Photo Caption:
Chairmen of the Southern Sun Resorts managed Share Block Companies following the renewal of their management contracts: Richard Weilers (COO, Tsogo Sun Hotels), Ian Cruickshank (Director, Sabi River Sun Shareblock), Brian Ellis (Chairman, Drakensberg Sun Chalets Share Block), Laurance Hodes (Chairman, Beacon Island Shareblock), Deon Viljoen (Chairman, uMhlanga Sands Shareblock), Bill Liebenberg (Chairman, Cabana Beach Share Block), Lubabalo Tyali (Group Legal Office, Tsogo Sun) and Adam Fuller (Operations Director, Southern Sun Resorts). Absent: James Olive (Chairman, Pine Lake Share Block)

Timeshare continues to be a robust and growing sector in South Africa’s holiday market. Against this background, one of the country’s most established players, Tsogo Sun is extending its long-term commitment to the industry for a further 10 years, with the renewal of Southern Sun Resorts’ (https://www.tsogosun.com/hotels/our-hotel-brands/southern-sun-resorts) management contracts with the six properties in its portfolio, catering for over 44 000 timeshare owners.

Adam Fuller, Director of Operations – Southern Sun Timeshare, says this 10-year management contract renewal highlights the group’s confidence in the timeshare market and its strong commitment to the timeshare owners who in turn have continued to demonstrate confidence in the group’s management of their timeshare investments.

Tsogo Sun has a long history in the timeshare industry, having been the first branded hotel company in South Africa and among the first in the world to enter the market sector 36 years ago. “In March 1982, when Tsogo Sun (then Southern Sun) entered the timeshare market, we were the first hotel operators to do so. This was a radical departure from the traditional hotel operation and Southern Sun Timeshare offered consumers the opportunity to buy into highly sought-after real estate and purchase a lifetime of holidays on a fixed week timeshare basis. The timeshare owners had the reassurance that the scheme was backed by leading holiday hotel group Southern Sun, and that they would now own a share of this wonderful concept.”

Fuller says that sales of R4 million were achieved in the first six weeks of the campaign launch. “For a once-off purchase price plus a levy for service and upkeep, consumers eagerly bought into the principle of using a holiday unit for a specific period of the year, for years to come. Now, 36 years on timesharing is as much a part of the leisure industry in South Africa as hotels.”

He says that Tsogo Sun’s provision of exceptional holidays backed up by its strong brand has been the basis of timeshare purchases by owners over the years. Timeshare in South Africa supports about 27 000 jobs and generates billions of rands to the GDP, according to a recent Grant Thornton survey. It’s is a preferred holiday option for many for the convenience, affordability, and consistently high accommodation, services, amenities and facilities standards it offers, particularly when managed and maintained by a strong and reputable brand.

Fuller adds that Southern Sun timeshare owners have a tangible product that provides pride and security of ownership. “As managing agents, we not only take care of the timeshare units and the resorts, we have also developed close relationships with our owners to ensure that our offering has evolved to deliver what they ask of us. For instance, through SunSwop (https://www.tsogosun.com/hotels/our-hotel-brands/southern-sun-resorts/sunswop), owners can exchange their timeshare, swopping it out into another Southern Sun resort, or an affiliated external resort, or through our overseas timeshare exchanges where the fee is rock-bottom compared to accommodation costs elsewhere in the United States, Europe or the Far East.”

Facilities and amenities for children and teens have also improved over the years, delivering full entertainment programmes and activities for children of all ages.

Fuller says that Southern Sun Resorts has moved with the times and that the company has seen significant changes. “Tsogo Sun is a large and dynamic company, listed on the stock exchange. It is different to where it was 20, 30 years ago, and it’s continuing to grow. This strong link feeds back to the resorts, offering a powerful corporate resource base to draw from – for legal and compliance expertise, for the best human talent, and more. Southern Sun Resorts is playing the A game here.”

Tsogo Sun’s Southern Sun Resort properties, located in popular South African holiday destinations, are:

• Beacon Island Resort, situated on the site of an old whaling station in Plettenberg Bay, which has 200 rooms and eight sea-facing suites, a fitness centre, hotel spa, heated indoor pool, outdoor pool, conferencing facilities, and various restaurant and bar options.
• Cabana Beach Resort, located on the uMhlanga coastline, north of Durban and is a self-catering resort with 217 sea-facing full self-catering apartments for two, four, or six people. Facilities include two swimming pools, a variety of dining options, and year-long kids entertainment.
• uMhlanga Sands Resort in uMhlanga, which has 237 semi-catering sea-facing apartments, child-friendly amenities and activities, and direct access onto the uMhlanga main beach.
• Drakensberg Sun Resort in the picturesque Cathkin Park area overlooking a lake, which is a family-friendly resort with 78 hotel rooms, 62 self-catering timeshare units, a spa, pool, restaurant, and outdoor adventure activities.
• Sabi River Sun, a 200-acre golf resort located 10km from the Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga, with 104 timeshare chalets and 60 hotel rooms, a championship 18-hole golf course, a bowling green, three tennis courts, a squash court, five swimming pools, a hippo and crocodile dam, conferencing, year-round children’s entertainment, a spa, and various dining options.
• Pine Lake Resort on the banks of Lake Longmere in White River in Mpumalanga, which has 34 split-level self-catering chalets that can sleep up to six guests, tennis and volleyball courts, a gym, spa, games room, swimming, hiking and canoeing.

Southern Sun Resorts is part of Tsogo Sun, the leading hotels, gaming and entertainment group in South Africa, encompassing 13 casinos and over 100 hotels in South Africa, Africa, the Seychelles and Abu Dhabi.

For more information about Southern Sun Timeshare, visit https://www.suntimeshare.co.za/site/.

Tsogo Sun has a portfolio of over 100 hotels and 13 casino and entertainment destinations throughout South Africa, Africa and the Seychelles. For more details, visit https://www.tsogosun.com, follow on Twitter @TsogoSun or like on Facebook /TsogoSun.