Sun welcomes easing of tourism in South Africa

Major South African casino operator Sun International has welcomed the opening of the country’s international borders to tourist travellers and increased operational hours for its venues.

Under Level 1 of the Covid-19 regulations in South Africa, into which casinos and other hospitality and entertainment venues have now been moved, the company’s 42.5 per cent of the South African casino market is now back in action.

Sun has properties in Nigeria, Swaziland, Chile and 13 South African casinos, many of them with attached hotels. It also has a substantial route operation in South Africa.

The Level 1 situation permits Sun to have 50 per cent capacity in its locations and was greeted by COO hospitality Graham Wood, talking to Gaming for Africa magazine, with: “This gives greater clarity to the industry.”

He added: “The road ahead will not be easy but we can now plan for the recovery of the hospitality and conferencing segments of our business. This is especially important for our key properties such as the Palace Sun City, the Table Bay Hotel, the Maslow Sandton, the Wild Coast Sun and the Boardwalk.”