Brochure Morocco
Development of a tourism complex in Morocco.
This brochure outlines our project to develop a tourism
complex in Morocco which will ensure sustainable development in a measurable
way.
1 Table of contents
1 Table of contents 2
2 About us 3
3 Why we want to invest in Morocco 6
4 Where we want to invest in Morocco 7
5 What we want to create in Morocco 9
6 What are the benefits for Morocco 13
7 What we are asking from the Moroccan state 14
8 Prolan-Invest details: 15
9 Biosustainable.org details: 16
2 About us
Prolan-Invest are an investment syndicate which aims to embark
on various tourism property development projects in Morocco.
We group individual investors into project specific property development
companies and manage the entire development cycle (land sourcing, land acquisition,
obtaining building permission, bringing together of all the project stakeholders,
property development, marketing and sales of the development) on behalf
of our investors.
What sets us apart from most of the other investors in the property development
sector is that we hold the following concepts close at heart:
- High quality of build: the meaning of the words "high quality"
has truly been diluted. The properties we build will aim to once again give
a true meaning to these words.
- Accessibility for guests with reduced mobility: the issue of reduced
mobility is so often forgotten in the design phase of a new tourism complex.
By including this requirement in our design we can avoid costly modifications
later on to cater for elder guests and guests with reduced mobility.
- Eco friendliness: in this day and age people are rightfully becoming
aware of their impact on the environment. We aim to offer them a product
that will meet their demands to reduce their environmental footprint.
- Sustainable development: Eco-friendliness is a step towards sustainable
development. We want to go further however; we want to make sure that all
stakeholders in our project (be they shareholders, employees or local population)
have something to gain. We want to ensure that our development fully fits
within their environment for now and in the years to come. We will therefore
partake, with our development activities, in the achievement of a sustainable
development of the economy by working in close collaboration with the managers
of Biosustainable.org. They have been carrying out theoretical research
into sustainable development for many years. Some of the conclusions of
their research can be summarised as follows:
"Sustainable development can be achieved the moment producers
and suppliers account for their production costs which have no negative
impact on the environment. The <susdev> percentage represents the
"environmental-cost-free" costs of production of the assessed
goods and services. <Susdev> represents the measurable part of goods
and services which ensures that development lasts. The durability of development
can thus be measured and hence controlled. Eventually, the permanence of
development can be managed with this information."
Together with our partners at Biosustainable.org we will analyse
and provide a <susdev> percentage of our production costs (the development
cost of tourism infrastructure) which ensure sustainable development. We
will try to achieve an exemplary high "susdev" percentage for
the project. We will continuously publicise this percentage, amongst others,
at the building site. By doing so, we trust to be trendsetters and to encourage
other developers of tourism infrastructure to follow suit.
As the natural resources are a key asset to the tourism industry, we
are confident that the sector has the power and interest to adopt the <susdev>
percentage.
The development of the project in Morocco will take place within the
context of a scientific project. It has as purpose to introduce "susdev"
goods and services into actual building practises. This research project
encompasses other projects similar to the one in Morocco. All projects can
thus share the results of research from participating universities or research
centres.
Except from the universities and organisations which are already involved
in the project, we count on establishing cooperation with public administrations,
other universities and also with suppliers and other businesses.
Biosustainable.org informed us:
Morocco
"A cultural councillor of the Embassy of Morocco in Brussels
expressed sympathy and understanding for the theory underlying the "susdev"
percentage. She assured us of the good services of the embassy in establishing
contacts with academic institutions and the press.
We recently received a mail from a member of:
Equipe Qualité
Direction des Entreprises et Activités Touristiques - D.E.A.T
-
Département du Tourisme - Rabat
with the request to let her know in what ways the Ministry of Tourism
could help us in the realisation of the project.
Indonesia
We are in the process of making a contract with the University of
Siliwangi in Indonesia to develop land which they own into a tourist resort
also with the "susdev" percentage. The university has members
of the secretariat of ASEAN on its staff.
Roumania
A paper with our theory has been presented in "Theoretical and
Applied Economics"* a Romanian economy journal from an academic press.
The professor who presented our paper to the revisers of the journal is
waiting for a proposal inviting him to unite academicians, tourism professionals,
investors and regional managers in Romania. They could then be convinced
with a lecture of the sense and value of presenting the costs of production
that are environmental cost free in a "susdev" percentage.
