España debe ser realista y normalizar las relaciones con Marruecos respecto al Sáhara

Tourism is one of the key factors in Dakhla's development and offers numerous opportunities for investors and sustainable development experts. In this field, Spain can play a very important role in Western Sahara, which would have enormous opportunities if the political obstacles were overcome. 

Ahmed Abdellaoui, president of the Regional Tourism Council of Dakhla, is direct and blunt when he calls on the Spanish government to normalise relations with Morocco over the Sahara by recognising its sovereignty, as the United States has done, and invites Spanish businessmen to be the first to make good and profitable investments for the economic and social development of Dakhla. He assures that the Canary Islands and the Sahara complement each other in tourism development. 

His perfect Spanish lends solidity and conviction to his statements.

What does Dakhla have to offer at the moment?

Dakhla is a city that is located, as you have been able to see, on a peninsula that leads out into the desert, and offers a series of leisure and recreational activities that are very close to classic tourism. Dakhla has many beaches, it is bathed by the Atlantic.

What do you value most?

People appreciate the fact that it is a small city, more or less well cared for, safe, a city that has little hustle and bustle and is a little different from what we know as an overcrowded tourist destination. Then the Dakhla region offers the desert and its surroundings.

How is Dakhla connected?

Visitors arriving in Dakhla can arrive by plane, which is the most common way, by sea and by land, which connects the whole country. You leave the Dakhla peninsula and arrive in Tangier by road.

What is Dakhla like for a tourist?

Dakhla is a city that is growing and already has a level of infrastructure and logistics that can be said to be taking off. From the tourist point of view, the advantage we have is this double condition: it is bathed by the sea, it is a coastal place; and immediately, 40km away, there is the desert.

What does the desert have to offer?

The desert is an immensity, an infinite space where you can enjoy its landscapes, enjoy the silence, the unique vegetation, for example, the acacias, mountainous places that offer a contrast with the plain of the desert?

And the white dunes, if I may say so, because they impressed us. Not only the ones near Dakhla but also the ones between Guerguerat and Birgandush.

This is very attractive for people who visit us for the first time because it offers a landscape of contrasts. There are a number of dunes scattered across the desert and this really offers an attraction for the visitor. It is very interesting to enjoy the desert nights where you can clearly see the stars. It is really magical. The people of Dakhla, and I am from here, every time we enjoy this, it comforts us, it relaxes us. Imagine if you come here for the first time. 

The Sheltering Sky', do you remember that film... it's something fascinating, intoxicating. 

It's something close to magic. So Dakhla, as I say, and its region offer a variety of places and spaces where the visitor can really enjoy in a peaceful way. You will also have noticed that, fortunately, they are immense spaces, but you feel that you are in absolute calm, absolute security.

What about communications?

Although it is a very large region, it can be said that it is well communicated. It is true that, in the desert, in the region of Dakhla, the places are somewhat distant and I have sometimes spoken to people who have visited us and everyone agrees that the time has passed without any kind of fatigue because they are enjoying the landscapes.

What plans do you have to develop tourism?

Until very recently, nobody imagined that there was this kind of hotel infrastructure and tourism offer in Dakhla. But it has to be said that Dakhla enjoys a natural potential because it is a peninsula surrounded by the sea and bathed by the sun. These are natural elements that in themselves offer a great advantage when it comes to facilities or campsites.  You will have noticed that we started with the campsites here on the beach, which is where they are best located because people enjoy doing sporting activities.

What sports can be practised?

All kinds of water sports, for example, kitesurfing, are very famous here in Dakhla because of the winds and the characteristics of the sea. In fact, world championships have been held here and it is one of the kitesurfing capitals. Dakhla also offers optimal conditions for this type of sport

Is everything still to be done?

Dakhla started to grow at a slow pace at the beginning because the tourism sector here and the investments were a bit slow, but as people started to discover Dakhla, they became more and more encouraged and there were hotels, most of them designed to receive tourists, but also to accommodate people doing business because the region offers a series of very competitive products for export.

Is fishing a strong point?

It is a region that is very rich in cephalopods, octopus, squid and other types of fish varieties that are very attractive on the international market. So these issues help a little bit in the development of resorts. And we are seeing a growing trend because people are discovering that the sector is important, that it has a future, that it is a good place to invest in a safe and profitable way.

Do you need investors?

I take this opportunity to invite all those who want to invest in Dakhla and to get to know it. We really offer significant investment opportunities. The problem is that it is still not well known enough for people who are interested in investing in tourism to discover it and start investing in it.

Should Spain play an important role in the development of this area of the Sahara where it has been for a century?

I think you have raised a really very important issue. Very important because it alludes to the relationship that has existed between Spain and the Sahara, the southern provinces of Morocco now. Some people are reluctant to go there because they think it is as it was 40 years ago and they ignore the current offer. Spain is a tourist power and we are learning a lot from it, and it could, or even should, discover the potential of Dakhla and be the first to invest in it. We complement each other.

