Out with a splash: departing chief of Hong Kong's Ocean Park confident attraction will hit visitor target

The outgoing boss of Ocean Park is confident the attraction will hit its target of eight million visitors a year in three years, despite what he believes is a short-term fall in tourism to the city.

Tom Mehrmann, who will leave the Wong Chuk Hang park at the end of July after 12 years in charge, said the opening of two hotels, a water park and the MTR's South Island Line would boost visitor numbers to new highs, beating the target set earlier this year.

His optimism is in spite of a sharp fall in tourist arrivals in the city for most of this year.

"We hit 7.8 million people in the calendar year of 2014. Obviously 2015 has been a bit of a rockier year and we've been talking about the decline in tourism," Mehrmann said. "The goal is still a good goal. It's a good strategy that we put out there on the horizon. And we'll get there. I think we'll probably get there in the next three years and it will start climbing again … especially with the water park, the MTR and hotels going up.

"It's just a matter of time … It will probably grow to 11 or even 12 million," he added. "The trick … is to make sure you get them spread over evenly in the whole year. … The company has been doing a pretty good job in keeping a flat demand curve."

Hong Kong's attractiveness has been hit by its strong currency and regional economic uncertainty. A rise in anti-mainland sentiment and a failure to provide fresh attractions have been cited as reasons for a slump in visits from across the border.