EURORSCG_Golf_Chemise UK:qxd 11/06/08 20:43 Page 1 MOROCCO, KINGDOM OF GOLF PRESS KIT Moroccan National Tourist Office www.visitmorocco.com EURORSCG_Golf_Chemise UK:qxd 11/06/08 20:43 Page 2 CONTENTS MOROCCO, KINGDOM OF GOLF FOUR WAYS TO ENJOY GOLF IN MOROCCO GOLF UNDER THE MOROCCAN SUN • Agadir: Golf meets the Sea • Off-course entertainment • List of golf courses GOLF AT THE GATES OF THE ATLAS MOUNTAINS • Marrakesh, Morocco’s golfing city • Off-course entertainment • List of golf courses GOLF IN THE HEART OF MOROCCAN CULTURE • Luxury hotels with golf courses • The Hassan II Trophy • Off-course entertainment • List of golf courses GOLF BESIDE THE MEDITERRANEAN • Golf at the cross-roads of civilizations • Off-course entertainment Existing golfs • List of golf courses GOLF IN MOROCCO, A CONSTANTLY EVOLVING PRODUCT Golfs in construction MOROCCO, KINGDOM OF GOLF Golf and the Kingdom of Morocco have always temperatures all year round, here are courses enjoyed a warm friendship. In 1917 the first greens designed by the greatest international architects. appeared in Tangier, dreamed up by the famous Players of today and tomorrow will appreciate the British course designers Cotton & Pennink. great diversity of courses available for players of all levels, the variety of landscapes, and the very Since then, golf in Morocco has continued to develop reasonable charges for caddies and green fees! until it is now a real national sport. And as such, the world famous Leadbetter Golf Academy settled in With all these advantages, it is not surprising that Marrakesh, making the city become the first golf Morocco has serious plans to boost its golfing facilities destination in Morocco. between now and 2010, overseen and promoted by the Moroccan National Tourist Office. The market for Today, there are 17 golf courses located all over Golf is growing 2.5 times faster than the overall tourist Morocco and golf fans will soon be able to test the market, and Morocco’s projects are scaled to respond greens of some forty courses from North to South to this powerful expansion in demand. across the country. That is why the Kingdom’s golfing The golfing experience in Morocco facilities will more than double in varies with the location, in the the next few years. Twenty new sunshine of the Atlantic coast, courses are under construction for beside the Mediterranean, in the 2010, creating new tourist cultural cradle of Morocco’s ancient destinations on the Mediterranean imperial cities or at the foot of the with the new Saïdia resort, and on Atlas Mountains. the Atlantic coast with plans for six new courses in the Agadir region. And Four different ways to experience golf in with the increase in the number of golf Morocco courses comes a substantial development in hotel capacity throughout the country, mostly from the Scratch players and beginners alike will find much to construction of 4/5 star hotels and numerous enjoy and challenges to learn from in the Kingdom facilities for well-being and enjoyment all along the of Golf. sublime Moroccan coastline. Naturally Morocco’s golfing hospitality is surrounded by general tourism facilities. Golf in Morocco is an experience that you should live in all four destinations below, each Hotel capacity continues to grow, together with with its own individual characteristics, each an expanding offer of other facilities linked to with something special to offer: well-being, including spas and thalassotherapy. EXPERIENCE MOROCCO’S SUNSHINE Morocco’s open skies policy means more flights and connections from and to major tourist destinations. EXPERIENCE MOROCCO’S CULTURE Lovers of golfing week-ends will find that Morocco EXPERIENCE MOROCCO’S is just waiting to welcome them. MEDITERRANEAN COAST Furthermore, less than three hours from the major EXPERIENCE MOROCCO’S european capitals, with a luminous sky and pleasant ATLAS MOUNTAINS GOLF FACILITIES IN MOROCCO A CONSTANTLY EVOLVING PRODUCT MORE THAN FORTY GOLF BY 2010 In the Moroccan Tourism Ministry’s 2010 Vision, the aim is to attract 10 million visitors by 2010, and GOLF is a product written there in capital letters. The Blue Plan (Plan Azur), whose aim is to develop Morocco’s seaside resort facilities, involves building 6 resorts along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts, including the development of a series of new golfing destinations to appeal to the many golf addicts who visit the country. World golfing tourism is growing fast. For this reason, the expansion of Morocco’s golf facilities is steadily becoming an important factor in future large-scale tourist projects. Parallel to the considerable development of the hotel and resort facilities throughout Morocco, the number of golf courses will double by 2010. Lixus, Saïdia, Agadir, Fez, Casablanca... all destinations that will become “musts” for European golfers. These projects will be accompanied by