Morocco property is currently within a state of almost unparalleled growth and as a result of this, the country itself is embracing the period with numerous initiatives.

One of the widest ranging of these is the Plan Azure, which represents King Mohammed’s vision for the year 2010.

As part of this, around ten billion Euros will be allocated to rejuvenating six tourists resorts to take them up to “premium” standards. With this, it is hoped that over ten million people per year will visit the country, providing increased economic benefits which will be felt throughout the nation.

The plans also embody improved transport networks including motorway construction, ports, airports and even an under water tunnel linking Morocco to mainland Spain. This will undoubtedly generate much interest in Morocco real estate as well as properties available for rent.

The Plan Azure is indicative of the growth and ambition which Morocco is currently experiencing. The level of global awareness is infinitely increasing and with this comes a heightened level of interest and investment. It is, with out doubt, an exciting time for the nation, particularly with the majority of European nations experiencing, or about to experience, economic recession.

At  meeting in Palma, Mallorca last week all the major players in the fabulous five star resort “Mediterrania Saidia” signed a memorandum of understanding that the resort will be ready by June 2009. Under the agreement FADESA Maroc will deliver the two hotels it’s currently working on in March and April next year – giving ample time to train staff before the summer rush.

Harbourside cafes are already open

An extensive marketing plan for the resort was also agreed and will be implemented in conjunction with the Moroccan Tourism Board and hotel operators, Barcelo and Iberostar. Michael Kent of Moroccan Sands added “We been extremely impressed by the recent progress in Saidia , the direct motorway link to the airport is complete and I think the first visitors will be bowled over by what’s on offer. We’ve been involved with Saidia from the start and it’s tremendously rewarding when milestones in the project such as this are reached.

A frequent fear of many overseas buyers is that as economic conditions tighten it will become harder to make a rental return from their investment. Whilst this may be true in certain overhyped destinations such as Bulgaria and Dubai it certainly isn’t true in Morocco.

Since colonial times the French influence remains strong

This is because tourist numbers to Morocco are dominated by the French who make up nearly 70% of all arrivals and France is currently the only eurozone country still experiencing growth in the last quarter. Even if the French economy takes a downturn the level of state benefits is such that most families will continue to holiday as normal and the opening of ever cheap ways to travel between the two countries will enhance this further.

Recent evidence from the UK also suggests that Morocco is well placed to benefit as respondents to a survey suggested that it would be the traditional “bucket and spade resorts” on the Costas which would be worst hit as they were perceived as the most overpriced. Morocco was viewed favourably as it offered an exotic destination with value for money – a combination most travel industry experts believe will become increasingly attractive in the future.

In addition to their strategic plans “Vision 2010” and the Plan Azur the Moroccan government announced on 18th November a further $95 million dollars for the tourism sector. This massive amount dwarfs anything spent elsewhere and should be viewed as a further sign of confidence in the long term aspirations of Morocco.

Michael Kent, Managing Director of leading Moroccan property company Moroccan Sands commented, “ This once again shows why Morocco is the only overseas destination that deserves serious consideration from investors. There’s such an enormous amount of investment flowing into the country from the Gulf and Europe that growth, even in these constrained times.”

Indeed the figures support this assertion – for whilst most of Europe and the US is forecasting minimal or even negative growth Morocco predicts a year of continued growth, with the latest estimates (Oct 2008) at around 5.8%. Indeed this figure could be set to rise once the lower cost of fuel filters down through the economy.

Mohammed Boussaid, the Moroccan Minister of Tourism, also added that due to the policies put in place by the government (such as developing resorts in virgin areas and the new flight route agreements) would enable Morocco to survive and prosper in these difficult times.

Which is all good news for people buying property in Morocco as greater prosperity will stimulate not only the domestic market but also continue to attract overseas buyers.

The economy of Morocco is the “most interesting in North Africa in terms of growth potential,” said Dominique Gautier, a partner in the Munich-based “Roland Berger Strategy Consultant” which has an office in Casablanca, Morocco.

Moroccan Finance minister Salaheddine Mezouar

Gautier who explained to “The Financial Times” the reasons behind opening a branch in Morocco noted that Morocco offers great opportunities for consulting companies. Roland Berger Strategy Consultants is one of the world’s leading strategy consultancies with 36 offices in 25 countries, the company has successful operations in all major international markets.

“As well as helping local companies such as Royal Air Maroc with their ambitious pan-African strategies, the consultancy has just finalized a new sports strategy for the kingdom of Morocco,” Gautier said.

The FT stressed that international consultancies are reporting steady or strong growth in their African businesses, adding that only China receives more investment than the MEDA countries (in which Morocco is a major partner).

Morocco property interest has developed rapidly over the last few years and one of the major reasons for this is the increased amount of tourism which the country has experienced.

At the beginning of 2006, the Moroccan government declared an open skies policy and this has had a profound effect, not only in terms of the tourists visiting the nation, but also interest in the property market.
It is now estimated that the flying time from London to Marrakech is under three hours and this is a significant benefit for people who want to move to Morocco, but wish to minimise the length of time it would take them to visit the UK in the future.

The accessibility of Morocco and also the relatively low costs associated with this have helped to significantly enhance the demand for property in the area. Much of this is due to an enhanced global awareness of the country which has meant that many people have researched moving to Morocco far more than perhaps they would have done at the start of the new millennium.

With the number of people starting a new life in Morocco consistently increasing, there is currently much demand for properties in the country which is sure to continue.

Every time you switch on your television or pick up the newspaper, you are hit by doom and gloom stories regarding the British economy and the imminent recession. Many commentators have suggested that the effects of this will last a matter of years rather than months and just yesterday, Simon Heffer of the Daily Telegraph predicted that the London Olympic Games in 2012 will be a great way to formally mark the end of the recession period.

