The Plan Azur is an investment project initiated by the Moroccan government in 2001. The project aims at boosting tourism in Morocco through the development of six coastal resorts, five on the Atlantic coast and one on the Mediterranean coast. The project was launched in order to achieve the "Vision 2010" strategy which aimed to attract 10 million visitors a year to

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

. Plan Azur was developed to provide 80,000 beds and 10 golf courses. The project suffered several setbacks and delays, due to financial difficulties and to the lack of marketing.

List of coastal resorts

Mediterrania-Saïdia

Mediterrania-

Saïdia Saïdia ( ar, السعيدية, translit=Al-sa'idiyya; ber, ⴰⵊⵔⵓⴷ, ''Ajrud''), known as the ''"Blue Pearl"'', is a beach town in northeastern Morocco near Berkane, in the great area of Beni Znassen. It is located in the province Berkan ...

is the only Plan Azur resort on the Mediterranean coastline. The 7,000,000 sq m real estate project was launched in 2005 by a Spanish property developer

Fadesa Fadesa Inmobiliaria, S.A. was a Spanish real estate company. In 2007, the company was the subject of a friendly takeover by rival Martinsa resulting in the creation of Martinsa-Fadesa. History Fadesa was established on 24 July 1980 by Manuel Jo ...

. The completion was planned for 2009, however, updates are documented on the officia
Mediterrania Saidia
site.

Criticism

Mediterrania-Saïdia is close to one of Morocco's most biodiverse hotspots, the estuary of the Oued Melouia. Here, in dune forests are some of Moroccos's rarest species, and the construction companies involved at the site have come under criticism for poor environmental planning, leading to invasive impacts on these unique natural spaces.https://www.france24.com/en/20090301-morocco-tourism-luxury-resort-beach-harmed-environment-spain-

Port Lixus

Port Lixus, a lower density resort than Mediterrania-Saïdia, is near Larache on the northern Atlantic coast, this Azur Plan resort will include two 18-hole golf courses, a new marina, a sports and leisure complex, several hotels and luxurious apartments and villas. Salixus, a Belgian-Dutch consortium, is the master developer of this €1 billion, 4,620,000 sq m real estate project, earmarked for final completion in 2015.

Mazagan

South of

Casablanca Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...

is Mazagan - Situated near

El Jadida El Jadida (, ; originally known in Berber as Maziɣen or Mazighen; known in Portuguese as Mazagão) is a major port city on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, located 96 km south of the city of Casablanca, in the province of El Jadida and the re ...

on the Atlantic coast. This Azur Plan resort was launched in late 2007 and will include a casino, two 18-hole golf courses, over 15 km of beach and several hotels and luxury properties.

Mogador Essaouira

Mogador

Essaouira Essaouira ( ; ar, الصويرة, aṣ-Ṣawīra; shi, ⵜⴰⵚⵚⵓⵔⵜ, Taṣṣort, formerly ''Amegdul''), known until the 1960s as Mogador, is a port city in the western Moroccan region of Marakesh-Safi, on the Atlantic coast. It ha ...

the fourth Plan Azur resort covering 5,700,000 sq m will include two 18-hole golf courses with more properties and hotels.

Taghazout

North of Agadir, the development will include several 4 and 5 star hotels, 2 golf courses, and several residential, leisure and retail facilities. Phase 1 properties are due for completion in late 2008.

''Playa Blanca''

The final of the six of the Plan Azur regions is ''Playa Blanca'' where development rights have been awarded to

, the main developer of the Mediterrania-Saïdia resort.

References and notes

{{Economy of Morocco, state=uncollapsed Seaside resorts in Morocco