Sustainable tourism can then be developed in regions where professionals
operate who present a "susdev" percentage. These regions can quickly
become the base of thriving businesses that will indeed last as a source
of income for generations.
The development of the scientific project, which purpose is to introduce
the "susdev" percentage into building practises will hence be
driven by business interests."
*"Theoretical and Applied Economics", Nr. 8 (503) of
October 2006, published by the General Association of Economists from Romania
(GAER)
3 Why we want to invest in Morocco
We have analysed various countries and decided to invest in Morocco for
the following reasons:
- Morocco offers an attractive investment alternative for people who
hold European and UK property in their investment portfolios. They can now
diversify their portfolios into properties in Morocco. Its economy is independent
from these of Europe and the UK and there is an upcoming and already thriving
free market economy fuelled by tourism.
- a serious commitment of the Moroccan state to develop the tourism sector
as exemplified by the Plan Azur.
- a noticeably apparent commitment of various Moroccan officials to low
rise, low density and high quality tourism developments
- due to various factors huge areas of Morocco have so far managed to
avoid high density building. People kept on building low density and low
rise housing using traditional methods, without too much concrete and other
environmentally unfriendly materials. There are therefore still many rural
areas of Morocco, which offer property developers and tourism professionals
the possibility to experiment with various eco-friendly and sustainable
development concepts in quasi pristine Nature. Their efforts will avoid
making the disastrous mistakes made in other tourism destinations such as
in vast stretches of the Spanish costa's and more recently in the development
of the black sea resorts in Bulgaria. Most European countries are currently
struggling to refurbish the existing housing stock in order to reduce their
environmental impact.
- Morocco, with its largely unspoiled territory has a huge potential
to develop sustainable tourism in Nature still in prefect state. This quality
of the environment allows an unhindered development of this tourism. Sustainable
tourism businesses can therefore progress rapidly in Morocco.
4 Where we want to invest in Morocco
Prolan-Invest are willing to invest into specific areas of Morocco.
We want to invest around Marrakech and around Agadir. The reasons for choosing
those locations are multiple and include:
- Highest hotel and resort occupancy rates in Morocco
- Highest number of incoming flights for tourism
- Low rise, high quality tourism complex developments
- Excellent year round climate
- Infrastructure improvements in the area
The most important for Prolan-Invest in this investment is the
"location". We want our developments to be located in areas of
outstanding natural beauty, away from the overcrowded spaces but within
easy reach of the best tourism areas.
a) Marrakech: We are in the process of looking for a plot in a
very specific area around Marrakech. The plot will be located about 30km
south of Marrakech in a picturesque rural setting on a plain at the foothills
of the High Atlas. The impressive all year round views of the Atlas Mountains
are simply breathtaking and will be an important factor in the plot selection.
The chosen area is situated between Marrakech, Lake Takerkoust and the
Oukaimeden Ski station which will be extended and redeveloped by the Emaar
group. The chosen location offers the best of both worlds: a rural haven
of peace and tranquillity within easy reach of the exciting city of Marrakech
with its vast choices of shops, souks, restaurants and galleries.
Outdoor activities are equally easily accessible and include: Jet Ski,
water ski, wakeboard, canoeing and kayaking, microlighting, quad biking,
mountain biking, trekking, climbing, skiing, horse back riding excursions,
golf, tennis, hunting and fishing.
b) Aglou-Mirleft: The target plots are situated between the Atlantic
Ocean at the front and the Anti Atlas Mountains at the back between Aglou
and Mirleft (south of Agadir). The target plot would have a beach or cliff
front. Most or all the properties to be built will have stunning ocean views.
This area of outstanding natural beauty, at one and a half hours drive
from Agadir Airport, is where the Anti Atlas Mountain range throws itself
into the Atlantic Ocean. The road between Agadir and Tiznit is currently
being widened and should considerably reduce the journey time. At the south,
the area is known as the gateway to the desert. Away from the hustle and
bustle of Agadir, this place is all about slowing down the pace of life,
enjoying nature and the great outdoor (ocean - mountain and desert) as well
as discovering the Berber culture, food and traditions. A range of outdoor
pursuits such as: surfing, kite surfing, diving, horse back riding, fishing,
paragliding, quad bike riding, 4WD excursions to the desert, hiking and
trekking, mountain biking are available close by.
