Club Med has delivered another standout year in the Pacific, posting nearly 30% growth across Australia and New Zealand in 2025 backed in part by booming ski travel to Japan.
“We’ve had a fantastic year,” Club Med General Manager for Pacific and New ESAP Markets Michelle Davies told LATTE. “2025 is another record-breaking year for us here in the Pacific. We’ve seen really, really strong growth, almost 30% across the entire business, which is amazing.”
A central driver of this growth story has been the surge in ski travel to Japan, where Club Med’s resorts are experiencing exceptional traction particularly within the ANZ market. With the current winter season still underway, sales are already up 46% year-on-year, and early bookings for the 2026 winter season are racing ahead of last year’s pace.
“For the first three days of our opening, we’ve already doubled our business for the first three days from our opening last year,” Davies said.
Several factors underpin this surging interest. Affordability has played a role with the exchange rate favourable. Minimal jetlag for Australians compared to European or North American resorts further enhances Japan’s appeal along with ski’s current aspirational status, according to Davies. “Ski has really become that elite experience for the winter time,” she explained.
While Davies said the desire to ski has “trickled down to the everyday Australian or Kiwi”, Club Med’s Japan ski properties remains popular with luxury travellers thanks to their unique locations.
Unlike more crowded Japanese ski hubs, Club Med’s properties are often in more remote, serene spots, she explained offering a sense of privacy and calm that high-end clients value.
“In one of our resorts… we are the only resort on the entire mountain, so you’re only ever going to be skiing with other Club Med guests,” she noted. This level of exclusivity translates to a bespoke, peaceful holiday environment rarely found in large commercial resorts.
Moreover, Club Med’s emphasis on active, skill-building experiences aligns with evolving expectations among luxury travellers who seek meaningful engagement rather than passive relaxation. “There is an appeal to learn a new skill and be active as a family on the slopes,” she said.
As demand for ski holidays continues to surge, Club Med is actively hunting for new resort locations to expand its global ski footprint. The brand has already doubled its ski presence in Japan, growing from two resorts pre-COVID to four in Hokkaido, and is now looking for further opportunities.
“While we are definitely looking not just in Japan, but across Europe as well as North America, we are quite selective,” Davies said, stressing that any new sites must meet Club Med’s particular standards, particularly around ski-in, ski-out access and a consistent guest experience.
That strategy is already taking shape, with Club Med having “secured a brand new site in Canada, on the east coast of Canada, quite close to Montreal,” and “plenty more sites under review”.
AloJapan.com