Las Vegas in Africa

Recent years have seen substantial capital investments in “destination resorts”, many of which utilize heritage themes to attract consumers. This movement was led by the renaissance of Las Vegas and by major urban destination projects, and coincided with South Africa’s reintegration into the global economy from the early 1990s onwards. As a result of new legislation in 1996, South Africa has in recent years seen the opening of a number of major destination resorts, in partnership with international interests that include Las Vegas- based multinationals, that reinterpret heritage to provide themed entertainment for a post- apartheid middle class of consumers. This paper looks in detail at four South African destination resorts, and shows how established themes in the representation of Africa and its history have been re-appropriated by the heritage industry in the material culture of casinos and associated retail and entertainment facilities.