Kerzner, Sol (1935-…), a South African businessman and entrepreneur, became recognized as the father of the African resort and tourism industry. Kerzner founded Sun International, a multimillion-dollar leisure resort and casino empire based in London. In 1982, Sun International launched Sun City, a resort 100 miles (160 kilometers) from Johannesburg, South Africa, which soon became famous for its hotels and casinos, its golf course, and the Lost City theme park (see Sun City ). Sun City immediately began attracting tourists from within and outside South Africa and soon revolutionized South Africa’s tourist industry.
Solomon Kerzner was born in Johannesburg on Aug. 23, 1935. He studied accounting at the University of the Witwatersrand. In 1960, he persuaded his parents, who ran a hotel in Durban, to take over the lease of a second one, the Palace. He worked at the Palace and soon acquired the lease on a third hotel, the Astra. Selling the Astra at a profit, Kerzner bought a piece of undeveloped land and built his first hotel. It opened in 1964 as South Africa’s first five-star hotel.
In 1969, Kerzner entered a partnership with South African Breweries and established Southern Sun Hotels. Starting with only 6 hotels, it had 29 properties across southern Africa by the beginning of the 1980’s. In 1983, he moved into the casino business. He sold his shares in Southern Sun and used the money to buy up all its gambling resorts. He set up Sun International to run his new gambling empire. In 1987, he moved his headquarters to London. From this base, Kerzner expanded his operations and investments outside South Africa to build one of the largest leisure industry corporations in the world.
