Ticket sales boom at Edinburgh Zoo
More than 1,500 panda fans have booked their panda tickets at Edinburgh Zoo within the first day.
Those lucky enough to get hold of the passes managed to overcome widespread problems with the zoo’s website, which struggled to cope with the demand, after the long-awaited arrival of the animals was confirmed on Monday.
Despite the technical glitches, numerous slots to see the pandas on the opening day of public viewing next month were still available on the zoo’s website last night.
The zoo’s chief executive, Hugh Roberts, said that the zoo was experiencing “unprecedented” levels of interest in the pandas, which are reputedly costing an estimated £1 million a year for the zoo to borrow from the Chinese authorities.
The zoo announced last night that two 14 foot-high inflatable pandas would be erected outside the zoo to help drum up interest in its star attractions.
The zoo has confirmed it will also be holding back almost a third of tickets for available slots to cope with demand from people who turn up on the day.
But the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, which runs the attraction, is urging visitors to book a slot in advance to avoid any disappointment. Tickets cost £15.50 for an adult and £11 for a child aged three and over.
The two pandas, Tian Tian and Yang Guang, will arrive at Edinburgh Airport on Sunday morning after a trip on the FedEx Panda Express from China.
Mr Roberts said: “We are witnessing unprecedented levels of interest in viewing opportunities for our newest arrivals, which proves what a global draw the giant pandas are going to be for the zoo. We have invested heavily in systems for the giant panda arrival and a lot of careful planning has gone into our ticketing strategy.
“Our aim is to allow a steady flow of visitors through both viewing areas of the enclosure throughout the day, whilst maximising the viewers’ panda experience.
“We want as many people as possible to view our giant pandas in a comfortable and accessible environment, and our advance-booking system will allow us to do this.”
She added: “To guarantee viewing and to avoid disappointment, all visitors are being encouraged to pre-book their panda viewing online when purchasing zoo entry tickets.
“Around one third of panda tickets will also be put aside for visitors coming to the zoo, available on a first come, first served basis.”
Go to Edinburgh Zoo’s website to find more info about the panda viewing tickets.
Source: Scotsman
