Sun City’s latest refurbishment cycle may be nearing completion but the resort is showing no signs of slowing its investment programme with further accommodation, leisure and infrastructure projects under consideration.
The most recent milestone is the R390 million (US$24.2 million) two-year refurbishment of the original Sun City Hotel. All 340 rooms, bedroom corridors, terraces and the Sun Terrace have been upgraded since August 2024. The project is set to be completed on August 28 this year.
The hotel’s pool has also been transformed into an entertainment-focused facility while the resort has introduced new family accommodation options and refreshed its interiors with design elements drawing on Tswana culture and the surrounding Pilanesberg landscape.
Sun City has also invested R210 million (US$13 million) in refurbishing the 236-unit Sun Vacation Club at The Reserve. This project began in 2024 and is scheduled for completion in 2027.
At the luxury end of the accommodation portfolio, the R295 million (US$18.3 million) Lefika Villas development added 48 three-bedroom and 10 four-bedroom villas. Demand has been strong with the four-bedroom inventory selling out and only limited three-bedroom stock remaining, according to Sun International.
The resort has also broadened its leisure offering, including an R8 million (US$496 499) investment in four padel courts opened in 2024 and upgrades to its existing tennis facilities. A R15 million (US$930 959) investment in the Gary Player Golf Course is also underway.
‘Continuous journey’
Speaking to Tourism Update on the sidelines of the Nedbank Golf Challenge media launch this week, Sun City Resort GM Brett Hoppé said: “We’re not complete. It’s a continuous journey.” Additional work is being considered across the resort, including the Cascades and Cabanas. Two mock-up rooms have already been developed at the Cascades as part of the planning process while potential expansion of Lefika Villas is being considered, subject to Board approval.
Hoppé said Sun City has also moved away from its “Vegas of SA” proposition, instead seeking to become established as a distinctly South African resort.
“We want to be one of the best resorts in the world and celebrate our South African heritage. We don’t want to copy anything else. What you get at Sun City is completely unique compared with any other product you can get anywhere else in the world. We want to honour our South African heritage rather than copy something that’s American.”
Hoppé said research conducted by the resort identified authenticity as a key customer expectation. Sun City is looking to its Tswana heritage and South African setting to differentiate the guest experience.
Speaking to Tourism Update at the same event, Sun International CEO Ulrik Bengtsson said a strong response to recent investments has given the group “a lot of appetite to continue to invest” in Sun City.
“Our investments in Sun City Hotel and the casino have worked really well for us. Sun City is arguably more popular than it’s ever been. The sheer size of this place, with 5 000 employees, means that there’s always investment.”
Pilanesberg Airport
Hoppé believes the revitalisation of Pilanesberg Airport could significantly strengthen North West Province’s tourism since the airport fire in 2023.
A memorandum of understanding was signed with the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure and the North West provincial government in March for the airport’s revitalisation although no completion date has yet been confirmed.
“If we can get the airport enabled, we can start linkages to the Kruger and Cape Town as we had previously,” Hoppé said, arguing that improved air access would benefit the entire province.
International growth
Sun City is targeting a balance between its strong domestic market and international growth. Bengtsson said international tourism is generally more profitable while the resort remains committed to accessibility for South Africans through its range of accommodation and price points.
India and China are among the markets Sun International sees as particularly attractive following the introduction of South Africa’s e-visa system. Hoppé said India was Sun City’s top-performing market last year.
“We are very excited about the new e-visas because they open up markets such as India and China in a different way. It was previously quite difficult for people from those countries to obtain visas so the e-visa makes these markets much more attractive to us,” Bengtsson said.
