During its 44 years of operation, over thirty million visitors visited Jumbo Kingdom, including Queen Elizabeth II, Jimmy Carter, Tom Cruise, Chow Yun Fat, and Gong Li.

Jumbo Kingdom was part of Melco International Development Limited, a company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

[4] According to a senior editor from the Hong Kong Chronicles Institute, predecessors to floating restaurants were once fishermen's barges from the Guangzhou and Pearl River areas.

[11][12] It was reported that New Bond Ltd obtained ownership of the vessel in August and intended to renovate the restaurant to serve an Asian-Western fusion cuisine and promote Hong Kong tourism as well as local brands.

[13][14] In 2023, New Bond Ltd said it had not made any final plans for Tai Pak after acquiring it in January and that a former business partner had spoken to the press about proposals that had not been approved by other shareholders.

[17][18] In the finale of the 1996 comedy film The God of Cookery, Stephen Chow judged a cooking competition that caught the attention of audiences all over China; it was held inside the restaurant.

Jumbo's parent company Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises had been operating at a loss with the pandemic devastating tourism and catering industries, while fees for inspections, repairs, licensing and berthing still needed to be paid.

ARE's offers to donate it were not successful as all interested parties cited high operating costs, which can run up to millions of Hong Kong dollars annually.

[25] Because its operating licence with the Marine Department was due to expire, and there was no berth available, ARE decided to have the restaurant towed out of Hong Kong and wait for better prospects.

[36] Tourism lawmaker Perry Yiu Pak-leung said the loss was of the city's heritage, adding that the "government, conservationists, historians and the commercial sector should be working together to protect" historic sites but everyone had "stalled too long.

"[4] Other lawmakers in Hong Kong requested an investigation of the South Korean tug boat company to determine whether there was human error or malpractice involved.

[38] Commentators from the fishing and shipbuilding industries said that a safer method would have been using a semi-submersible ship, like the ones that transported Sea Palace to Manila Bay and Tsingtao.

Some pointed out that the restaurant is top heavy due to its multi-story superstructure and that towing it outside to the high seas should have called for extra precautions.

Shiu hopes to archive pieces of Hong Kong history, such as the State Theatre that is undergoing revamp, and said that anyone can use his online platform to turn images into virtual models.

[44] It was intended to undergo reconstruction, including an underwater structure that prevents up and down movements in water, and reopen in May 2014 catering primarily to wedding events, but renovations were still incomplete as of 2021.

[45][46] Local residents have attempted to tour the closed boat on their own, despite the rusting hull and a safety perimeter put in place to deter visitors.

[46] A staff canteen was located on the fourth floor of Jumbo Kingdom, named So-Kee Coffee Shop (蘇記茶檔), that served Hong Kong cuisine including noodles and street food.

Salvage operations began on the kitchen barges of Jumbo and Tai Pak in 2023, but the court ordered all four vessels to be preserved until the case closes.