Durban is soon to set itself apart from other South African cities as a leader on the tourism front. A US hospitality group is planning a fleet of six see-through tourist submarines, underwater restaurants and nightclubs, and a 17 000-seat amphitheatre for live music performances on the KwaZulu-Natal coast.

All they need now is a suitable location to be chosen, and the R1,5 billion “edutainment” development will become a reality.

Unlike other far flung ideas, this one is already well on its way to becoming a reality.

Toney Watkins, the president and CEO of The Toney Watkins Company, a former entertainment industry producer and talent coordinator, yesterday unveiled the “Music City, SA” concept at the South African Maritime Industry Conference in Cape Town.

Dubbed an Aquamusical Experience, the two-part project will be both amphibious and landlocked.

On land there will be a music-themed hotel, conference centre and retail area, while offshore a 60m-long, twin-hulled platform known as the Mother Ship will be moored with the “all-acrylic” see-through submarines docking between the hulls.

The Mother Ship will have underwater restaurants, a nightclub and hotel suites, and a games centre for children.

The project is being pursued in partnership with the South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa).

Samsa CEO Tsietsi Mokhele explained that maritime tourism opportunities were often overlooked in South Africa, and the project had the potential to create jobs and stimulate economic activity.

Rudolph Dahl, president of Global Holdings Corporation, which is advising on the project, said Samsa was now in the process of narrowing down the site for the project.

South Africa, along with Hawaii and San Diego in California, had been identified as the most promising sites for the project.

Mr Dahl said:

This thing is going to make money. Once people are on board they are a captive audience.

The luxury cinema-styled swivel 66-seater submarines will be wheelchair friendly, and they’ll offer passengers floor-to-ceiling views. The subs will be able to travel to a depth of almost 80m, offering passengers an incredibly unique experience.

Letters of intent from Washington-based Ex-Im Bank worth $20 million have already been extended to the project’s promoters, giving them the confidence that once a site for the project is identified, and the environmental approvals have been granted, construction of the facility would be completed within 18-24 months.

This funding would be sufficient to get the first phase of the project under way, but expect other investors to jump aboard as soon as final approval has been granted.

[Source: BusinessDay]