Latest news with #HongKongTourismBoard
New Straits Times
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
Hong Kong goes wild for panda twins' first birthday bash
KUALA LUMPUR: Hong Kong is set to mark the first birthday of its beloved panda twins, Jia Jia and De De, with a citywide celebration featuring themed attractions, exclusive collectibles, and entertainment events throughout August. Born on Aug 15 last year, to resident giant pandas Ying Ying and Le Le at Ocean Park, the twin cubs have become an instant favourite among locals and international visitors, drawing widespread attention since their debut. To commemorate the occasion, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) and Ocean Park have collaborated with artist Kasing Lung, creator of the Labubu character, to launch a special birthday-edition Labubu x Panda Twins vinyl toy. The limited-edition collectible features a bamboo-green Labubu in a polka-dotted birthday hat holding the panda twins and comes with a custom gift box and a handcrafted birthday card by the artist, according to HKTB in a statement. Visitors to Ocean Park between Aug 1 and 31 may participate in a lucky draw for a chance to win one of 300 birthday gift boxes, with additional giveaways planned during the main birthday celebration period from Aug 15 to 17. Throughout summer, Ocean Park will be the centre of festivities with the "Panda Friends Summer Splash" event, which includes themed water attractions, photo zones, games, and giveaways featuring Line Friends characters and panda-themed decor. Visitors can enjoy attractions such as the Ball Pit Party, Water Battle Zone, and Panda Friends Splash Playground, while panda badges, party hats, and other souvenirs will be distributed across the park. The celebration will also feature the Gala of Lights — Panda Birthday Edition, a nighttime spectacle of projections, dancing fountains, and music, alongside surprise gifts for visitors attending during the key celebration dates. Exclusive merchandise, including plushies of Jia Jia and De De in kindergarten uniforms, themed snacks, and special ticket bundles such as the "Twin Park Package Ticket", are also available for fans and tourists. Beyond Ocean Park, panda-themed installations are appearing across Hong Kong, including creative MTR station takeovers and 32 panda-inspired road signs, extending the celebration throughout the city. — BERNAMA
Barnama
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Barnama
Hong Kong Goes Wild For Panda Twins' First Birthday Bash
KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 (Bernama) -- Hong Kong is set to mark the first birthday of its beloved panda twins, Jia Jia and De De, with a citywide celebration featuring themed attractions, exclusive collectibles, and entertainment events throughout August. Born on Aug 15, 2024, to resident giant pandas Ying Ying and Le Le at Ocean Park, the twin cubs have become an instant favourite among locals and international visitors, drawing widespread attention since their debut. To commemorate the occasion, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) and Ocean Park have collaborated with artist Kasing Lung, creator of the LABUBU character, to launch a special birthday-edition LABUBU x Panda Twins vinyl toy. The limited-edition collectible features a bamboo-green LABUBU in a polka-dotted birthday hat holding the panda twins and comes with a custom gift box and a handcrafted birthday card by the artist, according to HKTB in a statement. Visitors to Ocean Park between Aug 1 and 31 may participate in a lucky draw for a chance to win one of 300 birthday gift boxes, with additional giveaways planned during the main birthday celebration period from Aug 15 to 17. Throughout summer, Ocean Park will be the centre of festivities with the 'Panda Friends Summer Splash' event, which includes themed water attractions, photo zones, games, and giveaways featuring LINE FRIENDS characters and panda-themed decor. Visitors can enjoy attractions such as the Ball Pit Party, Water Battle Zone, and Panda Friends Splash Playground, while panda badges, party hats, and other souvenirs will be distributed across the park. The celebration will also feature the Gala of Lights – Panda Birthday Edition, a nighttime spectacle of projections, dancing fountains, and music, alongside surprise gifts for visitors attending during the key celebration dates. Exclusive merchandise, including plushies of Jia Jia and De De in kindergarten uniforms, themed snacks, and special ticket bundles such as the 'Twin Park Package Ticket', are also available for fans and tourists.
