Tourism

The Southern Sun brand has been revived.

The Southern Sun brand lives again. The announcement was made in 2022 that Tsogo Sun Hotels would be no more. The Southern Sun group is focussed on hotels, with no casinos in its 31-property Gauteng portfolio. These range from several SUN1 facilities for budget travellers to the luxury of the 75-room 54 on Bath in Rosebank. Nearby Sandton has seven Southern Sun properties, including the Sandton Sun and Sandton Towers.

The Maslow Times Square, Pretoria, which also has conference facilities, is one of two Sun International hotels linked to casinos. The other one, Carnival City in Brakpan, has recently added five new rides to its Pocket Park, pictured. The group’s third Gauteng hotel, The Maslow Sandton, which is aimed at business travellers, is located in the centre of the financial district and close to the Gautrain station.

Tsogo Sun, as distinct from the deactivated Tsogo Sun Hotels, has interests in casinos and gaming and runs seven hotels paired with casinos in Gauteng. These include the Silverstar Hotel inside the Silverstar Casino and Entertainment Complex in Mogale City, West Rand, and there are four hotels at Montecasino.

Despite the Covid-related slump, tourism remains a sector that can grow quickly. Growing Gauteng Together (GGT2030) is a plan of action formulated by the Gauteng Provincial Government which intends to transform, modernise and industrialise the provincial economy. The expansion of the tourism sector is seen as one of the key methods of achieving those goals.

Airlink, which ended its franchise agreement after SAA went into business rescue, has signed deals with Qatar Airways, Emirates and United Airlines, giving travellers easy access to a range of Southern African destinations and St Helena.

Single-ticket arrangements and one-stop baggage check-ins will facilitate easier travel in a difficult time. Airlink also has a service that connects travellers with certain game lodges. Airlink boasts an on-time performance consistently better than 95%.

Culture and history

Heritage tourism is a strong component of the tourism offering in Gauteng. The Cradle of Humankind is a UNESCO World Heritage

Online Resources

Cradle of Humankind: www.maropeng.co.za

Gauteng Tourism Authority: www.gauteng.net

Johannesburg Tourism Company: www.joburgtourism.com

Sector Insight

Airlink has signed important partnerships.

Site and attracts thousands of visitors every year to the interactive visitor’s centre at Maropeng. The Sterkfontein Caves have recently revealed astonishing finds, showing the origins of humanity through artefacts such as the 2.1-million-year-old skull known as Mrs Ples.

The Origins Centre at the University of Witwatersrand provides more fascinating insights into the origins of mankind through art and science. The Centre hosts superb representations of Khoi and San rock art.

History relating to the struggle against apartheid centres on attractions such as the moving exhibitions housed at the Apartheid Museum and the history of the battle for human rights and democracy embodied in Constitution Hill. ■