Letters | Ocean Park: forget fancy plans and focus on being Hong Kong theme park
- Instead of rebranding as a performance arena or sports hub, or yet another fine dining and shopping destination, Ocean Park should focus on improving the theme park experience – and let every Hongkonger have a say in its future
First, while it is true that Hong Kong is running out of venues for street performances, their audiences are not like concert goers who are more likely to pay to enjoy a performance. These are passers-by who stop to appreciate the music, dance or magic tricks in the middle of a shopping spree or on their way to somewhere else. Besides, it is doubtful how much space is available within the park for a large performance venue, and how affordable the rent would be for such buskers.
The suggestion that a free-entry performance space near the park entrance would attract more visitors is also of questionable feasibility, as there is little guarantee that people would want to enter the paid area after watching a show.
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Secondly, Ocean Park should not make fine dining and retail an attraction. Food is not a primary focus when one is visiting a theme park and gourmet restaurants are not what most park visitors are eager to discover. They would rather seize the time and dash to different rides and galleries. Similarly, shopping is a side dish for such a venue. As for the wealthy, “high-net-worth individuals”, there are already too many other easily accessible places in the city to dine in and shop at.
Let every Hongkonger be engaged in shaping the future of the park, so that it continues to foster local identity while appealing to an international audience. We should also be inspired by successes in theme parks elsewhere and introduce different cultural elements to Ocean Park.