Dashing through the shoals with jolly St Nick as Ocean Park courts visitors

Ocean Park hopes to draw 5 per cent more visitors this holiday season than the same period last year, as it adds seasonal attractions including a light display, Doraemon characters and a diving Santa Claus.

A key park Christmas offering designed to draw crowds is the indoor Ocean of Light display, which uses millions of LEDs to depict the park's animals and attractions.

"We think there will be a 5 per cent jump in business year-on-year, so we're very positive," said Tom Mehrmann, chief executive of the park.

Mehrmann said Occupy Central traffic disruptions caused a decline in visitors in late September, but October and November were record months for the park.

"For the most part, the tourists have found their way to the park," Mehrmann said. "And we've been able to keep business going in a fairly robust way."

Visitor numbers fell to 7.6 million in the year to June, from a record 7.7 million in the same period the previous year.