SAR in talks to uncage panda economic boom

Ayra Wang

The SAR is in talks with intellectual property institutions on boosting the economy amid the ongoing panda-monium, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said.

Yeung said yesterday that many giant panda-themed products have been launched by restaurants and shops with government encouragement.

"There will be more business opportunities when people are attracted by pandas," Yeung said.

A renaming contest and painting competition for An An and Ke Ke - the giant pandas that arrived last month - are ongoing and Yeung said such activities will help draw further attention to pandas.

The administration, he said, is discussing with intellectual property institutions and companies the feasibility of launching more panda-themed products in an attempt to build a unique Hong Kong panda IP.

Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel general manager Samson Woo said bookings surged by 30 to 40 percent after it launched panda-themed rooms and that it also launched panda-themed afternoon tea sets.

China Travel Service managing director Chen Ruidong said bookings and inquiries for Chengdu tours , where travelers can visit two sanctuaries, have doubled or even tripled recently.

The agency will launch panda-themed study tours by the end of the year, with about 2,000 university students and secondary school students enrolled.

Baptist University associate professor Billy Mak Sui-choi said the city has the potential to develop a panda economy but it must not be limited to Ocean Park. "The panda economy can only succeed when people think of Hong Kong's top five characteristics and panda is one of them," Mak said.

Mak suggested the government develop panda-themed cultural and creative products, making them one of the icons of Hong Kong.

Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk Wing-hing said a working group on developing tourist hotspots, proposed by Chief Executive John Lee in his policy address, will hold its first meeting next month.

The group, which Cheuk chairs, will involve at least seven departments focusing on attractions that cater to tourists' tastes, like food, movies and islands.

He urged sectors to improve their services and launch new products to attract more tourists.

"The government will provide relevant resources and implement policies but the sector should stop complaining that tourists are spending less. Instead, they should come up with creative ideas to make them willing to spend more," he said.