By Aarzo Noori
The ballroom at the Astoria World Manor buzzed with conversation as visitors passed by booths displaying glossy posters of gleaming high-rise apartment buildings.
The offerings weren’t for new developments in booming New York neighborhoods. Rather, they were for homes in Marrakech, Tangier and Agadir. The posters included images of Moroccan flags and showed buildings glistening in the desert sun.
The Morocco Real Estate Roadshow 2025, held April 19 and 20, was part of an effort by the Moroccan government and private developers to advertise real estate abroad, leveraging both the Moroccan-American diaspora and American investors’ growing interest in overseas real estate. The exhibitors included one of Morocco’s biggest real estate developers, Chaabi Lil Iskane.
“We are here. They cannot come to Morocco to buy apartments,” said Marrakesh’s sales advisor, Imane Taguert. “We are here to facilitate.”
Potential customers at the New York and Boston roadshows were offered a special 3% discount, Taguert said, adding that buyers in Morocco would not be eligible for this deal. This temporary deal was a component of an effort to draw in Moroccan Americans who want to invest in real estate in Morocco as a way to reestablish a connection to their cultural roots.
As people moved between booths, the aroma of freshly brewed Moroccan tea, a fragrant, minty green mixture, dominated the ballroom. The server dressed in traditional Moroccan garb poured tea from a long-spouted gold pot into beautiful glass cups, his movements smooth and exact.
Nearby, platters of Moroccan desserts were available to curious visitors — chebakia, a sesame-covered cookie formed into beautiful spirals and drizzled with honey, jawhara, a delicate pastry packed with cream and almonds, and briouate, flaky pastries filled with nuts and spices.
The sweets attracted a consistent crowd of guests. Visitors spoke with sales representatives about Morocco’s real estate market over sips of tea and nibbles of pastry, combining hospitality and marketing in a traditional Moroccan style.
Marrakesh, Tangier and Agadir were the most popular cities among potential buyers, even though the event included properties from 10 other Moroccan cities. Each location catered to different buyers, with the event aiming to make it easier for Moroccan Americans to buy land back home without having to travel to Morocco.
Karim Lahlou, a sales agent representing Tangier, emphasized the port city’s appeal by pointing out its proximity to Spain. Lahlou said Marrakech, Agadir, and Tangier are Moroccan cities that are actively welcoming international buyers. With prices starting at $179,000 for homes with three or more bedrooms, Tangier was the only city that offered an exclusive 6% discount.
Agadir’s representative, Mohamed Mazouzi, briefly described his city as having a culturally diverse population and a welcoming atmosphere.. Mazouzi noted that Agadir is a multilingual city including Arabic, French and English. As part of a larger plan to draw in foreign investors — particularly those from the diaspora — he described Agadir as a friendly, accessible city.
The Morocco Real Estate Roadshow has hosted events in Europe, including Belgium, France, and Spain. While the New York event was organized to attract Moroccan Americans, it was not limited to just them. The representatives were happy for any American to purchase land in Morocco.
According to Morocco World News, remittances from the Moroccan diaspora totaled $11.7 billion in 2024, reflecting the substantial foreign economic contributions. According to the World Bank’s Summer 2024 Economic Monitor, the Moroccan economy is expected to grow by 3.4% in 2025, making the sale of real estate to members of the diaspora a key element of the country’s progress.
The roadshow highlighted how simple it is to purchase real estate in Morocco, but it also brought up issues of transparency and trust. Investors from the diaspora who are not familiar with Morocco’s real estate market said they felt some wariness about making purchases sight unseen.
Karam Ghallab, a 23-year-old Moroccan American and senior majoring in computer science at Brooklyn College, was among the many guests who showed interest but expressed that they were hesitant about completing the process from overseas. Ghallab, who has never been to Morocco, said owning property in Morocco would help him reconnect with his roots.
“Buying land in Morocco would be a dream of keeping the culture alive,” he said. “But I need to make sure this process is smooth.”
Lahlou, the Tangier representative, mentioned a second port city, Essaouira, which is renowned for its cultural diversity and serene climate and has an international airport, making it more accessible to potential buyers.
“Churches and mosques coexist in Essaouira,” Lalou said, adding that the construction of the city’s largest mosque is expected to be completed next year.
Although real estate investments in Morocco can come with difficulties and risks, the roadshow’s success indicates that Moroccan Americans are becoming more interested in maintaining ties with their homeland. “They can buy land back home and keep their culture with them.” Taguert said, clarifying that the Moroccan Real Estate Roadshow was about more than just purchasing real estate; it’s about preserving cultural ties and engaging the Moroccan diaspora.