

mainland.

 

Mr Zeman said the park needed more attractions, more hosts who spoke

Putonghua, signage in simplified Chinese and most importantly, restaurants

with different provincial cuisines and a lower-priced hotel to suit

mainlanders.

 

In order to convince the government to back the revamp, Mr Zeman is

now working to strike a balance among the park's sources of incomes. He said

it was premature to talk about amendments to the Ocean Park Corporation

ordinance so that the park could seek external revenue. The park is a

non-profit venture, partly funded by the Jockey Club.

 

" The biggest problem is about 75 per cent of the income comes from the

admission fee, " Mr Zeman said. " Eventually, we would like to have 50 per

cent from the gates, 25 per cent from food and beverage, and the rest from

merchandise. "