Hong Kong can promote a “panda economy” with the arrival of a new pair of bears before October, the tourism minister said, pointing to the catering and retail sectors as among the potential beneficiaries of the proposed push.
Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung also said on Saturday that the inbound giant pandas already had names, suggesting Hongkongers might not get the opportunity to pick new ones.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced that Beijing was gifting the bears to Hong Kong during a speech to mark the 27th anniversary of the city’s return to Chinese sovereignty.
Yeung, who had joined a delegation led by Lee to visit the giant pandas in Sichuan province, said he was impressed by how mainland Chinese authorities had made good use of the animals to drive the area’s economy.
“It’s about the panda economy. In Chengdu, they have made full use of pandas as a means of economic development, which is not just about tourism,” he told a radio programme.
“Not only are there many panda-themed decorations in the city to promote tourism, many cultural and creative products also use pandas as a concept, so you can actually see the presence of pandas in different areas.”
The tourism minister said that while it was obvious the pandas would attract visitors to their new home at Ocean Park, other sectors could also benefit from a “panda economy” by learning from their counterparts in Sichuan.
“Maybe some restaurants can jump on the trend and do something that makes use of the pandas? That will boost the economy,” Yeung said.
“Businesses can also launch some products to coincide with the giant pandas’ arrival, and potentially make use of intellectual property rights.”
The minister said Hong Kong had more diverse pull factors in terms of tourism, which would mean the pandas’ impact might be smaller when compared with Sichuan.
But he stressed that Hong Kong being gifted the “national treasures” was largely meant to show Beijing’s care for the city.
Yeung reiterated Lee’s previous hope of bringing the pandas to Hong Kong by National Day on October 1, with Ocean Park already making preparations to ensure quality care for the bears.
The minister also spoke about his past suggestion of inviting the public to pick names for the animals.
The two pandas, which are aged between five and eight years old, already had names, but authorities would discuss whether the duo could be renamed, he said.
“Of course, we hope we can give them new names. This is a gift from the central government to all Hong Kong people,” Yeung said. “It would be good if more people can become invested.”
Hong Kong has received four giant pandas from the mainland since 1999. But previous efforts to encourage the animals to reproduce had been unsuccessful.
Li Desheng, deputy director of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, explained that the first pair, male An An and female Jia Jia, were already elderly when they arrived in Hong Kong in 1999.
The younger pair Ying Ying and Le Le had also missed an opportunity to socialise with other pandas of similar ages, he told a local radio show.
“Le Le and Ying Ying were still subadult when they went to [Hong Kong at the age of two] and had little chance to interact with other giant pandas of the same age,” Li said.
The inbound bears would benefit from having socialised with other pandas and spending more time in Sichuan, meaning they had a greater chance of producing offspring, he added.
The centre’s deputy director also expressed confidence in Ocean Park’s role as carers for the pandas, but said staff should make efforts to prevent the animals from getting bored in confined spaces, suggesting measures such as hiding the animals’ food.
