Morocco, second African tourist destinationBy Sabine Cessou
Dar Jnan Tiouira, a kasbah which hotel in the Dades gorges.RFI / Sabine Cessou
Morocco is a big concurrent of South Africa to the rank of first African tourist destination.
The kingdom plans to welcome nearly 11 million tourists in 2014, 3 million more than in 2010, while Tunisia and Egypt cut prices without trace levels of attendance before their revolutions.
At Mohammed VI, the tourist is king. The quality of reception, diversity of supply and the country's promotional efforts are all the more pay than other destinations in North Africa are in crisis. Morocco plans to host 10.7 million tourists in 2014, generating revenues of 61 billion dirhams (5.4 billion euros).
The Kingdom of Morocco has replaced Egypt in 2013. It is now close behind South Africa (9.6 million tourists in 2013) to the rank of first African destination. All without having to slash prices as in Tunisia and Egypt.
Tunisia has recorded 7.3 million foreign visitors in 2013 (against 6.9 million in 2010), but the numbers are misleading. The 2013 arrivals included 2.9 million Europeans, 1.6 million Tunisians living abroad and no less than 3.2 million North Africans - statistics that now take into account the influx of Libyan refugees ... Egypt, she saw tourist arrivals drop by 40% between 2010 and 2013, falling from 15 to 9 million people. The attacks in the Sinai and the riots in Cairo have still plunged 43% tourism revenue in the first quarter 2014, according to authorities.
Morocco attracts the French, Germans and British
France has deserted the shores of the Red Sea, but remains the largest source market for Morocco (35% of arrivals and 28% of overnight stays in 2013). A new phenomenon is observed on the roads of the Kingdom of Morocco, with French pensioners who travel across the country in motorhomes. They represent no less than 13% of arrivals according to the Observatory of the Moroccan tourism (OTM).
Marrakech, Agadir, Fez and Rabat are also popular among the Italians, the Germans and the British, whose arrivals have experienced increases of 15%, 13% and 12% in 2013, against just 4% for French and Spaniards according to the Ministry of Tourism. For its part, the domestic market accounts for 30% of overnight stays.
political stability and quality of care
One of the keys to this success is the political stability and security enjoyed by tourists. Southern Morocco has become, with Tozeur in Tunisia, the only corner of Sahara where Westerners can even venture out without the risk of being abducted or killed by al-Qaeda terrorists in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Mauritania, Mali and Libya, once frequented by hikers, are no longer options for a good ten years ...
A Merzouga, this distant palm grove where there was a campground there twenty years, hotels have mushroomed. They are over thirty, arranged along the dunes and competing arguments to attract foreign in search of escape: wi-fi, traditional architecture, steam baths, hand shaped pools Fatma, for overnight bivouacs night under the stars in the sand ...
The practice is to outperform customers by offering better rooms. Everything is done to make guests feel comfortable. "Relax, Max," repeatedly stated the boys in restaurants ... The goal: make it back - including by its own means (39% of travelers organize their trip themselves, bypassing tour operators). The return rate is high, with 12% of foreign visitors have already made at least one trip to Morocco in the past.
Massive investments
Tourism is a pillar of the Moroccan economy (7.5% of GDP). The authorities do not skimp on the means to develop it. An investment fund was created in late 2011 with the Gulf countries to inject more than 2 billion euros in this sector. The public company Moroccan Society of tourism engineering (Smit) plans to invest nearly € 6 billion as part of the development plan "Vision 2020".
Morocco aims to increase its capacity to 200,000 beds, but also build large projects. A "city of leisure" is under construction in Agadir, a "Desert Resort" in Dakhla and a theme park "Culture of Morocco" in Marrakech.
Already, the value proposed by Morocco's institutions makes it competitive scenery. A lesson that could be meditated upon elsewhere in Africa, especially on the coasts of Senegal, where rates of any inn and harassment of tourists by barges to cut much want to come back.
Dar Jnan Tiouira, a kasbah which hotel in the Dades gorges.RFI / Sabine Cessou
Morocco is a big concurrent of South Africa to the rank of first African tourist destination.
The kingdom plans to welcome nearly 11 million tourists in 2014, 3 million more than in 2010, while Tunisia and Egypt cut prices without trace levels of attendance before their revolutions.
At Mohammed VI, the tourist is king. The quality of reception, diversity of supply and the country's promotional efforts are all the more pay than other destinations in North Africa are in crisis. Morocco plans to host 10.7 million tourists in 2014, generating revenues of 61 billion dirhams (5.4 billion euros).
The Kingdom of Morocco has replaced Egypt in 2013. It is now close behind South Africa (9.6 million tourists in 2013) to the rank of first African destination. All without having to slash prices as in Tunisia and Egypt.
Tunisia has recorded 7.3 million foreign visitors in 2013 (against 6.9 million in 2010), but the numbers are misleading. The 2013 arrivals included 2.9 million Europeans, 1.6 million Tunisians living abroad and no less than 3.2 million North Africans - statistics that now take into account the influx of Libyan refugees ... Egypt, she saw tourist arrivals drop by 40% between 2010 and 2013, falling from 15 to 9 million people. The attacks in the Sinai and the riots in Cairo have still plunged 43% tourism revenue in the first quarter 2014, according to authorities.
Morocco attracts the French, Germans and British
France has deserted the shores of the Red Sea, but remains the largest source market for Morocco (35% of arrivals and 28% of overnight stays in 2013). A new phenomenon is observed on the roads of the Kingdom of Morocco, with French pensioners who travel across the country in motorhomes. They represent no less than 13% of arrivals according to the Observatory of the Moroccan tourism (OTM).
Marrakech, Agadir, Fez and Rabat are also popular among the Italians, the Germans and the British, whose arrivals have experienced increases of 15%, 13% and 12% in 2013, against just 4% for French and Spaniards according to the Ministry of Tourism. For its part, the domestic market accounts for 30% of overnight stays.
political stability and quality of care
One of the keys to this success is the political stability and security enjoyed by tourists. Southern Morocco has become, with Tozeur in Tunisia, the only corner of Sahara where Westerners can even venture out without the risk of being abducted or killed by al-Qaeda terrorists in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Mauritania, Mali and Libya, once frequented by hikers, are no longer options for a good ten years ...
A Merzouga, this distant palm grove where there was a campground there twenty years, hotels have mushroomed. They are over thirty, arranged along the dunes and competing arguments to attract foreign in search of escape: wi-fi, traditional architecture, steam baths, hand shaped pools Fatma, for overnight bivouacs night under the stars in the sand ...
The practice is to outperform customers by offering better rooms. Everything is done to make guests feel comfortable. "Relax, Max," repeatedly stated the boys in restaurants ... The goal: make it back - including by its own means (39% of travelers organize their trip themselves, bypassing tour operators). The return rate is high, with 12% of foreign visitors have already made at least one trip to Morocco in the past.
Massive investments
Tourism is a pillar of the Moroccan economy (7.5% of GDP). The authorities do not skimp on the means to develop it. An investment fund was created in late 2011 with the Gulf countries to inject more than 2 billion euros in this sector. The public company Moroccan Society of tourism engineering (Smit) plans to invest nearly € 6 billion as part of the development plan "Vision 2020".
Morocco aims to increase its capacity to 200,000 beds, but also build large projects. A "city of leisure" is under construction in Agadir, a "Desert Resort" in Dakhla and a theme park "Culture of Morocco" in Marrakech.
Already, the value proposed by Morocco's institutions makes it competitive scenery. A lesson that could be meditated upon elsewhere in Africa, especially on the coasts of Senegal, where rates of any inn and harassment of tourists by barges to cut much want to come back.
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