HotSpots 2007 from Channel4.com/4Homes

Morocco’s number one, King Mohammed, shares many personality traits with his Dubai counterpart and if he has just a fraction of his success, Morocco is going to be the ‘one to watch’. In 2001, the young King unveiled Vision 2010, an ambitious strategy designed to boost tourist arrivals up to 10 million by 2010.

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Marina Beach in Tetouan
priced from £92,105.

He’s pumping 10 billion US dollars-worth of investment into new infrastructure and resorts, most destined for the coast. Plan Azur is the lynchpin of Vision 2010 – a sextet of high-end resorts on a monumental scale with up to 50 luxury hotels, a gaggle of marinas, golf courses and thousands of units of residential property.

Sahara Beach & Spa Resort,
priced from £81,000.

Dubai is even lending a hand; leading UAE developer Emaar has pledged 3.5 billion GBP into Moroccan property initiatives and will be responsible for Africa’s only golf and ski resort at Oukaimeden. Now part of the Open Skies regime, no-frills carriers engaged in an aggressive price war are pouring into Morocco’s stunning cities and few would bet against King Mohammed having an enormous success story on his hands.

Egypt also has its magic number for tourists by 2010, a target of 9.5 million. The country famous for its pyramids and package holidays up the Nile is now chucking the spotlight onto the Red Sea resorts. Offering all the ingredients for the ideal holiday - sandy beaches, sunny skies, golf courses and an underwater coral reef playground teeming with marine life – this spot is getting hot.

Not wishing to be outdone by Dubai and Morocco, Egypt too has its mega resort in the shape of Sahl Hasheesh, a 32 million square metre project flanking 12.5km of beach and with 20 five star minimum hotels and eight golf courses, it’s also jostling for the attention of the big spenders.

Sunset Pearl, Egypt, from £51,000.

It also has its follies from pyramid shaped hotels for a ‘tomb with a view’ to a sunken city of ancient ruins especially for those of a Jacques Cousteau bent. Even Sir Norman Foster of gherkin fame is getting in on the act and building a futuristic resort at the southern tip of Sahl Hasheesh complete with flying saucer shaped yacht club. Expect Egypt to notch up the column inches over the coming months.

Desert Pearl, Egypt, from £19,500.

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