Exclusive | Long-awaited Water World at Hong Kong’s Ocean Park will not require visitors to be vaccinated when it opens in August
- The new park will not make inoculation mandatory as it seeks to draw families over the summer holiday
- The water park, which was supposed to open in 2017, will offer 27 attractions that are expected to drum up much-needed business at the resort
A source familiar with the matter said the HK$4 billion (US$514 million) Water World would announce its official launch date in early August and have a soft opening later that month.
“To encourage kids to go, vaccination is not a must,” the insider said, without disclosing more details.
Hong Kong currently allows people aged 12 or above to be vaccinated with the German-made BioNTech vaccine, while the other vaccine being offered, the Chinese-made Sinovac, is restricted to adults.
The water park, which spans more than 55,740 square metres of a Tai Shue Wan hillside in Southern district overlooking the South China Sea, will offer 27 attractions, including “lazy rivers”, an infinity pool, wave pools and rainbow-coloured slides.
The facility is expected to breathe new life into the debt-ridden theme park that has turned to the government for funds for two consecutive years.