Bangkok Post
2 days ago
- Business
- Bangkok Post
Hong Kong leader vows to make city 'preferred destination' after 12% surge in tourists
Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu has pledged to adopt innovative thinking to make the city a "preferred travel destination", following a 12% increase in tourist arrivals during the first half of the year. Latest figures by the Hong Kong Tourism Board showed that the city welcomed about 3.48 million visitors in June, bringing the total number from January to June to more than 23.6 million, a 12% year-on-year increase. Three-quarters of the arrivals, or 17.8 million, came from mainland China. The board said on Saturday that about 5.84 million visitors arrived from the rest of the world, marking a 17% increase compared with the same period last year. "Visitors from most short-haul markets, including Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines, increased by at least 25% year on year," it said. "Among long-haul markets, Australia recorded a notable growth of 33% year on year." In a Facebook post, Lee attributed the tourism boom partly to a string of arts, cultural and sports mega-events. He also pointed to the opening of Kai Tak Sports Park, the city's newest hub for world-class concerts and sporting events. "Achieving such remarkable results amid fierce competition with neighbouring regions is no small feat, reflecting Hong Kong's appealing 'East-meets-West' tourism elements and its growing attractiveness in the international tourism market," the chief executive said. Lee also promised that his government would strive to keep its finger on the pulse of the market and adopt more "innovative thinking to make Hong Kong a preferred tourist destination". "We will keep creating tourist attractions and organising mega-events, offering different activities every day to attract visitors from around the world to Hong Kong," he said. Last year, Hong Kong received 44.5 million visitors, up 30.9% from 2023. Roughly 76% of them arrived from the mainland. Those from other short-haul markets, excluding the mainland and Macau, grew by 53.4% year on year, while those from long-haul markets saw a 50.9% year-on-year jump in 2024. The city welcomed a record 65 million visitors in 2018. But the tourism sector has since been hit by Covid-19. Although inbound tourism has started to recover since the pandemic, the composition of mainland tourists has changed, with many spending less than before.
Time Out
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
A Hong Kong-exclusive panda twins Labubu is being released for our panda cubs' birthday
You know how you've made it in life when you get an Hermès bag named after you, like the Birkin or the Kelly? Well, Hong Kong's twin panda cubs have definitely made it to celebrity status from the moment they were born, now further solidified with the fact that popular collectable Labubu is releasing a special figurine in honour of the cubs' birthday. The Hong Kong Tourism Board has teamed up with Ocean Park, where the bears are homed, and the creator of Labubu, Kasing Lung, to debut a limited-edition Labubu x Panda Twins birthday collectable. The whimsical figurine features a bamboo green Labubu in a polka dot party hat, happily cradling two baby pandas in its arms. Fans of original artwork will enjoy that this doll is designed after Lung's older drawings of his ubiquitous Nordic monster, instead of the rounded, fuzzy versions we're used to seeing on plush keychains. You'll need a spot of luck to get your hands on these limited-edition Labubus. All visitors to Ocean Park Hong Kong – Hong Kong citizens and travellers alike – can now pre-register to join a lucky draw taking place from August 1 to 31, for a chance to win a panda birthday gift box containing the Labubu figurine. The set comes in a custom gift box and also includes a handcrafted birthday card from Lung himself. There will only be approximately 300 gift boxes available during this stage of the celebrations, so get your entry in quickly. Additional birthday-edition Labubu boxes will be available during the pandas' birthday celebrations from August 15 to 17, so check back from more details soon.
Business Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Times
Hong Kong financial chief sees rebound in second-quarter retail sales
[HONG KONG] Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan said he expects a bounce-back in second-quarter private consumption, following more than 12 months of decline. Retail sales increased in May from a year earlier after 14 months of declines, Chan wrote in a blog post on Sunday (Jul 27), indicating early signs of market stabilisation. He said he was 'cautiously optimistic' on the outlook for June data. An increase in private consumption would be the first quarterly growth since the first quarter of 2024. Chan attributed the recovery to strong capital inflows, stabilisation in the stock and property markets, and large-scale events such as the Hong Kong Football Festival, which attracted international visitors. Tourism has also surged, with the city welcoming 23.6 million visitors in the first half of the year, a 12 per cent increase from a year earlier, according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board. The government is set to release the advance estimates for gross domestic product on Jul 31. The median forecast by economists is for 2.7 per cent growth, slowing from 3.1 per cent in the first quarter. BLOOMBERG
