In 2024, Essaouira has strengthened its dynamic of transformation, the result of a vision thought up more than thirty years ago. By highlighting its thousand-year-old history and its rich heritage, while placing culture at the heart of its progress, the city combines tradition and modernity to drive ambitious economic and social development.
This dynamic, resolutely anchored in an ambition for modernization, crossed a historic threshold during the year which ended, thanks to a multitude of innovative projects and initiatives covering various sectors, thus consecrating the Cité des Alizés as a as a premier global tourist destination, while consolidating its role as a model in terms of intercultural rapprochement, openness and living together.
Indeed, on December 19, 2024, a key moment was recorded in the annals of Essaouira with the signing of an agreement for the development of the “Mogador” tourist resort, mobilizing an investment of 2.3 billion dirhams ( MMDH) to strengthen the stature of the Pearl of the Atlantic as a center of tourism excellence.
Signed between the State and a consortium of tourism leaders from the Middle East, during a ceremony chaired by the Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch, in the presence of HM the King’s Advisor and Founding President of the Essaouira-Mogador Association, André Azoulay, and several ministers and senior officials, this agreement concerns the restructuring of the Essaouira Mogador Station Development Company (SAEMOG) through an injection of substantial capital in order to ensure the financing necessary for the completion of this major project which plans to increase the accommodation capacity to 3,700 beds, an increase of 35% of the current capacity of Essaouira, while generating more than 4,000 direct jobs.
A true symbol of the confidence placed in the Essaouira destination, this ambitious project, planned in two phases, will begin with a first stage of three years including the renovation and extension of the existing hotel, the transformation of the current clubhouse into a boutique -hotel and the construction of a new modern clubhouse. This phase will be followed by the opening of a Club Med, the creation of tourist residences and guest houses, as well as a commercial and leisure zone, thus strengthening the attractiveness of Essaouira on a national scale and international.
Seven years after the completion of this first phase, a second stage will be launched, involving the planning and development of an area of 266 hectares, marking a major turning point in the transformation of the “Mogador” station.
In the same vein, the flagship event “Essaouira Investor Day”, organized last July, also marked a decisive and unprecedented turning point in terms of private investments, with the announcement of structuring projects totaling 6 to 7 billion dirhams, with The key is also the creation, in the short and medium term, of 6,000 to 7,000 direct jobs and around 20,000 indirect jobs.
These substantial projects covering strategic sectors such as the pharmaceutical industry, automobiles, digital and renewable energies should not only boost the local economy, but also offer new opportunities for residents and younger generations, while contributing to the expansion of the industrial and technological fabric of the city.
At the heart of this exceptional momentum, the Cité des Alizés is preparing to welcome an Economic Activity Zone (ZAE), designed to meet the specific needs of local businesses and accelerate their installation in an optimal setting.
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With a capacity to accommodate nearly 150 companies, this cutting-edge infrastructure will offer adapted land solutions and dedicated spaces for strategic sectors such as the valorization of argan, seafood, local products. , cabinetmaking, and construction materials.
This ZAE also aims to support the growth of emerging sectors such as cosmetology, chemistry, renewable energies and creative industries, thus consolidating the positioning of Essaouira as a hub of innovation and competitiveness.
According to forecasts from the Marrakech-Safi Regional Investment Center (CRI), each dirham invested in this ZAE should ultimately generate a return of four dirhams in the form of private investments, thus multiplying the economic benefits for the region.
At the same time, an investment program amounting to 2 billion dirhams was launched as part of the Regional Development Plan (PDR), including strategic projects such as the construction of the City of Arts and Culture (350 million dirhams) , the development of the coastal road (380 MDH), the improvement of access to water in rural areas and the development of urban forests, with overall funding of 217 MDH.
The contribution of the private sector is equally significant in driving this dynamic, with the inauguration, last July, of the International Clinic of Mogador, a project having mobilized a total investment of 256 million dirhams and generating nearly 200 jobs, including 129 in the paramedical sector.
In its quest for economic diversification, the Cité des Alizés has embarked on a strategic approach over the past year aimed at reducing its strong dependence on the tourism sector, which is still predominant in its local activity.
Aware of the challenges of this ambition, the city has opted for the development of new industrial sectors in its hinterland, with a view to ensuring a sustainable economic balance, where the richness of its tourist heritage will coexist harmoniously with the emergence of innovative industrial sectors.
