Ocean Park Announces New Pricing Structure with Effect from 1 January 2015 To Meet Increasing Operational Costs Hong Kong Citizens Can Enjoy Pre-adjusted Admission Price until 30 April 2015

 (Hong Kong, 19 December 2014)  As a world-class theme park, Ocean Park is always committed to bringing guests memorable experiences that combine entertainment with education. To enhance the Park’s service quality, the Park has introduced new attractions and upgraded its existing facilities in recent years. Apart from the opening of Shark Mystique in June this year, the Park also plans to open Adventures in Australia in the first quarter of 2015, begin to redevelop Whiskers Harbour in 2016, and open Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott Hotel as well as the Tai Shue Wan waterpark in 2017.

While the Park has invested a large amount of resources in providing excellent service quality, as well as safety of its facilities, and husbandry care for animals, Ocean Park also strives to maintain a healthy financial status for sustainable development. Faced with increasing operational costs and the repayment of loans from the “Master Redevelopment Project” (MRP), the Park sees a need for adjustments to the existing admission price from next year. Considering the affordability levels for our guests, the Park has tried to implement minimal adjustment to admission prices, while striking a balance to remain competitive and comparative with other facilities or attractions of similar scale and scope at the same time.

New Pricing Structure for Admission Tickets
Ocean Park announces today a new pricing structure for general daytime admission, which will be effective from 1 January 2015, while keeping the price of SmartFun Annual Passes unchanged. Hong Kong citizens can continue to purchase tickets at the pre-adjustment prices for 4 months (until 30 April 2015) after the implementation of the new pricing structure. A summary of the new general admission fees and price of SmartFun Annual Passes is as follows:

Although the Park is facing an increase in operational costs due to the commencement of the Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott Hotel project and upgrading of in-Park facilities, the completion of these new projects will create new employment opportunities within the community. For example, the waterpark project will create an estimated total of 2,900 positions by the year 2018. On the other hand, the Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott Hotel project is expected to create approximately 3,500 positions during the construction phase, and approximately 500 positions in the travel industry upon completion.

Mr. Leo Kung Lin-cheng, Chairman of Ocean Park, said, “Being a self-financing and not-for-profit organisation, we have to adhere to the principles of prudent management in order to maintain the Parks’ sustainable development and competitiveness. Even after the adjustment, the Park’s admission price remains the lowest in comparison to theme parks of similar sizes in the Asia Pacific region. As Hong Kong People’s Park, we have been offering world class attractions to guests for years, and we continue to take pride in being at the forefront of quality theme parks in the region.”

Community Care
Apart from enriching the Park’s attractions and recreational offerings, Ocean Park has also launched different community initiatives benefiting Hong Kong people from all walks of life. During the 2013/14 fiscal year, the Park received over 460,000 Hong Kong residents at complimentary or generously discounted admission rates. The Park’s extensive social care programmes have brought a total of HK$130 million in benefits to the community.

Apart from special promotions, Ocean Park also continues to offer a range of special offers for local residents and underprivileged groups. These offers include concessionary admission for Hong Kong residents on their birthdays, year-round free admission for Hong Kong residents aged 65 years and above, and holders of Registration Card for People with Disabilities. Individuals and members of families receiving assistance from the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme (CSSA) can enjoy a sponsored admission price at HK$20. To promote social inclusion, the Park also invites thousands of people with disabilities to visit Ocean Park together with their friends and families for free each year.

Furthermore, in celebration of Ocean Park’s 38^th anniversary, a new promotional campaign benefiting the people of Hong Kong will be launched on 10 January 2015.

Conservation and Education
Ocean Park spares no effort in supporting conservation projects. It donated HK$13 million to the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation, Hong Kong (OPCFHK), which supported 44 projects across 12 countries involving 30 species during the 2013/14 fiscal year. The Park also launched a three-year “Blue Matters – Promoting Debris Free Oceans” campaign last year that brings together existing and new educational exhibits and presentations, as well as community initiatives, to raise participant’s awareness on marine conservation, and to inspire them to take action in protecting the ocean. During the 2013/2014 fiscal year, over 55,000 students from kindergartens to secondary schools took part in some 1,500 courses under 36 different programmes offered by the Ocean Park Academy, Hong Kong (OPAHK). Over 744,000 students have benefited from the programmes since 1992.

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