South Africa has opened its first Club Med resort, a more than R2 billion ($122.69 million) development that President Cyril Ramaphosa described as the country’s biggest hospitality investment in nearly five decades.
- South Africa has opened its first Club Med resort in Tinley Manor, KwaZulu-Natal, marking the country’s largest hospitality investment in nearly 50 years.
- The Club Med Beach & Safari Resort combines a beachfront hotel with a safari lodge, offering visitors both ocean and wildlife experiences.
- The R2 billion project created over 2,300 construction jobs and now provides 600 permanent direct jobs, plus 1,500 indirect jobs for locals.
- 84% of the resort’s staff are South African, with all safari lodge employees coming from surrounding communities.
The Club Med Beach & Safari Resort in Tinley Manor, KwaZulu-Natal, was officially opened on Thursday, with Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille delivering Ramaphosa’s address on his behalf.
The President said the development is the largest hospitality investment in South Africa and the broader Southern African Development Community (SADC) since Sun City opened in the 1970s.
“This mega-development is a vote of confidence in South African enterprise, in the capabilities of our people and in the future of our tourism industry,” Ramaphosa said.
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Club Med is a French-founded hospitality brand established in 1950. It has grown into a global resort operator known for its all-inclusive holiday model, with properties across Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas and the Caribbean.
The company is now controlled by China’s Fosun Group, which acquired Club Med in 2015. It operates under Fosun Tourism Group, the tourism arm of the wider Chinese conglomerate.
Club Med’s new KwaZulu-Natal resort is its first property in South Africa, expanding its presence on the continent.
A major bet on South African tourism
According to the South African Government News Agency, the development combines a beachfront resort on KwaZulu-Natal’s North Coast with a safari lodge in the province, giving international visitors access to both the Indian Ocean coastline and South Africa’s wildlife attractions.
Earlier project details put the resort site at about 54,000 square metres, with hundreds of rooms, suites and villas.
The project was funded by a South African investment consortium and backed by partners committed to broad-based black economic empowerment, according to Ramaphosa’s address.
Its economic impact extends beyond the resort itself. More than 2,300 direct and indirect jobs were created during construction, while the completed development has generated 600 permanent direct positions and supports another 1,500 indirect jobs through local suppliers and related businesses.
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The President also said 84% of employees at the Beach Resort are South Africans, while all employees at the Vikela Safari Lodge come from surrounding communities.
The opening comes as South Africa’s tourism industry records strong growth. The Presidency said international tourist arrivals reached 6.5 million between January and July 2026, up 12.4% from the same period a year earlier.
The resort is expected to create further opportunities for local farmers, transport operators, suppliers and other small businesses as demand for food, maintenance, tourism services and other supplies grows around the development.
For South Africa, the project represents an attempt to turn its natural attractions into a larger tourism economy while spreading the benefits of a major international hospitality brand into local communities.
