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Hong Kong theme park Ocean Park has extended its cooperation with the mainland China's biggest marine park operator for another three years, to explore how to reach out to more visitors and to share research into aquarium animals.

The extended agreement will see Haichang – which operates six marine theme parks in Dalian, Qingdao, Tianjin, Yantai, Wuhan and Chengdu – join with Ocean Park to exchange aquarium creatures as well as knowledge on how to resolve animal-related problems, such as disease prevention.

In a statement, Haichang revealed that the businesses would also explore ways to teach visitors about animal and environmental protection

Under a memorandum of cooperation, the two operators will work more closely "in areas such as brand-name promotion and marketing, personnel development, animal sustainability and technical-skills exchange."

The partnership also aims to be a platform to exchange knowledge in sales and marketing.

Ocean Park said the agreement differed from the last cooperation in terms of a deeper exchange of sales and marketing knowledge this time.

An Ocean Park spokesperson explained “our cooperation has been working out great (and) we will also continue to exchange knowledge on different issues such as marine conservation."

Ocean Park has also recently farewelled its Chairman, flamboyant entrepreneur Dr Allan Zeman, after 11 years. 

Dr Zeman’s tenure at the Ocean Park was apparently ended by the Hong Kong Government without consultation.

During Dr Zeman's chairmanship, visitor numbers rose to 7.73 million last year from 2.95 million in 2003, while a HK$4 million deficit in 2003 - the year severe acute respiratory syndrome struck - was turned into a HK$127.2 million surplus.

Haichang’s parks collectively drew about 8.4 million visitors last year. 

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