Moroccan Property - Investment Focus

More About Morocco

Surprisingly, Morocco is often greener than neighbouring Spain and its exotic lure and four and five-star resort hotels are attracting the rich and famous at a growing rate: the Beckhams, Yves Saint Laurent, Richard Branson, Louis Vuitton and many more are fans of the country.

English, Spanish and French are widely spoken. The cost of living is lower than Spain, and on average one-third that of the UK. With 320 days of sunshine, the weather reaches 35°C in summer and 22°C in winter.

Despite its beautiful golden sandy beaches, fully equipped marinas and 30 18-hole golf courses, Morocco offers a very different lifestyle to that of the average European country. And with steady capital appreciation, a rise in tourism, and the benefits of being a relatively fresh and new market, Morocco is a tempting place to invest in an overseas property.

Investors Fact File

• Capital growth is 15%
• 2.2 million visitors a year, rising by 26% a year – the Moroccans wish to increase tourism to 10 million by 2010
• Very strict building regulations
• The equivalent of £27bn is being spent on roads, airports and general infrastructure
• There are plans for a Mediterranean tunnel from the east of Gibraltar to Tangiers
• More 18-hole championship-standard golf courses are under construction close to Smir
• A new port, to be completed in 2009, is set to be the largest in the Mediterranean
• Nokia, IBM, Dell and Intel are among companies that have invested here
• Emaar, the world’s largest developers, are building developments worth in excess of £3.5bn

 Key Facts - Morocco

	Climate - The average temperature in Marrakech is 35C (95F) in summer and rarely falls below 10C (50F) in winter. Coastal regions are cooled by winds from the Atlantic.
	Cost of Living - Loaf of bread: MAD 3–4 (20p–25p), bottle of wine: MAD 20 (£1.25)
	Currency - Dirham (MAD). £1 = MAD 17
	Getting There - No-frills airlines easyJet and Ryanair have recently begun flying to Morocco, making getting there cheaper and more accessible year-round. Flying time is just over three hours. The Moroccan airports for each region are Marrakech for the city and Atlas mountains, Agadir for the resort and coast and Casablanca for the city and north
	Time - GMT
	Population - 31 million