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Ocean Park’s fight for survival: can home-grown Hong Kong attraction be brought back from the brink?

  • Bosses have outlined HK$10.6 billion plan to rejuvenate the theme park, but lawmakers are balking at the bailout
  • The Post looks at the details of the proposal, how Ocean Park got to this point and the questions still to be answered

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Ocean Park still attracts millions every year, but numbers are dwindling and its finances woeful. Photo: Martin Chan
Hong Kong’s cash-strapped Ocean Park faces an uphill battle to secure the legislature’s approval for a HK$10.6 billion (US$1.4 billion) bailout.
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With just HK$400 million in the bank, senior management at the theme park warned it would run out of money this year without fresh capital, blaming the downturn partly on intensifying competition in the region.

But the ambitious proposal to revamp the attraction was met with widespread scepticism as one lawmaker dubbed it “a failed business”, while some feared the debt burden would endure even with the cash injection.

How the Azure Bay section of a revamped Ocean would look. Photo: Handout
How the Azure Bay section of a revamped Ocean would look. Photo: Handout

What is the HK$10.6 billion plan?

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Aimed at turning the amusement park into an adventure-themed resort, the government-backed plan strives to make better use of its scenic shoreline while appealing more to families.

The 43-year-old park in Aberdeen would be divided into seven themed zones, embracing a total of more than 20 new attractions by 2027.

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