The 18th International Congress of World’s Most Beautiful Bays

Dakhla will host the 18th World Congress of the Most Beautiful Bays in the World from November 27th to December 1st!

The countdown has begun! Dakhla will host the 18th Congress of the Association of the Most Beautiful Bays in the World from November 27th to December 1st, 2024. This event is all the more exceptional this year as it is under the High Patronage of King Mohammed VI of Morocco. Initiated by the Dakhla Oued-Eddahab Regional Council with the support of local authorities, and in partnership with the World Association, this congress will serve as a platform for dialogue, debate, and the exchange of experiences on various topics related to the preservation and conservation of bays and sustainable development. According to the President of the Dakhla Oued-Eddahab Regional Council, Yenja El Khattat, this international conclave will have an African dimension reflecting Morocco’s vision, aiming to make Dakhla a crossroads of co-development in Africa and the Atlantic region, he added. The congress constitutes a new step for the Association to more strongly promote the cause of coastal protection and bay development at the international level, underlined the President of the Association, Mr. Louis Thébault.

Representatives from 44 member bays from different continents are expected in Dakhla. Several other new bays, candidates to join this international network, will also be represented. The conclave brings together representatives of local authorities, elected officials, public and private sector leaders, academics, as well as members of civil society and the media. This is the second time this major event has been held in Morocco, following the one held in Agadir in 2004. In addition to Agadir and Al-Hoceima, Dakhla was admitted to the organization of the most beautiful bays in the world in 2019 in Toyama, Japan. At the congress held in Cambodia in 2022, Dakhla was unanimously chosen to host this 18th edition. The congress agenda includes the deliberations of the Association’s General Assembly, workshops on topics including natural conservation, renewable energy, and South-South and North-South partnerships, an African Bays Forum, a youth forum, a video competition awards ceremony, as well as a beach cleanup and a series of site visits in Dakhla. Participants will have the opportunity to discover the natural and economic assets, as well as the charms of Dakhla, a renowned water sports destination.