Industry News
This week, Chinese conglomerate Fosun broke ground on the second phase of the Taicang Alps Resort, an ambitious project aimed at establishing China as a global benchmark in ski tourism. The new development—backed by a 5 billion yuan ($695.88 million) investment—officially began construction on June 6, with completion slated for June 2029. When finished, it will become the world’s largest ice- and snow-themed tourism complex.
Phase I of the project, which opened in November 2023, features six major themed experience zones: Alps Snow Live Ski Resort, Alps Snow Live Ice and Snow Park, Club Med Urban Oasis Taicang Resort, Alps Times, Alps Camp, and Alps Cosmos. Since opening, Taicang Alps Resort’s Phase I has welcomed more than one million visitors.
The newly launched Phase II will feature a range of new amenities, most notably the world’s largest indoor ski resort. It will also include snow-view hotels, theme hotels, a water park, hot springs, an aquarium, land-based amusement parks, and other family-oriented facilities—creating a comprehensive, snow-themed urban vacation hub.
Once completed, the expanded resort will encompass roughly 300,000 square meters (74 acres) of gross floor area. Signature features will include:
- One world-class indoor ski slope with a 650-meter length and 100-meter vertical drop
- Two international-themed hotels
- Six additional recreational zones catering to visitors of all ages
The combined infrastructure from both phases will deliver the world’s longest indoor ski trail and the largest cold-zone recreation area globally. Currently, the titel for the world’s longest indoor ski slope is held by the Alpincenter Bottrop in Germany with a 640-meter (2,100-foot) long indoor run. Taicang’s longest slope will beat Bottrop’s slope by 10 meters (33 feet).
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In recent years, China has been trying to grow tourism within the ski industry, or the ‘ice-snow tourism industry’ as it is called in China. On September 29, 2023, the State Council released a Notice on Several Measures to Promote High-Quality Development of the Tourism Industry. The report aimed to address some of the key barriers that have deterred foreign tourists. These measures target safety concerns, visa complexities, and the country’s unique payment systems that pose challenges for international visitors. “Develop the ice-snow economy, promote the entire industrial chain of winter sports, equipment, and tourism, and strengthen ski resorts,” the State Council stated in the report.
The Taicang Alps Resort—located in the economically dynamic Yangtze River Delta—is central to this vision. Once fully operational, it will offer year-round access to skiing, luxury lodging, themed entertainment, and retail, all under one roof.
As China seeks to turn its Olympic-driven winter sports momentum into long-term economic opportunity, projects like Taicang could become the new blueprint for ski tourism.
