Hong Kong fuels panda fever to spur spending with help from Beijing

City now has six pandas, the largest number outside mainland

20241209N Panda statues

An event in Hong Kong exhibits 2,500 panda statues as visitors take pictures on Dec. 7. (Photo by Kensaku Ihara)

KENSAKU IHARA, Nikkei staff writer

HONG KONG -- Hong Kong is betting the arrival of two new giant pandas at the city's theme park will ratchet up panda fever to help revive sluggish tourism and spending.

An An and Ke Ke, who arrived from mainland China's Sichuan province in September, were shown to the public for the first time at Hong Kong's Ocean Park on Sunday. More than 100 avid fans rushed to see the animals when the gates opened in the morning.

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