African Design Magazine February 2017 | Page 84

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Moro accommoda

Morocco is set to reaffirm its position as Africa ’ s leading luxury getaway wi The huge , nationwide accommodation boom will bring 3 171 five-star rated r which welcomes more than

From the revamped Tazi Palace Hotel in Tangier , to the new Oberoi and Park Hyatt hotels in Marrakech , the openings mark what experts view as stage one in the country ’ s Vision 2020 blueprint to attract 20million tourists a year by 2020 .

In an exclusive report commissioned by dmg events – who are uniting African and international interior designers and architects at INDEX North Africa in Casablanca this week – researchers from TOPHOTELPROJECTS discovered that there are a massive 52 hotel builds in the pipeline for Morocco , all of which will open by the end of 2020 .
Samantha Kane-Macdonald , Event Director at INDEX , said : “ The take home message from this report is simple : Morocco is readying itself to rival the world ’ s leading tourist destinations . Our research found it now lies behind only the UAE and Saudi Arabia when it comes to hotel construction projects in the Middle East and Africa .”
Launched by the Department of Tourism in 2010 , Vision 2020 is focused on upgrading the quality of accommodation and guest experience on offer across Morocco . The planned launches for 2017 tick those boxes , with opulent residences ranging from boutique hotels like the rural Grace Marrakech at the foot of the Atlas Mountains , to the vast expanse of the 200-room Shaza Marrakech and the Rabat Marriot Hotel set to open .
Speaking earlier this year , Lahcen Haddad – Morocco ’ s Minister of Tourism – said : “ Tourism is harbinger of wealth , a source of employment , a way for Morocco to open itself to the outside world , and a means for Morocco to attract investment .
“ Tourism and the hospitality industry are the hope for the future of the world economy , since they create jobs and wealth , but also for world unity . For people to meet and understand each other better , we need to promote tourism . Let ’ s invest in tourism and the hospitality industry .”