An international consortium led by Singapore's Keppel Land will launch a multi-million dollar golf and holiday resort in Yunnan province next week, despite a slump in the region's tourism market.
Spring City Golf & Lake Resort - built along a swathe of 500 hectares at Yangzhonghai Lake, 48 kilometres outside Kunming - will open for business on January 1, Arthur Yeo Hui Kong, Keppel Land's assistant general manager for regional investments, said.
The facility features an 18-hole championship golf course, designed by Jack Nicklaus and carved from the lake's hillside.
Construction of a second 18-hole championship course, designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr, began last summer and is expected to be completed by the end of next year.
The two golf courses, along with a 49-room clubhouse resort, are part of the US$55 million first phase of a project that will eventually include the launch of the mainland's first Club Med holiday resort.
Investment at the site is expected to reach $600 million over the next 15 years, Mr Yeo said.
The project is a joint venture between an overseas consortium led by Keppel Land, which holds a 50-per cent stake in Spring City, and the local government of Yiliang County.