LANDOWNER, Tongaat
Hulett Developments,
has signed a
Memorandum of Agreement
with Club Med for the
development of the first
internationally branded
beach resort in Southern
Africa.
The R1 billion resort will be
at Tinley Town, 10km from
King Shaka International
Airport in KwaZulu Natal and
is expected to have 350
rooms and 50 villas located
on 30 hectares.
Olivier Hannaert, md of
Club Med Southern Africa,
confirmed that the MOA had
been signed on March 26
and described the site as a
beautiful, untouched piece
of land with an exclusive
beach in a beautiful bay.
“There is still a long
way to go before the
commencement of work but,
nevertheless, all parties are
excited and working hard
toward shaping the first Club
Med resort in South Africa,”
said Olivier.
Club Med has been eyeing
South Africa for a beach
resort development for more
than a decade and a number
of areas were rumoured to
have been chosen over the
last few years.
There had been
speculation that the French
resort operator had not
committed to its plans to
build a South African resort
because travel to KZN was
very seasonal, with small
inbound travel numbers and
a local population that could
not sustain a sizeable resort
year round. However, Olivier
said Club Med had always
been a pioneer in its choice
of location, giving Cancun
as an example, where it
had been the first to open a
resort.
“Club Med is not looking
at the inbound trends
but rather on our internal
capacity to fill the resort.
South Africa is an attractive
destination for the 48
countries that are selling
Club Med.” Olivier added
that MICE travellers would
be a priority for them,
especially in the domestic
market.
KZN’s MEC for human
settlements and public
works, Ravi Pillay,
announced at Indaba this
year that it was envisaged
that the resort would
officially open for business
in 2022. He told media that
the landmark development
would attract international
visitors, contribute to foreign
direct investment and create
job opportunities for the
local community.
“Global experts have been
telling Tourism KwaZulu
Natal that such a beach
resort, run by a big-name
international operator, was
the missing piece in the
region’s tourism offerings,”
TKZN spokesperson
Nhlanhla Ngwenya told TNW.
According to reports,
the resort forms part of
Tongaat Hulett’s ambitious
new mixed-use resort
town development. The
development is allegedly
planned to be built on the
secluded southern side of
the Umhlali River on prime
land, currently home to
fields of sugar cane. It has
direct beach access and
overlooks the Indian Ocean.
During Indaba 2018,
economic development
and tourism MEC, Sihle
Zikalala, listed the Tinley
Manor Beach Resort as one
of several major catalytic
economic tourism projects
planned in KZN for the
next few years. He also
mentioned the north coast
Blythedale Coastal Resort,
valued at R350 million, and
said tourism infrastructure
projects to the tune of
more than R50 billion had
been planned for the city of
Durban, including a
R40 billion Point Waterfront
revamp.
For more on KZN, see the
feature on page 13.