Not to miss this opportunity...

Exactly. Every time I have the opportunity to do so, I explain it and I almost insist on it because I believe that Spain and its tourism sector deserve to discover this area and together develop tourism projects that can benefit both parties, and I am sure that the result will be like this.

Complementing what you said, for example, with the Canary Islands

Indeed, the region of Spain closest to the Sahara is the Canary Islands. The Canary Islands is one of the Spanish regions where development has grown the most, where there is the most experience and where there is probably the greatest need to go abroad. Therefore, from the point of view of distance and logistics, the Canary Islands are very close to the Saharan coast. This could undoubtedly be complemented.

Do you think that Spain should take a step forward as the United States has done and recognise Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara or be part of a win-win solution to the Sahara conflict? 

This is an issue that needs to be highlighted in a serious way and by calling a spade a spade. I think that Spain should opt for a realistic, serious decision that is committed to a normal relationship with Morocco with regard to these southern provinces, which Spain is well aware of.

Do you need Spain?

We need what we talked about before, investments from Spanish companies, learning from Spain's experience in the tourism sector and in many other areas. Technology transfer, education, cooperation and so on. I think this is what interests people, society.

Are there many political interests?

I have a lot of respect for political tendencies and ideologies, but I think that, at this stage, calling a spade a spade, I would ask politicians to be realistic. The problems that persist are an obstacle to development, which is the goal that matters to the people, that it becomes a reality and the sooner the better. 

Has a lot of time been lost?

We are losing almost half a century of efforts that could be directed towards development. Fighting poverty, inequalities, diseases.... I think it is valuable time that has been lost and the time has come for Spanish politicians to take a step towards normalising relations with Morocco.

The United States has taken the initiative...

You mentioned earlier the US decision to recognise Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara. This is nothing more than the recognition of a fact, which is there and irreversible. Therefore, the longer we delay the normalisation of Spain and Morocco on this issue, the further we are moving away from development objectives.

In other words, Spanish businessmen should leave politics aside, in any case, whether or not there is a government decision, and come here to build hotels, do business in fishing and renewable energies and offer their collaboration and experience, right?

Indeed, Spain, as a country with a history in the Sahara, should normalise the real situation of the southern provinces and their integration into Morocco and participate in the development of these provinces. This is a contribution that we demand from Spain. Yes, this is what I believe Spain should do as a country.

And businessmen...?

Businessmen in particular have to put aside those reservations that may exist in the political sphere and be encouraged to invest in various sectors that you mentioned, such as renewable energies and construction.

Is there profitability?

There really is a lot to be developed in these regions and Spain has many opportunities to initiate investment projects that are naturally very profitable for Spanish companies.

Do you speak almost like a Spaniard?

I particularly want this to happen, I have studied and lived in Spain. I want Spanish investments rather than Italian investments, for example, with all due respect to the Italians. We do not understand this absence, this passivity.

Sustainable economic and tourism development, I understand...

Absolutely, this is a subject that I talk about a lot with my Spanish friends and I ask them to reflect on what we were talking about earlier about this relationship that should exist. 

Spain is in a very opportune, very favourable position to enter the Sahara. To help the development of all these economic sectors. That is why I spoke of the complementarity that can exist between Spain and the provinces of southern Morocco.

We need this complementary relationship. There is enormous experience in tourism and in other sectors that we need. Spain is in an unbeatable position to offer us this. We all benefit.

I was talking more about avoiding big buildings, respect for the environment, water, etc.

This is a problem that has happened in many places. We have the advantage of learning from these experiences. I have talked to many experts in Spain and we have reflected on this issue. We are aware, the public administration is aware of how delicate unsustainable development can be. Spain has paid high prices for this, although it has since corrected them.

Does Dakhla have a controlled rate of coronavirus?

As you know, security is very important. The pandemic aspect is unfortunately a universal issue, but in Morocco, in general, and particularly in the southern areas, the impact has been less.

And how did they do it?

First of all, because the health authorities have adopted international measures and criteria from the very beginning and then people's awareness of prudent behaviour to prevent the spread of the virus. We were successful and the cases that exist are irrelevant. In this aspect we have an advantage that we are satisfied with.

And the free PCRs at the airport

Naturally

What kind of tourism do you not want to see here? 

Look, I have to recognise that we have to respect people's freedom. But mass tourism, this massification of tourism in the places visited... I think that this is not desirable. I think we should move towards more selective tourism. It is true that we cannot be demanding and any tourist who comes is welcome, but we are sensitive to the question of the type of tourism that is going to arrive.

Are you very demanding?

We can only sell and promote what we have. I think that the characteristics we were talking about earlier are sufficient to develop and sell this type of tourism offer, which is sustainable, ecological, environmentally neutral and has the advantages that avoid having to pay a high price. This is the direction in which the country's tourism authorities are heading.