Yet it is a very different situation in Morocco as the economy continues to go from strength to strength. The MASI has grown by over thirteen percent since the start of the year and when you compare this to the decline of the FTSE100, the impressive nature of this is exemplified.

As a result of this, Morocco property is being thought of by many people as a recession proof investment. The industry has certainly experienced a widespread increase over the last few years and this has been enhanced by major road improvements and an increased number of flights coming in to the country. It is expected that in the next two years the number of tourists visiting Morocco will double and exceed the ten million mark.

The stability of the Moroccan economy is just one reason why many people are now deciding to invest in property here and this trend is sure to continue in the future.

Despite the fact that Lewis Hamilton has just become the youngest ever Formula One World Champion, the British are not the only nation to be basking in celebration. Over the summer it was revealed that the FIA World Touring Car Championship circuit would be visiting Marrakech for the 2009 season, and is set to embrace four separate continents – Africa, the Americas, Europe and Asia.

The Moroccan Grand Prix will represent an additional race for some of the most lavishly paid sportsmen in the world, and will of course bring with it all the glamour and excitement which the sport exemplifies. The news, which was announced at the El Saadi Palace in Marrakech represents the first time that the country has held an international Grand Prix for over half a decade and as a result, plans are already afoot to turn the event into a national celebration and symbol of immense pride.

As a result, the beautiful city of Marrakech will provide the ideal backdrop for the event which is sure to capture the worldwide imagination on 3rd May 2009. The President of Motor Sport in Morocco, Ali Horma, has indicated that the event is set to be a national celebration which will encompass everyone. However, there is much hard work to be done before the event and Horma has called on the entire Moroccan people to work together, to not only ensure that the street circuit which is planned meets FIA standards, but also to take the event in to their hearts and create a fabulous spectacle with the eyes of the world upon them.

The event has understandably elicited a media frenzy within Morocco and it is thought that the funds derived from this will have an unprecedented impact on Moroccan property, tourism and economy. It is certainly exciting times for the country and we are sure that when the time comes, the event will be a remarkable spectacle.

A meeting in Tangier between the Moroccan Bristish Business Council and the British Middle East Association highlighted the growth in the Moroccan tourism industy and presented an outline of future plans to a selection of tour operators.

During the meeting Minister of Tourism, Mohamed Boussaid, explained the Plan Azur and Vision 2010 strategies to increase tourism receipts and showed the success of the scheme so far by noting that over 7m visitors travelled to Morocco, a 7% increase on the same period last year. The government is pumping over 9 billion euro into tourism projects in order to establish Morocco as the premier non-European Mediterranean destination.

Further evidence that Morocco is ideally placed to benefit from future tourism trends was demonstrated by stats from Thomson and First Choice’s findings in their new Trends
Report 2008-09 showing that more than one-fifth of holidays taken this
year were outside Europe, indicating that the old favourites, Spain and
Portugal just aren’t far or exotic enough any more.

As air fares rise and long haul routes are cut exotic countries such as Morocco, which is on the doorstep of Europe, will become increasingly attractive over the next few years. A strong euro has also encouraged Northern Europeans to look beyond the traditional Costas for better value for money.

“The endless pursuit of the exotic aren’t the only push factors. The
current pound to euro situation is encouraging holidaymakers to
question their traditional Mediterranean choices and try something
else, ” comments Chintan Mahida of Nubricks.com, a leading overseas property
brand, “if they like it, they will return again especially since low
cost airlines such as Easy Jet are cottoning on to the changing trends
and adding new routes to destinations to places like Morocco more easily accessible. It’s only a question of time before they become
fully fledged resort destinations in their own right on the back of
which tends to follow a demand for property.”

Increased accessibility will certainly result in an influx of
tourists in these parts of the world. As always, as they become regular
visitors, hotel accommodation will lose its appeal and they will look
for alternative rental accommodation. Anyone considering buying
property abroad would be wise to investigate the enormous potential of Morocco.

Jardin de Fleur, the leading developer in Saidia, has today announced the signing of an agreement with Golden Tulip to operate the resort previously know as RT-7 Les Jardins du Maroc. These extremely spacious two, three and four bedroom penthouses and apartments in Saidia are intelligently arranged around the perimater of the resort with the focus in the centre being on the impressive facilities for owners; including a heated swimming pool, restaurant and bar, amphitheatre, tennis court, solarium and children’s area.

The Golden Tulip Residences

Hans Kennedie, CEO of Golden Tulip added, “The Tulip Residences will offer fully serviced, tastefully furnished properties that combine luxury and elegence with all the comforts you could wish for. Saidia is a fantastic location with immense potential.”

Who are Golden Tulip?
Based in Lausanne Switzerland, the Golden Tulip Hospitality Group operates more than 780 hotels worldwide in more than 50 countries. They operate across the range of hotel categories but in Saidia they are operating under their Tulip Residences four star brand with superior first-class service. The Residences are designed to be a home from home and more personal and spacious than traditional hotel rooms.

What are the advantages of buying with Le Jardin de Fleur?
As a buyer on one of the Jardin de Fleur resorts you benefit from probably some of the best leaseback deals available in the world today. They have contracted established and reputable hotel operators such as Radisson and Best Western to provide rental clients for their apartments - giving you the benefit of a massive marketing budget and client database. So as you can see this is one resort that won’t just take your money and leave you to get rental clients yourself, indeed the proactive approach taken by the developer is just one reason that Moroccan Sands recommends Le Jardin de Fleur above others in Saidia.

For more information about Le Jardin de Fleur and Saidia go here