Mr. Jerry Morgan, President and CEO at Mercan Group 

While global uncertainties persist, we at TIMC continue to look for strong and high-quality investment offerings as part of our holistic approach to help you preserve your future.

We are therefore thrilled to announce our new partnership with Mercan Group, a highly reputable international company. Mercan is one of the leaders in real estate investment & development in the hospitality industry across Portugal, with approved projects for the Residency by Investment Program.

It’s our pleasure to share our interview with Mr. Jerry Morgan, President and CEO at Mercan Group. 

TIMC: We at TIMC believe our holistic approach of geographic diversification, of both assets and citizenships, is the best way to help preserve our clients’ future.
How are Mercan’s values resonating with our clients’ needs of preserving their assets and family’s future? 

JM:  At Mercan, we believe in welcoming citizens of the world, and as a result, we base our main values on that core. One of the most important aspects to mention is the fact that we always work with an international branded hotel, which gives our clients comfort and confidence that this is a good product, combined with the fact that we consider that Portugal has the best location and the best opportunities for this type of investment, in the entire EU.

To ensure the needs of our investors to preserve their assets and the future of their family, we have an exit strategy where our clients can feel very comfortable to get their money back once they obtain their citizenship.

In the end, we believe in helping people achieve their goals, whether for family, professional or economic reasons.  

TIMC: What makes Mercan unique among the large spectre of property developers in Portugal for the Residency by Investment Program? 

JM:  Since the beginning of our activity in Portugal in 2015, our focus has been on hospitality. Within this area, there are several operational components that we focus on, such as attracting foreign investment, job creation, promoting tourism and local and national development focused on urban rehabilitation. International investors come to us because they value the transversality and the characteristics of our model, in addition to the added value of Portugal that we have mentioned, which strengthens the tourism sector.

These are the reasons that have allowed us to grow from three initial projects to 24 today, and we don't expect to stop there. In fact, Mercan combines projects for the rehabilitation of historic buildings, whose brand reflects the history of the place itself, with new construction projects also aimed at tourism business, believing that this business model we have been following has a positive impact on the economic and tourism dynamism of the places in which we invest.

TIMC:  The Portugal Golden Visa is increasingly attracting international investors. With your experience, can you tell us what makes it so attractive, and why now is the time to apply to this Program? 

JM:  Portugal is a preferred destination for foreign investors, as reflected by the amount of investment captured through the investment residency permit program. Mercan Group chose Portugal because of the security, stability and hospitality that the country offers for tourism, as well as the opportunities in the area of urban rehabilitation, enhanced by an attractive Gold Visa program, given the procedures required by Portugal for Gold Visas, which are, in fact, more attractive than in other countries.

This is firstly due to the innate characteristics of the Portuguese territory, secondly due to the opportunities it offers in terms of urban regeneration, and thirdly due to the requirements for obtaining the Gold Visa, which are less demanding, both financially and bureaucratically, in comparison with other countries. 

TIMC: How many real estate projects did Mercan sell out, and what are the current projects available for investment for the Portugal Program? 

JM: Our impact in Portugal has been remarkable since our arrival in the country, seven years ago. Mercan has to date 24 projects in the country. From this set of projects, we point out the fact that 5 of them are already operating as hotels, and we schedule to open 3 more in 2023, all of them branded by the well-known international hospitality brands.

The current Mercan projects available for the Portugal Golden Visa Program are in the south of the country and we have two different value options for investment set at 280,000 euros and 350,000 euros respectively. These two unique investment opportunities offer a prime location in Portugal.

Mercan ensure that industry practices are respected and that our clients get the most secure investment and the best hospitality with unparalleled expertise and prime quality assured. 

TIMC: What are the advantages of investing in rehabilitated properties in the hospitality industry compared to residential properties?  

JM: Portugal has a wide range of opportunities in urban rehabilitation, not only in Lisbon and Porto but also in other regions, and this was one of the most important factors for our investment in the country. During the first years of the gold visas, there was practically no real estate investment in Portugal in urban rehabilitation, despite the country having many unused buildings, distributed throughout the national territory.

We believe that the urban rehabilitation of buildings is a golden opportunity for foreign investors because it allows the rehabilitation of the building in question, but also of the surrounding areas, thus stimulating the surrounding business and giving new life to buildings that, in themselves, already have a relevant history in the places where they are located.

Casa das Lérias is an example of this. It is a historical building for the city of Amarante, and thanks to the investment and confidence of Mercan and its investors, it gained a new life, and can now be again a stage for familiarity and new stories for the residents of the city.

TIMC: Finally, what do you recommend, as a first step, to investors interested in the Portugal Residency by Investment Program?  

JM: I invite anyone interested in this Program to come to Portugal for an Inspection Trip to meet our team and see Mercan's real estate projects for themselves, before moving forward.

Thank you, Mr. Morgan, for this exclusive interview!