West Cork in North Africa

Rose Martin says Morocco is on a major push for tourists and investors.

A BERBER Barleycove? That’s what’s on offer on the northern coast of Africa through Simple Overseas Properties.

Schull-based MD, Karl Morris says the Moroccan resort reminds him of a West Cork beach.

And it’s quite accurate: the Asilah Beach resort, outside Tangier, has the wild waves and wide sandy flats of home, but it also has that other elusive commodity — sunshine.

Average temperatures at this time of year are in the mid to high 20s and the overall climate is Mediterranean. The resort is just outside the picturesque village of Asilah, which is under an hour’s drive from Tangier.

Right now, getting there involves flying direct to Tangier from London, or taking a flight to Malaga and then driving the two hours to Tarifa in southern Spain to take an hour-long ferry to Morocco, a rather gruelling approach.

Next year, however, it’s expected Easy Jet will move into Tangier airport and an open skies agreement with the EU should also increase connectivity.

Ground is just being opened on the Royal Asilah Beach Resort and it’s expected to be ready by 2008, by which time there should be easier access to this unspoilt region.

The sweetener for investors here is the good value on offer: one-bedroom apartments with up to 1,000 square feet, including a terrace, cost a mere €49,000 and that’s right on the beach.

At the moment, there are plans for around 250 units in a gated development which will include pools, parking and residential gardens in a frontline beach location. However, it’s expected that the entire beachfront area around Asilah will be opened up eventually, with up to 4,000 units developed down the line.

It’s all part of a substantial push for tourism by the Moroccan government, which is being backed by the United Arab Emirates to the tune of €25 billion. Their national tourism strategy proposes to increase tourist numbers from the present 2.2 million to 10 million by 2010 — that’s just four years away.

According to Karl Morris, property prices are 50% less than standard European resorts:

“Taxes are low. This offers a perfect investment opportunity.”

Simple Overseas are also launching the Asilah Marina Golf development later this month. Built around a nine-hole golf course, with beach frontage, prices for these units will be slightly higher.

Details: Simple Overseas Properties, 1850 200 711; Cork Office, 021 4279616; Website: www.simpleoverseas.com