ESG Enabler: Ivan Wong

Ocean Park is one of Hong Kong’s most-loved attractions. First opened in 1977, the animal-themed amusement park offers an array of attractions including thrilling rides, animal exhibits and live shows.

Over the decades, many new tourist attractions have sprung up across Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area, yet the park continues to differentiate itself, thanks to its focus on education and conservation, says Chief Executive Ivan Wong.

"The park integrates meaningful engagement and learning activities about nature and biodiversity across its attractions, inspiring visitors to adopt more sustainable lifestyles. Our mission to foster environmental stewardship sets us apart from traditional leisure destinations."

Another differentiator is that Ocean Park Hong Kong is operated by the Ocean Park Corporation, a non-profit organization, which allows it to focus on its core mission rather than enriching shareholders.

"When it comes to comparing us to other corporations, we are in a different league. We are not a normal corporation that does ESG well, we are an organization that enables other organizations to do ESG well. This is a very different mindset."

Making waves

As a significant conservation education hub, Ocean Park Hong Kong conveys the message and value of protecting nature to the public in many different ways.

For example, Ocean Park Hong Kong prides itself on its get-closer-to-nature programs, which allows visitors to interact closely with the park’s animals, or animal ambassadors as they are fondly referred to. These include pandas, meerkats, penguins, sea lions and more. The programs teach visitors about the importance of protecting natural ecosystems as part of their daily lives.

The park has also founded the Ocean Park Conservation Alliance program which connects with school children across Hong Kong. As part of this, the park has also established an organization called Seahorse Rangers, which launched in January 2024 and aims to nurture students’ passion for conservation from a young age.

"We recruit them and empower them," Wong says. "These are enthusiastic and imaginative students from local schools who come to the park through different programs to foster their understanding of the significance of safeguarding species and ecosystems in our part of the world. Through this program and others, we are training citizens in conservation."

Ocean Park also actively collaborates with like-minded enterprises and organizations to champion different conservation projects outside the park, says Wong. This includes sending veterinarians to places where they are needed such as Cambodia, Thailand and Indonesia.

Another example is CORAL REEFStoration, a local coral conservation and restoration project supported by the Sino Group and Hong Kong Innovation Foundation, in partnership with Ocean Park, Archireef and The Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel Hong Kong. The project uses specially designed 3D-printed tiles to enhance coral survivorship and health. Coral is attached to these special tiles and once they start to thrive, they are then placed in Deep Water Bay where they will boost biodiversity and provide habitats for other marine organisms.

Likewise, Ocean Park works closely with the Hong Kong government when it comes to responding to animals stranded in Hong Kong’s waters when an animal is hurt or simply needs care.

"When people are caught smuggling critically endangered animals, those animals go to the park and we care for them. Recently a crocodile was found at someone’s garden in the New Territories. The government caught it and it came to us. So we are not just a theme park, we are involved in public services."

Sustainability sensibilities

In addition to its conservation efforts, Ocean Park strives to serve as a community enabler when it comes to sustainability.

"Recently we came up with an initiative whereby if a visitor gives us a used, clean plastic bottle to recycle, we give them a free go on one of our game booths. As a result, we now see kids cleaning up plastic bottles at home and bringing them to the park, which contributes to their wider education about the importance of recycling," Wong explains.

"We are also committed to minimizing our environmental impact through proactive measures to reduce carbon emissions and waste. This includes initiatives that promote eco-friendly practices such as eating locally produced food. This program targets consumers, shops and restaurants."

These sustainability sensibilities are also being incorporated with the design of the park’s new Adventure Zone which is expected to start construction in 2025.

"This new area will have attractions like zip lines, bungee jumps and those sorts of non-mechanical experiences. These are very friendly to the environment and will be a further testament to our commitment to our mission," he adds.

Naturally, Ocean Park’s success relies on its trusted partners, which include a wide range of companies, including Bolliger & Mabillard and VLocker.

"When it comes to partners, it's important to have a common goal, common values and mutual respect," Wong notes. "We work closely with our partners to navigate challenges, ensuring continuity and quality of our operations. These solid and stable partnerships have been instrumental in our abilities to continue delivering exceptional experiences."

With its forthcoming developments, community engagement and international outreach, the park is well-placed to educate and inspire society for generations to come.

"By integrating leisure, education and conservation, Ocean Park has carved out a unique niche for ourselves," Wong concludes. "As we continue to develop, we plan to not only delight visitors but serve as a beacon of environmental stewardship, setting new standards for responsible tourism."