CA04/2015
Ngong Ping 360 Sees Double-digit Growth in Number of Guests
Extends Service Hours and Launches New Thematic Event during Lunar New Year
(Hong Kong, 2 February 2015) Ngong Ping 360 strives to become the gateway to
Lantau Island West and a must-visit tourist destination. We persistently adhere to the
service tenet of providing a unique travel experience for our guests. In order to let our
guests experience an unconventional sensory journey, we continually introduce new
projects and services.
In 2014, Ngong Ping 360’s business developed favourably, with the total number of
guests exceeding 1.83 million, an increase of 10.9% over the previous year. 51% of the
guests came from Western and Asian countries, 31% came from China and Macau,
and 18% were Hong Kong residents. On the whole, the average number of guests hit a
record high of 5,300 per day. According to our 2014 figures, Singapore, Korea and
Malaysia recorded the highest growth with 72%, 68% and 60%, respectively.
Special ticketing and boarding arrangements during Lunar New Year
To cope with the peak guest flow during the Lunar New Year period, Ngong Ping 360
will extend its service hours (Table 1). To shorten ticketing and boarding queues,
additional mobile e-ticketing counters where guests can buy same-day tickets and
make enquiries will be placed in the Tung Chung MTR Station and at the ground floor
entrance of the Tung Chung cable car terminal. Guests can also purchase e-vouchers
for Crystal Cabin Round Trip Cable Car ticket, Ngong Ping Stage Pass, Ngong Ping
Walk n Motion Pass and 360 Sky-Land-Sea Day Pass at over 900 7-Eleven convenience
stores throughout Hong Kong (except Tung Chung & Ngong Ping stores). The
e-vouchers can be redeemed for tickets at the dedicated fast lane counter at the
Tung Chung cable car terminal ticketing office. We have also extended online ticket
booking from 7 days to up to 14 days prior to the day of visit (online ticket booking is
not available on the day of visit). In addition, guests who purchase a Ngong Ping
Stage Pass or Ngong Ping Walk n Motion Pass can book boarding times ahead of time
for their return cable car trip through the 360 Information Centre upon arriving at
Ngong Ping Village and then return to the Ngong Ping cable car terminal at the
booked time, saving queuing time.
We will host the LuckyFest 360 thematic event from 10 February to 13 March 2015, to
allow our guests to indulge in the joyous atmosphere of Lunar New Year. Mandycat, a
well-known local illustrator, will design Lunar New Year decorations for Ngong Ping 360
that combine modern illustrations with traditional Lunar New Year elements to create
an extraordinarily festive Ngong Ping Village. Guests will no doubt want to snap
pictures to commemorate the moment. There will be lantern riddle games and gift
cards designed by Mandycat that will be available for guests to write down their New
Year wishes. From the first to eighth day of Lunar New Year, there will be traditional lion
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dances to greet our guests. To encourage our guests to enjoy this joyous and
auspicious time of year, we will introduce an interactive Facebook game that will
reward all players with an exquisite gift exclusively designed by Mandycat.
From 19 February to 1 March, we will roll out LuckyFest Package, a special Lunar New
Year package that includes a Standard Cabin Round Trip Cable Car ticket as well as
Stage 360 and Motion 360 tickets. For every 2 packages purchased, guests can
receive a LuckyFest Goodie Pack containing souvenirs valued at over HK$250. This
special New Year package is priced HK$398 (Adult) and HK$288 (Child). Guests who
purchase this New Year package in advance are entitled to queue in the fast lane.
Online ticket booking will start on 5 February, and daily online booking can be made
on a first-come, first-served basis. Moreover, Hong Kong residents visiting on their
birthday are entitled to one free Ngong Ping 360 standard cabin round trip ticket, and
from now to 30 June 2015, an instant 10% discount on ticket prices will be given for
on-site purchases made by Hong Kong residents at Ngong Ping 360 terminals at Tung
Chung and Ngong Ping (including single or round trip standard cabin, crystal cabin,
and private cabin tickets. Offer is not applicable during 19–21 February 2015).
Ngong Ping 360 is the first tourist attraction in Hong Kong cooperating with Alitrip to
jointly promote a new activity, the “Go right away”. Guests can simply activate
Alitrip’s or Alipay’s mobile app on their mobile phone and scan any one of the
designated QR codes at Tung Chung terminal to instantly save RMB20 on the
purchase of one 360 Sky-Land-Sea Day Pass, Ngong Ping Walk n Motion Pass or Ngong
Ping Stage Pass. Guests can redeem the e-vouchers for tickets at the dedicated fast
lane counter at the ticketing office to save queuing time.
A new guided tour provides one-stop travel fun
Ngong Ping 360 introduced the 360 Lantau Sunset Tour last year, organized through
360 Holidays, its wholly owned licensed tour operator. This year, we have taken the
initiative and designed another guided tour that allows our guests to immerse and
enlighten themselves – the “360 Buddhism Walk”. On the Ngong Ping Plateau, guests
will pass through the Dong Shan Fa Mun and visit the Wisdom Path. Guests will enter
the Grand Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas, which was opened at the end of last year,
to appreciate the marvellous Buddhist architecture. To further enrich our guests’ travel
experience, the entire trip is led by professional tour guides who have studied
Buddha’s stories. Guests will enjoy the enticing snacks at the Po Lin Monastery and
then visit the Tian Tan Buddha and watch the precious Buddha’s relic. Finally, guests
can also visit the “Walking With Buddha” – a thematic attraction at Ngong Ping Village
to complete the Buddhism walk experience with peace and wisdom.
