Although contrasting between cities and business or leisure segments, the summer performance of Moroccan hotels does not give cause for optimism, according to the research firm In Extenso.
« The still troubled international context continues to weigh on the Morocco destination », notes the accounting and professional services firm for VSE-SMEs in France. “The attacks in Tunisia, Egypt, but also in certain European countries, major source markets for the destination, continue to worry international customers”, and are weighing on attendance.
Business hotels are holding up better
The Casablanca/Rabat area, mainly positioned in the business hotel sector, ended the summer season with “relatively stable” performances compared to 2015.
« The mid-range recorded an increasing attendance rate at the end of August 2016, reaching an occupancy rate of 65%.
The economy category saw its attendance fall by 0.9%, but this is offset by the increase in its average price, which allows an increase of +5% in RevPAR at the end of August », notes In Extenso.
Marrakech suffers from overcapacity
Conversely, destinations positioned towards a leisure clientele, mainly international, are recording declining performances. “Morocco’s leisure destinations continue to suffer, due to issues of overcapacity like in Marrakech, seasonality (in the north of the country) or mistrust of foreigners (case of Agadir),” analyzes Philippe Gauguier, tourism, culture and hospitality associate at In Extenso.
Thus, at the end of August, all categories in Marrakech were down with RevPAR down 2%, going up to -9% in the high-end segment. The observation is more nuanced in Agadir. The month of August is progressing but, at the end of August, if the economy hotel sector increased by +2% in RevPAR, the mid to high-end categories were in significant decline (RevPAR down by 14%).
Source: http://www.lechotouristique.com/article/l-hotellerie-marocaine-reste-a-la-peine,85724
