KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's Genting announced on Thursday that it would be opening its first ski resort in China this December in an attempt to take a portion of China's growing leisure market. The company said work is currently underway and they expect to meet their self-imposed December deadline for the Genting Resort-Secret Garden resort that will have more than 80 total ski runs and 1.3 million square feet. Located in Hebei, a three-hour drive from Beijing, the resort will also house amusement parks, shops, restaurants and hotels. Plans are also underway for a 3,000 seat capacity convention centre in the 100 square kilometer valley site. The 10-billion-dollar mega project's main investor is Lim Chee Wah, son of the late founder of Malaysia's Genting Group. He expects the resort to attract mainly Chinese visitors. On top of the new resort, a nearby military airport is being converted for civilian use and a high-speed rail ready by next year, the resort is also hoping to draw visitors from Russia and Southeast Asia. Lim Chee Wah, group executive chairman, VXL Capital, said: “The initial years, we're looking at growing up to about 80,000 for the beginning and it'll grow up to about 1.2 to 1.5 million visitations a year.” “China's ski market is in its infancy compared to the US… US numbers dwarf China by 20, 30 times. From that standpoint, we see a lot of growth potential.” China's Ski Association estimates that the country will have 20 million skiiers by 2014.
