British interest in Moroccan property heats up

How to bag a property bargain in Morocco

Morocco is on a mission to attract foreign buyers - but you'll have to move quickly to snap up the best bargains. Graham Norwood reports in the British newspaper, The Independant

Say "Morocco" and most people think of Marrakech. But Marrakech is not the only place in Morocco that is having a love affair with selling homes to foreign buyers.

Since 2004, the North African country has put tourism and development at the top of its agenda. In the first nine months of 2006, visitor numbers rose by 9 per cent compared to 2005. Their spending rose 26 per cent, suggesting longer visits by more affluent tourists. By the end of this year, 6.5 million foreigners will have been to the country, up from 5.8 million last year.

The Moroccan government aims to attract 10 million visitors a year by 2010. There's even a permanent exhibit at Disney World to tempt US tourists - a strident move for a Muslim country these days.

The government has a raft of plans: to create six coastal resorts (five on the Atlantic Coast and one on the Mediterranean), to upgrade regional airports to attract budget airlines to locations other than Marrakech, to increase flight capacity over the country, and to build a new high-speed train service. It's even looking at the possibility of digging a tunnel to Spain under the Strait of Gibraltar.

Morocco means business. It is modernising property-buying processes for foreigners who are looking to buy holiday homes. "It was incredibly difficult for a foreigner to buy just five years ago, but now it's pretty easy," says Tony Roberts, who has just become the Marrakech-based representative of the upmarket UK estate agency Savills. The firm's move into this market is a sign of how many Britons are now interested in this North African country.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE: How to bag a property bargain in Morocco

Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news