Major real estate group Qatari Diar, wholly-owned by the Qatari Investment Authority, has partnered with leading global hotel operator Minor Hotel Group (MHG) to develop two new Anantara resorts in North Africa, to open in 2017.

Anantara Tozeur Resort is a new luxury escape being developed by Qatari Diar in the southwest of Tunisia, in the city of Tozeur. This new-build Anantara will offer 93 luxurious guest rooms and villas, including pool villas, a selection of restaurants and bars, meeting and business facilities, kids and teens clubs, a health club and an Anantara Spa.

A hub of Tunisia’s Saharan tourism and easily accessible from the international airport, or by road or rail, the oasis city is known for its architecture and vast palm tree fields and is well known on the tourist trail for being the home of the original Star Wars film set.

Also under development is Anantara Al Houara Tangier Resort in northern Morocco. The hotel will be part of the extensive Al Houara project which Qatari Diar is developing in Tangier along 2.5 km of beach front overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. It will also include a signature 18-hole golf course with golf club and residential homes for sale. The new Anantara will offer 230 keys, a selection of restaurants and bars, a large Anantara Spa, a wellness centre, a fitness centre and kids and teens clubs.

Tangier is a vibrant city with a rich history and is a well-known tourist destination. The city is currently experiencing significant development, including tourism projects, a new business district, a new airport terminal, a sports stadium and the new Tangier-Med port.

Dillip Rajakarier, chief executive officer of Minor Hotel Group, said: “We are excited to announce these two new Anantara resorts in North Africa in partnership with Qatari Diar. Our Anantara brand is now well established in the Middle East, with six properties in the UAE and our first resort in Qatar opened earlier this year, and we are keen to add North Africa to our footprint, where these two new resorts will help further develop luxury tourism within these destinations. We are looking forward to a strong alliance with Qatari Diar going forward, with scope to explore additional opportunities to expand our portfolio in the wider Mena region.”

Speaking about the agreement, Khaled Mohammed Al Sayed, Group chief executive officer of Qatari Diar, said: “Qatari Diar is building signature projects and facilitating vibrant new communities on an unprecedented scale. Our projects are significant, landmark projects that are often unrivalled in size, scope, and vision. We aim at creating distinguished developments not only in Qatar but around the world and our partnership today with MHG, one of the largest hospitality and leisure companies in the Asia Pacific Region, goes in the same direction.” – TradeArabia News Service