EARLY SIGNS ARE that those cheering for the home team in the battle of the theme parks have been vindicated in their loyalty. On a recent visit to Ocean Park, marketing executive Kong Kin-sum and her family were surprised to find several areas almost as crowded as the streets of Mongkok.
'There were so many people, it was impossible to get in to some attractions,' she says.
Although it long enjoyed the benefits of being the only leisure facility of its kind in Hong Kong, Ocean Park became a losing proposition after the 1997 handover. So when Hong Kong Disneyland opened four months ago, the naysayers were predicting its demise. The homegrown attraction might endure for a few more years by catering to mainland visitors, they said, but it would eventually succumb to the competition.
Yet the theme park in Wong Chuk Hang has showed no signs of fading. Although it refuses to disclose attendance figures for the past few months, the 29-year-old, 870,000-square-metre facility has apparently thrived, despite the presence of its big-brand rival. The recent holiday period was particularly busy, with so many locals trying to get in on Christmas Day that they caused gridlock in the district.
Cheaper tickets than Disneyland's may be one reason for rising attendance at Ocean Park. But there's more to the revival. The park has been undergoing a revamp over the past few years and the threat posed by Disney has only spurred the management to redouble its efforts.
Ocean Park's work is bearing fruit. Despite the crowds, Kong, who was making her first visit in six years, says the experience has changed her impression of the park. 'It's much cleaner than the last time I visited,' she says. 'It has improved a lot and it's much more fun now.'