development of spa facilities with a number of new thalassotherapy and balneotherapy centers, ensuring that golfers can enjoy relaxation and fitness treatments after their sporting efforts. Thus, by 2010, Morocco will have about 20 new 18 hole courses, raising the number of golf courses open to tourists to forty. These plans will make it possible to achieve the goal of 172,500 golfing visitors a year, or two and a half times the figure for 2006. Morocco’s Ministry of Tourism intends to link the sports aspect of golf tourism with the riches of the country’s magnificent historical heritage and its flourishing cultural dimension. Agadir’s well-developed attractions as a coastal resort, accompanied by strong growth in its capacity to attract golf players, will no doubt make it a favorite port of call for golfing tourism. With 6 million potential European visitors, Moroccan golf has some great days ahead of it. GOLF UNDER THE MOROCCAN SUN AGADIR GOLF MEETS THE SEA IN THE AGADIR REGION… At the gates of the Sahara, between mountain and ocean, with 360 days of sun a year, a temperature that’s always gentle and 10 kilometers of wonderful beaches, Agadir is the second favorite golfing destination in Morocco, after Marrakesh. There are already three splendid courses with fairways perfumed by eucalyptus, gorse and mimosa. Soon there will be another four, as part of the golfing expansion planned for 2010. The four new courses will be located all along the bay of Agadir. The existing Royal Agadir Golf Course, the Dunes and the Soleil – a total of 72 holes – will be joined by four others, at Taghazout (2 x 18 holes) and Agadir (the Beach Golf, the Ocean Golf). The first new course will open in 2008 – this will be the Ocean, with 27 holes designed by the American architect Belt Collins. COURSES DESCRIPTION Dunes Golf Club • Three 9 hole courses: for beginners as well as experienced players TAGHAZOUT • Designed by Cabell B. Robinson AGADIR • Undulating fairway with a variety of water hazards Soleil Golf Club • An 18 hole course and 2 x 9 holes, designed by Muella and Courbin • Quite technically demanding, but good for all levels • Lakes, footbridges, cascades, fairways relatively narrow, bordered with white gorse Royal Agadir Golf Club • A 9 holes bordered with pines and eucalyptus • Designed by Wilson SOON Ocean Golf Club • Opening in December 2008 • A 27 hole course • Designed by Belt Collins Taghazout Golf Club • Two 18 hole courses • A bridge between ocean and mountains The Beach Golf Club OFF-COURSE ENTERTAINMENT Agadir thus aims to become a must-visit destination for golfers in Morocco, in addition to courses for every handicap, offering guests numerous tourist attractions, from cultural exploration in the fabulously romantic back country to thalassotherapy centers, and of course the celebrated Moroccan cuisine. Parallel to its expanding number of golf courses, by 2010 the Agadir region will have considerably enlarged its hotel facilities, doubling its capacity in the 4 and 5 star segment. Agadir aims to become one of the top international golf resorts. The start of this new adventure will be marked by the European Press Trophy, whose first edition will be played off in June 2008. This Trophy is open exclusively to members of the Press, and this year there will be some fifty golf-mad journalists from all over Europe to get it off to a good start. GOLF AT THE GATES OF THE ATLAS MOUNTAINS MARRAKESH AN OCHRE-TINTED CITY, A PALM GROVE, GOLF… Marrakesh is the city of golf par excellence. Since 2006 it has housed the David Leadbetter Golf Academy, one of the best golfing academies in the world, while the Royal Marrakesh golf course, built in 1923, is the second oldest course in Morocco. Its greens have been trodden by more than one of the world’s leaders, including Churchill and Eisenhower… Since their time, the city of Marrakesh has enlarged its facilities, and three courses of 18 holes are set around the city at the feet of the snow-covered Atlas Mountains, where you can enjoy the cool, fresh air after a sun-filled day. La Palmeraie (the Palm Grove), designed by Robert Trent Jones, offers a unique panorama that makes it one of the world’s most beautiful international courses. The Amelkis, designed by Cabell B. Robinson, is more technically demanding and is more like an American course with broad fairways. Projects include extensions to the Palmeraie, the Amelkis and the Royal, bringing them up from 18 to 36 holes. COURSES DESCRIPTION Palmeraie Golf Club • An18 hole course (27 holes by end 2008) SAFI MARRAKESH • Designed by Robert Trent Jones ESSAOUIRA- • Seven lakes MOGADOR • Demanding courses for all levels Royal Golf Club • A 27 hole course TAGHAZOUT OUARZAZATE • Splendid landscaping • Built in 1923 • Home of the Leadbetter golfing academy Amelkis Golf Club • A 27 hole course (Two 18 hole courses from October) • Designed by Cabell B.