The Kings and Governments mission to actively encourage inward foreign investment, many state of the art world class tourist resorts are being built.

Since coming to power in 1999, King Mohammed VI has been a force for change in the country. Popular amongst the Moroccan people, he has galvanised the whole country to join in with his vision to an extent which would be unimaginable in Europe.

The Government is now embarking on a national tourism strategy, Vision 2010, which will see Morocco’s tourism industry transformed within the next decade and its contribution to the national economy considerably enhanced.

Vision 2010

In 1999, His Highness Crown Prince Sidi Mohammed was declared King of Morocco ‘His Majesty King Mohammed VI’. After his enthronement, the King uncovered his ambitious development plans for Morocco.

Mediterrania Saïdia is the only Moroccan Government sponsored ‘Plan Azur’ Resort on the Mediterranean coast in his vision to attract ten million tourists to the Mediterranean coast of Morocco by 2010 and create 600,000 jobs in the tourist industry. The government’s master plan for the area will ensure that the resort will benefit from modern infrastructure.

This massive investment plan is called the Plan Azur

On January 10th 2001 at the National Meeting on Tourism in Marrakech King Mohamed VI announced the launch of a new tourism policy for Morocco. He had recognised that the country had been underachieving in the tourism sector; it’s unbeatable combination of climate, culture and stunning natural scenery should have placed it at the forefront of world travel destinations.

The King announced a new sustainable, integrated tourism policy known as “Vision 2010” the aim of which was to boost visitor numbers from 2 million to 10 million a year (7 million of which are international visitors). A total of 9 million euros was designated for the launch of the new sea tourist resorts and infrastructure, creating 600,000 new jobs and resulting in tourism contributing 20% to the GDP of the country.

In order to achieve the goals of the Vision 2010 programme it was recognised that certain areas of the country should be granted special status and with this in mind six “Plan Azur” areas were identified. These six “Blue Zones” were all established on stretches of the coastline recognised for their outstanding natural beauty and untapped tourist potential. Each area would be given a designated theme such as culture, sustainability, or sport to act as a coherent strategy for development.

Property in these areas will benefit from a number of tax advantages attractive to the overseas property purchaser. Property buyers benefit from the exemption from tax on rental income for five years, no inheritance tax and no capital gains if the property is sold after 10 years. Inheritance tax can also be greatly reduced if the property is left to a direct family member.

So far the programme has been progressing with impressive efficiency and many of the new motorways, airport expansion programmes and marketing initiatives are well advanced. Indeed, it is a measure of its progress already achieved that the respected London agency Superbrands identified Morocco as the second most desirable brand in the overseas travel market.


Vision 2010, voluntarist program opening huge projects
 
The Vision 2010 on tourism in Morocco is a voluntarist program that opens huge projects, levers of genuine sustainable development, affirmed Moroccan Minister of Tourism, Handcraft and Social Economy, Adil Douiri.

In a interview with "MAP" on the fringes of the 5+5 Tourism Ministers Conference, held on Friday in Hammamet, Douiri said this Vision aims notably to strengthen infrastructures and national and local capacities, open huge projects and promote the tourism sector, a lever of socioeconomic development.

The Vision also aims to diversify the tourism product, develop training and partnership in the air transport and other related tourism fields, he pointed out.

Douiri said the government and the private sector spare no effort to reach the Vision objectives, noting that the indicators are promising as the tourism sector recorded an increase in 2006 Q1 at the level of night guests (+6%), tourists number (+13%) and receipts.

Besides the number of 10 million tourists, the Vision 2010 aims notably to create 160,000 beds, bringing the national capacity to 230,000 beds and to create some 600,000 new job opportunities.

At the level of investment, the volume should reach USD 10 to 11.5Bn, while receipts in foreign currencies should reach USD 61Bn.

Tourism contribution in GDP should increase annually by 8.5% to reach 20% by 2010.

In the final Declaration, the first 5+5 Tourism Ministers conference recommended to set up a mechanism that would promote the Western Mediterranean civilizations, develop expertise and know-how exchange and consolidate air transport.

The conference, which brought together tourism ministers of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritania France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Malta, stressed the need to consolidate the vocation of tourism as vector of socioeconomic and cultural development.

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Check out the Le Jardin de Fleur Resorts wirh are part of the Plan Azur