Free State Business 2019 edition

OVERVIEW
Tourism
Bloemfontein has a new hotel.
SECTOR INSIGHT
The Macufe is a 10-day cultural
celebration.
Premier Hotels & Resorts is a step closer to having a presence
in every major South African city with the development of
an 88-bedroom hotel in Bloemfontein.
The Splendid Inn Bloemfontein by Premier, expected to
cost R110-million, will also be able to accommodate 150 conference
delegates. The first phase of the project will see the existing Stanville
Hotel refurbished and expanded. Phase two will begin in 2019.
South Africa’s largest hotel groups have several brands that cater
to different markets. Protea Hotels has five properties in the Free State:
Protea Hotel Bloemfontein by Marriott and Protea Hotel Willow Lake
(both four-star), Protea Hotel Bloemfontein Central (three-star), Protea
Hotel Montrose (Harrismith) and Protea Hotel Clarens.
The four-star Southern Sun Bloemfontein, part of the Tsogo Sun
group, has 147 rooms, and the Goldfields Casino in Welkom is another
Tsogo Sun property. The City Lodge Bloemfontein has 151 rooms, and
there is a Road Lodge at the airport.
The Rantsoareng Group operates exclusively in the Free State and
has three properties, the biggest of which is the President Hotel in
Bloemfontein.
Sun International runs the
Lesotho Sun and the Maseru
Sun in neighbouring Lesotho. In
Bloemfontein, the Windmill Casino
and Entertainment Centre offers
slot machines and gaming tables,
plus the ability to host conferences
for up to 250 delegates. The fourstar
Willow Lodge has 80 rooms.
The Naledi Sun Hotel and Casino
is about 65km from Bloemfontein.
Forever Resorts has a popular
facility with chalet accommodation
and a caravan park on the banks
of the Gariep Dam. Overlooking
the dam is the 43-room de Stijl
Gariep Hotel which has wedding
and conference facilities. Afristay
awarded the hotel its “Best value
hotel” in 2018.
The Mangaung African Cultural
Festival (Macufe) has become a
national and international event.
Offerings range from music and
craft stalls to poetry, film and
theatre, a soccer tournament and
boxing matches. The festival is
probably best known for its varied
musical performances, but the annual
football tournament also gets
good coverage and support.
A Heroes’ Park is to be constructed
at Thaba Nchu and
Tumahole with statues of Oliver
Tambo and Fidel Castro. The muchdelayed
construction of a museum
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