Mirleft, the closest village, has shops, hotels, a petrol station, a
post office and most facilities needed. Tiznit, the closest city at 37 km,
with a population of 60.000, is known for its silver jewellery workshops.
It is the place where one can find all the amenities. Sidi Ifni, the second
city, is at 40 km. It is known for its fishing port. Sidi Ifni has the size
of Tiznit.
Although the above areas are our preferred areas, we remain open to other
suggestions as long as such suggestions are well documented.
5 What we want to create in Morocco
A short description of our main development ideas: (i.e. in Marrakech
on a 10ha plot)
The development will consist of a tourism complex with serviced villas
(between 100m2 and 200m2) and 60m2 one bedroom apartments. They will be
used as serviced hotel suites. A boutique hotel will also be built. It will
offer facilities which can be used by the guests of the hotel and the villas
alike. The entire complex will be managed as a hotel.
The mix of units we might build on a plot size of about 10 ha is the
following:
- 26 x detached residential units of approximately 150m2
- 28 x semi-detached residential units of approximately 100m2. They can
also be sold as detached units of 200m2.
- 16 x one bedroom apartments. They will be used as hotel suites detached
from the main hotel. They will have a surface of approximately 60m2 each.
- a Boutique Hotel, with 17 rooms of approximately 35m2 each and 2000m2
of shared facilities such as:
* hotel reception & concierge
* restaurant
* bar
* chill out Berber tents around the pool with some space for live music
performances
* library
* office facility
* tennis court
* spa with hammam, sauna and treatment rooms
* gym
* a first aid nurse or doctor on site. Depending on the experience which
the hotel manager has with the experiment, the doctor and the nurse could
offer free medical treatment to the inhabitants of the village on a regular
basis.
* shops
* a number of multi-purpose rooms or spaces for yoga classes, cooking
courses, massage or henna tattoo courses, local crafts courses, live music
performances
The detached and semi detached villas as well as the apartments will
be sold with a contract to join a rental scheme, managed by the hotel operator.
This contract will ensure a 30 days occupation by the owner and an income
for the owner from the rental of his property. The rental contract also
stipulates a level of maintenance of the property. The contract thus eliminates
the grievances usually associated with home ownership.
For the hotel operator this type of structure will complement revenues
generated by renting out hotel rooms with rental income from serviced villas
and apartments. The service of renting out private properties will result
in higher occupancy on site. Higher occupancy benefits local people as this
will generate more employment and higher sales of local produce and services.
Here are the main concepts we want to adhere to for this development:
Adhere to eco-friendly, sustainable development principles for the building
and running of the resort. We adhere to these concepts out of conviction.
When considering various solutions and technologies, we will select the
ones which deliver the best environmental sparing per Euro spent. Good orientation
of the buildings and reducing energy demands might be more effective in
achieving sustainable tourism than buying expensive photovoltaic panels
and wind turbines. With an unlimited budget, we would do both.
Re-usage and treatment of grey waters (even though not mandatory by law)
will be considered as a source of water. This recycling of water will keep
the quantity of water consumed in the domain at a minimum.
Using local labour and craftsmen where possible in the building and decoration
phase will also be an essential part of the project.
If the budget allows it we will dig an artificial stream with a number
of artificial ponds which can be used as a water reserve. It will encourage
wildlife habitat on the grounds. At the same time this stream and the ponds
will be valuable garden landscaping features for the guests.
The domain will be car free, a communal parking will be provided on the
domain and from there a series of narrower paths will lead to all residential
units. Facilities will be available to bring the shopping from the parking
to the villas and apartments.
Unlike most developments in Marrakech, where each residence is cordoned
off by a fence wall, we like to keep as much of the grounds as open communal
grounds. This will create a sense of space whilst making it easier for wildlife
to circulate through the domain. Satisfying solutions will need to be found
to provide enough privacy for each guest.
Finally, a number of units or rooms will be developed as to be easily
accessible by residents or guests with reduced mobility. Again this is a
concept which is relatively unheard of in Marrakech.
Prolan-Invest will be aiming at convincing the investors to set
aside a percentage of the profits generated by the sale of this development
for targeted local charity projects.
Prolan-Invest will work with Biosustainable.org to calculate
and provide a <susdev> percentage representing the percentage of total
development cost which have no negative impact on the environment.
