As increasing numbers of people attended each successive festival, the government was persuaded to instruct the appropriate agencies to help the townspeople. Mohammed Benaissa, self-styled 'professional beggar', began to raise private funding and mobilised corporate assistance to realise his vision of architectural harmony. The town's new prominence and its continued cleanliness however, is due mostly to the local people's diligence and strength of purpose. The flawless appearance and efficient functioning of the town led to its designation as a National Monument, and in 1989 it received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. The ongoing maintenance programme incorporates individual houses, public buildings and mosques.
Volunteers renovate the sanitary facilities of at least ten sub-standard houses each year.
The occupants of these houses are mostly poor people and live with relatives during the summer months, renting out their own homes. In this way they not only receive a welcome boost to their income, but also provide much-needed accommodation for the influx of visitors to the town. The extension of telephone, telex and fax facilities, and a model sewerage system, have all contributed to the growth of tourism. The old harbour is being rebuilt to serve as a commercial port and marina, and other improvements are in the pipeline. Asilah's future as one of Morocco's important tourist resorts now seems assured.