Hong Kong-listed Suncity Group has revealed plans to develop a luxury resort in the renowned Japanese ski town of Niseko in Hokkaido, one of two developments the company plans to start work on in Japan in 2021.
Suncity said Tuesday that it will develop non-gaming resorts on both Miyako Island, Okinawa and Niseko, Hokkaido in the coming months as it ups the ante in pursuit of a license to develop an integrated resort in Wakayama.
The Hokkaido project is described only as a “luxury resort” to serve one of the world’s most popular skiing regions, and will primarily target Japanese and Korean travelers.
“With development plans in the works in 2021, the project will cover an area of approximately 20 hectares, combining the natural beauty of Niseko and convenient leisure amenities,” Suncity said.
Further south, the Okinawa project follows Suncity’s purchase of a majority stake in a plot of land in September 2019. The company said at the time that, although a planned hotel project for the site would not incorporate gaming, it “considers that with (i) the continued increase in Chinese visitors travelling to Japan and (ii) the newly operated direct flights to the Shimojishima Airport, the acquisition represents a good opportunity to further expand its tourism-related business and to diversify its focus, in terms of geographical locations, from China to the East Asia region.”
On Tuesday, Suncity said the project, located in the Yonaha Maehama Beach area, would provide 100 hotel rooms and 40 private villas with their own pools, as well as a variety of water sports, including stand-up paddling, snorkeling and deep diving. Construction is slated to begin this year and be completed in 2023.
“The completion of these new integrated resorts will serve as a testament to Suncity Group’s determination to become Asia’s leading integrated resort operator and an enterprise rooted in Macau that is actively responding to the national policy of ‘going global’,” it said.
Suncity is currently one of two candidates to have taken part in Wakayama’s Request for Proposal with the goal of developing one of Japan’s first integrated resorts, dubbed IR2.0.
Suncity also confirmed on Tuesday plans to open all facilities of the US$1 billion Phase 1 development of Vietnam integrated resort Hoiana in 2021 as part of a Grand Opening, to be followed by commencement of the project’s second phase. The first phase includes four hotel brands operated by Hong Kong’s Rosewood Hotel Group, Hoiana Residences, a championship golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones II, authentic Asian restaurants and Hoiana Suncity Casino.
