HIBAPRESS – Abdellatif Baraka
The city of Agadir is moving towards the gradual launch of the "Bab Al Marsa" space during the summer of 2026, in a step that reflects the achievement of this tourism project of an advanced stage after a long path of rehabilitation and restructuring, with the aim of establishing a new hub that combines culinary arts and tourism promotion.
The project is located at the main entrance to the Agadir fishing port, and comes within the framework of a vision that seeks to rehabilitate a space that has suffered for years from imbalances in the quality of services and the organization of activities. It has been included in the 2020-2024 urban development program as one of the structural projects aimed at modernizing the tourism offer and enhancing the city's attractiveness.
Following the decisions of the program's steering committee, which met in November 2024, the task of managing this space was assigned to the specialized regional development company, which has been implementing a gradual rehabilitation program for the beneficiaries for more than a year and a half, with the aim of establishing a more professional management model that is in line with the aspirations of Agadir as a modern tourist destination.
The project is expected to receive, in its first phase, about 70 beneficiaries from restaurant owners and project holders, whose shops were distributed to them by the Agadir community after a lottery process that concerned the previous beneficiaries. The number is expected to rise to 113 shops in the medium term, with the integration of new project holders through expressions of interest.
"Bab Al Marsa" is being relied upon to form an integrated destination for culinary arts with a local identity, by hosting various activities that include fish restaurants, Moroccan dishes, fast food and juice shops, in addition to spaces dedicated to local products, enriching the visitor experience and enhancing the city's image.
In parallel with the renovation work, a training program was launched for the beneficiaries, where a first batch of about 40 participants benefited from training courses that included the fields of tourism reception, customer relationship management, health and safety standards, and cooking techniques, in addition to management and communication, under the supervision of specialized professionals.
The project enjoys the support of a number of institutional partners, within the framework of a collective mobilization that aims to make this project successful, which is expected to contribute to enhancing the economic and tourism dynamism of the city, and to valorizing its qualifications in the field of culinary arts and entrepreneurship.
"Bab Al Marsa" is viewed as more than just a dining space, but as an integrated urban project that reflects a transformation in the way symbolic spaces are invested, and embodies a collective ambition towards presenting a modern tourism offer that keeps pace with the aspirations of visitors and the city's residents alike.
