HONG KONG, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong Ocean Park announced on Thursday that it saw a 35 percent year-on-year increase in the number of visitors who were not on package tours during the first six days of the Chinese New Year.

Matthias Li, the theme park's chief executive, said to the media that the increase of individual visitors was mainly due to the increase in Chinese mainland visitors visiting Hong Kong and the launch of special activities in the park during the Chinese New Year holiday.

Li said that the park's first hotel will open in June and he hoped this can transform the park into a resort destination for families, giving both visitor numbers and revenue a double-digit boost.

He also hoped that the launch of wedding packages and educational programs will draw more families to the park.

The park recorded a 234.4 million HK dollars (about 30 million U.S. dollars) loss in the last financial year. (1 HK dollar = 7.8 U.S. dollars)