Between January and April 2017, arrivals of Chinese visitors increased eightfold compared to the same period a year earlier. According to an authorized source, requesting anonymity, this dynamic will make it possible to reach 100,000 tourists at the end of the year and many more in the decade to come.
In just three years, the figures for Chinese arrivals have literally exploded. From 2015 to 2016, they tripled and by the end of the current year, we expect an increase of almost 80%.
While this increase must be put into perspective due to a low volume of prior arrivals, the fact remains that this market could constitute an important reservoir for Moroccan tourism in the future.
« The rate of progression is only significant when the initial figures are enormous, but despite the modest number of Chinese arrivals in 2015, this market has enormous potential. We are well on the way to reaching 100,000 visitors in 2017 knowing that we welcomed 60,000 Chinese in 2016 compared to barely 18,000 in 2015″, rejoices our interlocutor.
According to him, this continuous and very significant progression in potential can be explained by three factors:
-« This is a market with enormous potential for Morocco knowing that it will soon become the leading supplier of tourists on the planet.
-« The current dynamic will continue thanks to the lifting of visas in June 2016. Remember that the number of visits by Chinese tourists was limited by the need to obtain a Moroccan visa.
-« In terms of quality and security, Morocco represents an attractive destination for Chinese who want to visit a country that is both Arab and African. For the record, Chinese curiosity about Morocco was forged during the cultural revolution because the only American film that was broadcast on Chinese televisions was « Casablanca », due to its anti-colonialist theme. »
Our source continues that the milestone of 100,000 visitors expected at the end of 2017 is significant and promising, knowing that Morocco does not maintain any direct air links with the country of the Middle Kingdom.
« While waiting for the opening of direct rotations which will boost traffic by at least 20%, we are increasing agreements with travel agents and Chinese or European airlines from France, Spain, Portugal, Italy… because Chinese tourists visit on average 2 to 3 countries when they go on vacation. This is the case of the company Beijing Capital Airlines which is inaugurating 3 direct flights per week to Lisbon with whom we have signed an agreement of code-share », specifies our source.
To the question of whether this source market will be able to reach 1 million arrivals or even much more in the next 10 years, our interlocutor replies that Morocco must first make major qualitative efforts to succeed in attracting such a contingent of visitors.
« It is not at all impossible but everything will depend on the reception and support capacity put in place by the operators with the help of the public authorities. We need to increase training for guides who speak Mandarin, a fleet of modern coaches, Chinese menus… To satisfy potential demand, we need to know whether we are opting for the quality or the quantity of tourists received. We must therefore answer a lot of questions before making plans on the comet », concludes our interlocutor.
Everything will therefore depend on the equipment that Morocco will make available to these tourists whose very particular habits will have to be satisfied but who are considered a real goose that lays the golden eggs for tourism professionals.
Morocco should perhaps take inspiration from Turkey, which managed to go from 6 million foreign tourists to 40 million in less than 20 years, particularly by attracting the Chinese and Russian markets.
source: medias24
