Hong Kong, China: Hong Kong welcomed a new pair of giant pandas from Beijing on Thursday during a grand ceremony, sparking hopes for a tourism boost in the city.

An An and Ke Ke are the third pair of pandas sent from mainland China to Hong Kong since the city's return to Chinese rule in 1997. Their arrival follows the recent birth of twins by Ying Ying, the world’s oldest first-time panda mother, last month.

With the addition of these pandas, alongside the twins and their father Le Le, Hong Kong now hosts a total of six giant pandas.

Chief Executive John Lee shared that An An, a 5-year-old male, is energetic, intelligent, and active, while Ke Ke, a 5-year-old female, is gentle, cute, and skilled at climbing.

The new pandas will undergo a two-month quarantine before settling into their new home at Ocean Park, a popular zoo and aquarium. Lee expressed hope that the public could see the pandas by mid-December.

In October, the government will invite the public to suggest names for the pandas that reflect their unique traits.

Tourism industry experts are optimistic that the presence of six pandas will boost visitor numbers. Officials have encouraged businesses to take advantage of the appeal of the new pandas and cubs, dubbing it the “panda economy.”

Pandas, seen as China's unofficial national symbol, are central to Beijing’s soft-power diplomacy through its panda loan program. Native to southwestern China, giant pandas are under threat from development.

However, caring for pandas in captivity can be costly. A zoo in Finland recently returned two pandas to China due to the high costs amid falling visitor numbers.

Hong Kong’s Ocean Park has housed pandas since 1999, when the first pair, An An and Jia Jia, arrived following the city’s handover to China.

Jia Jia, who passed away at age 38 in 2016, holds the record for the longest-living panda in captivity. In the wild, pandas typically live 18 to 20 years, while those in captivity can live up to 30 years, according to Guinness World Records.