Fosun Anchors New China Resorts With Club Med and Thomas Cook Brands
Photo Credit: A spectacular view of the rooftops of the ancient town in Lijiang. Photo by Wenjie Qiao, Flickr. Flickr / Wenjie Qiao
Skift Take
Fosun bets on integrated resorts to address the needs of Chinese travelers, who are showing interest in these types of experiences. Why not use what’s already in the family? Thomas Cook and Club Med should be ever so pleased.
Fresh from its Hong Kong initial public offering last month, Fosun Tourism Group is making good on its intention to use the proceeds to develop two new integrated resorts in China, announcing properties under the Thomas Cook Group brands Casa Cook and Sunwing.
The two projects are in Lijiang, Yunnan province, famous for its UNESCO World Heritage old town, and Taicang, Jiangsu province, 30 minutes from Shanghai.
Fosun Tourism chairman and CEO Jim Qian told Skift he is seeing different segments emerging in China’s domestic travel market. While this is already the norm in mature western markets, it’s just starting in China, and there’s a need to offer local travelers a choice of hotel brands and a variety of experiences, said Qian.
In so doing, Fosun is turning to what’s in the family, its own Club Med and its Thomas Cook China joint venture. The Lijiang Albion International Resort will also have a Club Med, which has “a different positioning” from the boutique, desig