Running of the resort:
Again the focus will be on eco friendliness and sustainable development.
The building materials and techniques will have tackled the issue of reducing
the energy needs for each residence.
The on-site hotel managers will manage the entire development whilst
adhering to the above concept. They will therefore have to present the "susdev"
percentage of the hotel operations.
Agreements can be made with local producers to source locally grown foods
with a minimum of packaging. A shop on the development can promote the use
of natural - biodegradable detergents, locally sourced foods and produce,
etc.
Another shop with local arts and crafts can also be envisaged with the
contributions of various craftsmen of the area.
The services provided by the hotel operator will require the employment
of local personnel who respect the hotel standards. On-site and Off-site
services such as spa treatments, massages, cooking courses, pottery classes,
yoga classes, guided tours, guided walks or hikes in the Atlas, will benefit
everyone: the hotel operator in terms of revenue, the residents in terms
of choice and experiences, the local population in terms of income. These
leisure time activities can either be provided by the hotel operator or
by subcontracting businesses or by local villagers vetted by the hotel operator.
Prolan-Invest will aim at convincing the hotel operator to set
aside a percentage of the profits for targeted local charity projects.
Biosustaianble.org will assist in calculating and in providing
the percentage of the total running cost of the domain which have no negative
impact on the environment. They will also provide information about the
quality and state of the land and waters on the domain.
We are property developers and are not specifically looking at a stake
in this project after the development is sold. But we are passionate about
the type of development we create. We are convinced that this type of development
could be a model for Morocco and inspire other developers to follow suit.
The role of the hotel operator is central in our attempts to ensure that
a set of values is adhered to once the development is sold. We think it
would be very difficult to get the resort to run on eco friendly and sustainable
development principles without the hotel operator to manage the complex.
We are therefore looking for a hotel partner to either manage the site
or to take a stake in the site and co-develop it with us. We are in a comfortable
position to enable a potential hotel partner to have a say in the design
of this development as we have not yet been through the design phase.
6 What are the benefits for Morocco
Through its investments the Prolan-Invest syndicate will:
- Contribute towards Moroccan's aim to increase the capacity in the hospitality
sector.
- Create direct and indirect employment in the building, hospitality
and tourism sectors.
- Encourage foreign investment in Morocco.
- Provide a product in the growing market of eco-friendly and sustainable
tourism.
- Show that high quality, eco-friendly property development can be profitable
and be a model for other developers in the country.
- Contribute towards reducing the environmental impact of the growing
building and tourism sectors and thus laying the foundation for sustainable
economic development of the country.
7 What we are asking from the Moroccan state
In order to make our investments possible we apply for the help of the
state. We would like the state administration to help us with the realisation
of our investments and with the coordination of our contacts with:
- Various administrations and agencies who can give us detailed information
with regards to local and regional development plans (with regards to property,
tourism, economical, academic and environmental projects) and how we can
fit within these plans.
- Various administrations and agencies to get all necessary authorisations
(VNA, building permits, etc..)
- Various administrative requests to obtain incentives for example from
Tourism administration, Investment Agency, Environmental agency, fiscal
and tax administration, etc
- Various administrations to help us to have access to state, province
or communal owned land
- Various administrations and agencies that can help with environmental
issues, training issues (for the property development phase and for the
running of the tourism complex), communication and participation in the
local community, etc..
- Various Academic institutions, agencies and administrations which can
provide help with the adoption, improvement and promotion of the <susdev>
concepts.
8 Prolan-Invest details:
Our Company details in Morocco: Property and Land Investments Holding
Offshore sarl
45 Av. Mohammed V, app.10
90000 Tanger
Morocco
Our Company details in the UK:
100 Bennett Crescent, OX4 2UW, Oxford, United Kingdom
tel: +44(0)1865350304
mob: +44(0)7803940542
fax: +44(0)7876857914
email: info@prolan-invest.com
web: www.prolan-invest.com
9 Biosustainable.org details:
Details for: Biosustainable.org
Contact: Willem Adrianus de Bruijn, MBA
80 Avenue Emile Zola, B- 1030 Brussels, Belgium
tel: +32(0)26485695
mob: +32(0)486691176
email: info@biosustainable.org
web: www.biosustainable.org
e-mail : Willem.Adrianus.de.Bruijn@biosustainable.org
