Las Vegas in Africa

Hall, M; Bombardella, P

Abstract

Recent years have seen substantial capital investments in 'destination resorts', manyof which utilize heritage themes to attract consumers. This movement was led by the renaissance of Las Vegas and by major urban destination project, and coincided with Soouth Africa's reintegration into the global economy from the early 1990's onwards. As a result of new legislation in 1996 , South Africa has seen the opening of a number of major destination resorts, in partnership with international interests that include Las Vegas-based multinationals, which reinterpret heritage to provide themed entertainment for the post-apartheid middle-class consumer. This article looks in detail at four South African destination resorts, and shows how established themes in the presentation 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.

Citation

Hall, M., & Bombardella, P. (2005). Las Vegas in Africa. Journal of Social Archaeology, 5(1), 5-24. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469605305050141

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2005
• Deposit Date: Dec 7, 2009
• Journal: Journal of Social Archaeology
• Print ISSN: 1469-6053
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 5
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 5-24
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1469605305050141
• Keywords: consumption; heritage; Las Vegas; South Africa; tourism
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1469605305050141