Strengthening marketing promotion to develop new overseas markets
In 2014, guests from Singapore, Korea and Malaysia recorded the highest growth. In
order to attract overseas visitors to Ngong Ping 360, last year we successfully arranged
for several popular South-east Asian, American and Canadian TV shows to shoot their
TV programmes here. They included the world-famous reality show “The Amazing
Race Canada”, the “King of Variety Show” Jacky Wu’s “Mr Player” from Taiwan, and
the exceptionally popular Indian sitcom “Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah”.
This year, our company will continue to enhance our visibility in short-distance markets
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in Asia, namely Thailand, South Korea and Taiwan, by conducting joint promotion
projects with travel agencies in those countries to customize Hong Kong travel
itineraries for solo travellers. Foreseeing the growing popularity of online travel
agencies and e-ticketing services, Ngong Ping 360 will focus on promoting our
products through online partners in China, South Korea and Singapore.
Maintaining high standards of cable car reliability
“Safety First”, our mantra of operations, is applicable to the cable car system, our
guests and our team members. The reliability of Ngong Ping 360’s cable car has
continually improved over the years. We have formulated short-, medium- and
long-term maintenance strategies, and our professional team performs daily
monitoring of the operations of the cable car system. To ensure that guests can rely on
safe and reliable services, regular scheduled maintenance works have been
scheduled throughout 2015 (Table 2). To demonstrate our industry leadership, in
September 2014 we hosted the first benchmarking meeting with regional cable car
delegations from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore, which aimed to promote the
sustainable development of cable car tourism. The China Ropeway Association also
sent a delegation to exchange experiences and learning.
Launch of the Diploma in Cable Car Technology demonstrates commitment to staff
development
The company also attaches great importance to staff development and training. In
August 2013, The Training Centre of Ngong Ping 360 Limited was officially founded,
and on 1 November 2014, the Diploma in Cable Car Technology was approved by the
Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications
(HKCAAVQ) and was classified in the Qualifications Framework (QF) standards at QF
Level 3, making it the first government-approved cable car technology diploma
course in Hong Kong. The first intake of this new course started in mid-December last
year. In this course, students not only gain the knowledge and technical skills needed
to operate a cable car system, but they also have the opportunity to engage in
sustainable learning and academic development. The course has passed through
HKCAAVQ’s academic and vocational accreditation, a robust mechanism that
ascertains our capability in providing professional, high-quality and established
vocational training for our students to pursue career and academic advancement.
Dr Stella Kwan, Ngong Ping 360 Managing Director, said, “Last year, Ngong Ping 360
reached several milestones in our history. Our brand new facilities, Stage 360 and
Motion 360, were launched in August 2014. According to an independent marketing
research company’s survey, guest satisfaction with these two facilities was extremely
high. In terms of the number of guests, we recorded record-breaking figures. The total
number of guests was over 1.8 million. Cable car reliability remained satisfactory,
which tells us that in every 8 hours of daily operations, there was less than 1 minute
stoppage per day.
“Last year, the company also won many awards recognizing our service excellence,
which is very encouraging to all of us. Looking forward, various future developments in
Lantau will present opportunities for Ngong Ping 360. We will continue working with the
Lantau Development Alliance and other tourist attractions in the Lantau community,
allowing us to continue playing the key role of the ‘Gateway to Lantau Island West’.”
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About Ngong Ping 360
Ngong Ping 360 is a world-class tourist attraction located on Lantau Island in Hong
Kong that offers an exciting gateway to a one-of-a-kind natural and cultural
experience. The Ngong Ping Cable Car stretches 5.7km from Tung Chung to the
culturally themed Ngong Ping Village, where guests can enjoy a range of dining,
shopping and entertaining outlets as well as easy access to other featured attractions
on Lantau Island, including Tian Tan Big Buddha, Wisdom Path and Tai O Fishing
Village.
The Ngong Ping Cable Car is a rare example of a bi-cable gondola lift system, and it is
also the biggest aerial cable car of its kind in Asia. It offers a visually spectacular 20- to
25-minute journey with panoramic views of the flora and fauna of North Lantau
Country Park, Tung Chung Bay and Hong Kong International Airport.
After receiving the CILT Award 2013 – Enterprise Award presented by the Chartered
Institute of Logistics and Transport in Hong Kong (CILTHK) in May, Ngong Ping 360 won
the “Certificate of Excellence” from TripAdvisor and was selected as one of the
“Cable cars: 10 amazing rides around the world” in June 2014 by The Daily Telegraph.
Ngong Ping 360 was featured alongside famous cable cars in eight other countries,
including the novel Cabrio cable car on Mount Stanserhorn in Switzerland, Banff
Gondola in Canada, the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway in Cape Town, South Africa
and the cable car to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- End Media Enquiries
Vicky Lau
Head of Corporate Affairs
Tel： 852 6384 0976
Email： [email protected]
Sharon Law
Assistant Corporate Affairs Manager
Tel： 852 6388 2360
Email： [email protected]
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Table 1: Service Hours during Lunar New Year
Date
19 – 22 February
23 – 27 February
Service Hours
9:00am – 8:00pm
9:30am – 6:00pm
Table 2: Scheduled Servicing Days in 2015
Date
27 – 28 January
13 – 20 March
29 – 30 June
2 – 22 September
1 – 2 December
Number of Days
2
8
2
21
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Photos:
1.Dr Stella Kwan, Managing Director of Ngong Ping 360 presents the business
overview of Ngong Ping 360 in 2014.
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2. Mr Andy Lau, Head of Commerce introduces the new tour to Lantau.
3. Ms Vivian Lee, Head of Marketing introduces the promotions of Lunar New Year.
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4. Dr Stella Kwan takes photo with the main characters of Stage 360.
5. LuckyFest Package for Lunar New Year.
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