The Spanish hotel company Sol Meliá has signed an agreement with the Moroccan government to jointly develop hotel projects in Morocco, to promote improvements in the country`s tourism infrastructure and revenues, as well as developing training programmes for employees in the industry.

In a ceremony presided over by the Prime Minister of Morocco, Abderahnan Youssoufi, the agreement was signed this afternoon in Rabat (Morocco) by the Chairman of Sol Meliá, Gabriel Escarrer, and the Moroccan Ministers of Economy and Finance, Industry, Commerce and Handicrafts, Tourism and Water and Forests, Fathallah Oualalou, Alami Tazi, Hassan Sebbar and Said Chbaattou, respectively.

The first project that will be developed under the agreement will be the construction of a luxury resort in Agadir. The Paradisus Agadir, with a magnificent location alongside the sea and the Founty de la Solaba project, will provide a total of 500 rooms (in a second stage the hotel will be enlarged to 1,000 rooms), a thalassotherapy centre and spa, a convention centre, a casino and an 18-hole golf course, amongst other exclusive services and facilities.

The resort will be built over a surface area of 100 hectare and will be developed by Sol Meliá together with a number of local partners.

According to the Chairman of Sol Meliá, Gabriel Escarrer, “the signature of this agreement confirms Sol Meliá`s commitment to the Mediterranean area, an area that is still amongst the most popular tourism destinations in the world and also one of the most competitive and profitable.

It also reaffirms the commitment Sol Meliá has always had since we first began our international expansion to assist in the socio-economic and cultural development of those areas in which our hotels are located”. He also added that, “the incorporation of this new resort in Agadir means the first appearance of our Paradisus brand in the Mediterranean, our luxury “all inclusive” resort product that will soon be seen in a number of other countries in the region.”

AGREEMENT WITH CIH TO TAKE OVER TWO HOTELS IN MARRAKECH AND AGADIR:
Furthermore, there has been an additional agreement with the company Crédit Immobilier Hotêlier (CIH), represented by his Chairman, Abdalouahad Souhail, to take over the management of the Tichka Hotel in Marrakech and the Al-Madina Palace Hotel in Agadir.

The two hotels, providing 138 and 206 rooms respectively, will be renovated to adapt them to the product and service quality standards of the Meliá Hotels brand.

INTRODUCTION OF THE PARADISUS BRAND IN THE MEDITERRANEAN:

Sol Meliá created its Paradisus resort brand in 1995 with the inauguration of its second hotel on Bávaro Beach in the Dominican Republic, the Paradisus Punta Cana. After seeing the success of the brand in the Caribbean, the Spanish company has now decided to launch this exclusive “all inclusive” product in the Mediterranean.

The first hotel to be opened will be the Paradisus Agadir, to be followed soon after by the Paradisus Red Sea in Hurghada in Egypt and another Paradisus resort in Tenerife in the Spanish Canary Islands, which is under study.

Paradisus resorts are luxury facilities with privileged locations in exotic destinations, completely integrated with their natural environments. Their “Ultra Inclusive” service provides guests with unlimited access to all of the resort`s facilities, services, daytime and evening entertainment programmes and the widest range of food and beverage and sports facilities.

MOROCCO: AN INCREASINGLY POPULAR TOURISM DESTINATION:

Morocco is one of the Mediterranean destinations with the greatest potential for tourism growth and development. In 1999 forecasts indicate that more than 2,4 million foreign tourists will visit the country, an increase of 20% over the previous year. 37% of these visitors choose Agadir for their stays, making it one of the most important destinations in the country.

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