Justin Downes | Ski Resort Development & Management In China

This episode continues our conversations exploring the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and some of the impacts and outcomes it will have on the country. It’s an event that will touch everyone in or involved with China and should have long-lasting effects well into the years following. Today we are talking with Justin Downes, President at Axis Leisure Management, a firm comprised of hospitality, leisure and business experts specializing in winter sports, hotels, resorts, restaurants, bars, retail, golf courses, tourism authorities, entertainment companies and various other establishments related to the services and hospitality industries in China. We cover a range of topics including the before and now of the snow sports industry of China; what the preparations for the Olympics looks like through various lenses; ski resort development in China and the underlying economic factors, as well as a look at the future of winter sports in China in general and whether the government is on track to reach its aspirational goal of 300 million winter sports enthusiasts. Enjoy!

Show Notes

Topics Discussed and Key Points:

●      Problems that Axis aims to solve

●      How Axis helps to develop resorts

●      How is China preparing for the 2022 Winter Olympics

●      How Axis is preparing for the 2022 Winter Olympics

●      Snowsports culture and the hospitality industry in China today

●      What Chinese consumers have taught Justin and the Axis team

●      Building ski resorts in China versus other countries

●      The development of four-seasons resorts in China

●      The future of winter sports in China

●      What the West can learn from China’s snowsports industry

 

Episode Summary:

Today on The Negotiation, we speak with Justin Downes, President of Axis Leisure Management, a firm comprised of hospitality, leisure and business experts specializing in winter sports, hotels, resorts, restaurants, bars, retail, golf courses, tourism authorities, entertainment companies and various other establishments related to the services and hospitality industries in China.

Axis was founded to address the fact that, at the time, “there [was] absolutely no expertise in the China market for building international-level ski resort destinations.” The management firm was thus established to “bring a global, high-quality standard experience across the board into the winter sports market in China.”

The company prides itself not only on its ability to facilitate business management but also on the capability of its team of experts to take someone’s vision out of their head and onto paper.

Listen in as Justin shares how China is preparing for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, which he says is dependent on the evolution of Chinese industry, the actual preparation and production going into the Olympic Games, and how the governing body intends to navigate COVID-19 before and during the actual Games.

The lead-up to the 2022 Winter Olympics bodes well not only for the snowsports industry in China but for the country’s sports world in general. Both the public and the government have contributed to drastic growth in the health and wellness industry in recent times, and the countdown to the Olympics has only accelerated that interest and growth.

Finally, Justin explains the ins and outs of developing ski resorts in China, including considerations around establishing and managing four-seasons resorts.

 

Key Quotes:

“Finding a piece of land in a remote location, in China, is quite easy. It’s really about, ‘Who’s going to come there?’ and ‘How are they going to get there?’ In some cases, the Chinese government builds fantastic infrastructure such as a rail with nothing at the end of that point, or they build a fantastic destination but no way to get there. We try to link these two components into a more organic growth solution.”

 

“China performed a fantastic job in 2008 with the Summer Games. It’s not as if they’ve not done this type of thing before. [...] From an execution standpoint—if you take COVID out of the equation—I think China will deliver a flawless athletic experience.”

 

“There’s been a lot of interest and pressure, both from the public-up and the government-down, to create an environment where people are healthier and happier. [...] General health and wellness in China is off-the-charts as far as opportunity and growth.”

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Despite being the world’s most potent economic area, Asia can be one of the most challenging regions to navigate and manage well for foreign brands. However, plenty of positive stories exist and more are emerging every day as brands start to see success in engaging and deploying appropriate market growth strategies – with the help of specialists.

The Negotiation is an interview show that showcases those hard-to-find success stories and chats with the incredible leaders behind them, teasing out the nuances and digging into the details that can make market growth in APAC a winning proposition.