World's largest indoor skiing resort opens in Shanghai

John Downes, president of Axis Leisure Management, was also in the Snow World with the visitors. As a Canadian based in Beijing since 2007, Downes has been engaged in the skiing resort business and was involved in this resort's development from design through construction and operation. He was with the first batch of customers to identify challenges and opportunities for improvements and is positive that the resort will offer more than a resort.

"I think everybody is amazed by this building and enjoying it. Here I can see a lot of already experienced skiers and snowboarders, who may used to go to northeastern China, Japan, Canada or Europe. Also, there are also a lot of people who have never seen snow in their entire life. This resort is a very important stepping stone for those people. If we want to grow the global ski population, get more people involved in the skiing sport, such venues give them a taste," said Downes.

He described the resort is "far more intricate and experiential". Unlike many other skiing venues with basically straight ski slopes, the Snow World provides contour and slopes with different gradient, offering more varieties, challenges and experience types for skiers.

"You can come as a beginner and leave as an advanced skier. And as long as this place does a good job and provides people with fun and valuable experience, they will progress into the outdoor mountains in other places. It will benefit the entire industry," said Downes.

Moreover, as a venue expected to draw a large number of tourists, the resort does not stand alone. Together with Shanghai Astronomy Museum and other cultural tourism spots, the resort is projected to become a hot tourism destination and attract tourists from both home and abroad, especially after China's 144-hour visa-free policy.

China expanded its 144-hour visa-free transit policy earlier this year. Under the policy, foreigners from 54 countries can enter and exit at 37 Chinese ports such as Beijing, Shanghai and Changsha visa-free.

"Shanghai sees a lot of international tourists, and the resort is close to Pudong International Airport. So just like Ski Dubai became extremely popular because of the transit visitors, skiing in Shanghai can be a novelty experience for international tourists as well," said Downes.

Contact the writer at wangxin2@chinadaily.com.cn