In February 2020 Morocco’s port authority (ANP) officially began to invite consultancy firms to propose study bids for building a recreational port. The news came shortly after the construction of the Dakhla Atlantic port was launched. The new port is estimated to have cost about $1 billion, create 183,000 jobs by 2030, and act as a gateway for trade with Africa and South America. The proposed leisure strip will complement the port by hosting water sport activities such as windsurfing, kitesurfing, powerboating, and sailing. At the moment, the port and tourism are the main sources of income for the region; both Moroccans and travel experts believe the possibilities of Dakhla generating a lot of additional revenue from tourism are high.
According to some travel experts such as Intrepid, an Australian based tourism company, Dakhla’s white sand dunes and pristine beaches make it the perfect getaway destination. Intrepid even listed Dakhla as one of its top 10 most underrated getaway spots. Travelers in the know fly into the Moroccan coastal town to experience a water sports paradise and eat fresh seafood. In particular, Dakhla has a famous oyster industry. Its oysters are exported to Morocco’s main cities Casablanca and Marrakech and others are sent to Europe.
Dakhla is built on a narrow peninsula of the Atlantic Coast and is part of the disputed Western Sahara territory. It is considered the administrative capital of the Dakhla Oud Eddahab region. Like many other southern Sahara towns, Dakhla is renown for it’s Berber (Amazigh) hospitality. Visitors also like to take advantage of traveling to the nearby Sahara Desert or visiting the Canary Islands.