Morocco aims to reach 11 million tourists, notably with 600,000 additional arrivals this year. As we announced in our columns, the first two months of 2017 recorded double-digit growth, confirming the recovery of the sector from the 2nd half of the previous year. Abderrafie Zouitene, CEO of the ONMT, does not hide his optimism. He expects “good performances in 2017”. This is evident from the booking trend.
“For this month of April, all flights from Charles De Gaulle airport to Marrakech are full,” according to the head of the ONMT. A result that Zouitene puts down to the new communication strategy initiated by the Office. “It’s a new level, to the extent that it’s no longer a question of just promoting the product, but above all the values and cultural wealth of Morocco,” he said.
A campaign in French media was launched last week. “We have had good feedback,” explains Zouitene. Other actions are on the program, including a cultural event planned for next October in New York. If Morocco has positive image capital, faced with a turbulent regional situation, strengthening the air service is essential to capitalize on this asset. The attachment of civil aviation to the Ministry of Tourism is part of this logic. The opening of new air links with the main source markets constitutes one of the priorities of the ONMT.
A new promotional campaign on the French market for the Dakhla destination will be based on the opening of a direct line from Paris as a selling point. “It’s a 5-hour flight, with tickets starting at 89 euros.” Other connections will also be opened between countries in Eastern and Central Europe and Agadir. They will be provided by the low-cost airline WizzAir. “These new frequencies will make it possible to support the development of certain markets such as Poland and Hungary. Especially since ticket prices start at 40 euros. Air Arabia is also involved in this dynamic.
It will strengthen its services to Agadir and Marrakech in the coming months. But it is the launch of low-cost internal flights, linking Marrakech to Fez, which is presented as “a revolution which will democratize air transport in Morocco”, according to Zouitene. It will be launched by Air Arabia at the end of June, with a frequency of 3 flights per week, with prices starting at 250 DH. Next year, new flights will be scheduled, particularly from Scandinavian countries. Strengthening air transport is also decisive to better exploit the potential of the African market. The head of the ONMT considers that the establishment of an open sky with the ECOWAS countries could be an asset. But “it is important that there are more flights with attractive prices.”
source: leconomiste
