From harbour-front sculptures to posters and even a pyrotechnic drone show, Hong Kong is in a panda frenzy.
The city’s six pandas are front and centre in the government’s latest effort to boost its lackluster tourism industry and revive an economy that’s struggling to regain momentum.
This weekend’s public debut of twin six-month-old cubs at Ocean Park will serve as a litmus test, with hopes the bears will spark a viral moment similar to Moo Deng, the pygmy hippo in Thailand who took social media by storm last year and saw a flood of tourists visit her zoo.
The yet-to-be-named cubs are a “game changer” for Ocean Park, which has already seen a boost to visitation, said Paulo Pong, chairman of the theme park where the city’s pandas reside.
“We’re hitting the pre-pandemic numbers again. So it’s quite an encouraging sign that people are coming back to the park in full force.”
But the challenge will be converting a short-term lift into a sustained boost to tourism.
Hong Kong’s visitor numbers remain well below pre-Covid highs after protests in 2019, strict pandemic measures and the imposition of a national security law dented the city’s appeal for international travellers.
Meanwhile, economic malaise is hurting spending by tourists from mainland China, who make up the majority of visitors to the financial hub.
“The pandas will provide a temporary boost,” said Carlos Casanova, senior Asia economist at Union Bancaire Privee.
“I don’t think that’s going to turn around the tourism story in Hong Kong. And I don’t think tourism alone, in the absence of a broader sort of strategy, is going to turn around the economy.”
About 45 million people visited Hong Kong last year, just shy of officials’ projection for 46 million, according to tourism board data. While that’s up 31% from 2023, it’s well down from the record 65 million visitors in 2018.
Hong Kong wants tourism to play a greater role in its economy: the government estimates its strategy will see the industry generate HK$120bil in 2029, up from HK$75.3bil in 2023.
But efforts to entice visitors, ranging from free plane tickets to turning the city into a mega-events hub and even a plea for residents to smile more, have largely fizzled.
Retail sales fell for a 10th straight month in December. The same month, Hong Kong leader John Lee unexpectedly sacked his tourism chief, saying he needed ministers who “will be able to deliver what I have in mind.”
That’s piling pressure on Hong Kong’s six pandas, the biggest population outside of mainland China.
Ying Ying and Le Le were gifted to the city by Beijing in 2007 and, after more than a decade of mating attempts, Ying Ying gave birth to twins in August.
Ocean Park also welcomed five year-old female Ke Ke and her male mate, An An, gifts from the Chinese central government, last year.
Their public debut in December drew big crowds, which the park’s operators anticipate will be repeated with the new cubs this weekend. — Bloomberg
