Tangier, a growing tourist destination. One of its successes is to have been able to diversify its clientele and its development niches. The niche that is developing the best is that of business tourism which has managed to take over leisure tourism.
Business benefits greatly from the industrial development of the city with an automobile sector which is on the rise. A long-term trend on which operators have focused by investing in quality of service. The other sector promising strong development is that of cruise lines for which significant promotional efforts have been made in addition to significant investments.
This is the case at the port of Tangier city where a quay has been dedicated to welcoming large liners, a first in Morocco. But it will take time for the sector to take off; operators plan their trips several years in advance. Most of the traditional markets in Tangier and the region are growing significantly, which places it in a good position.
This is the case with the two pillars of international tourism in the North, the Spanish market and its French counterpart, which are experiencing double-digit increases, as well as the English market. Great hopes are based on the Italian market with the opening of a first direct air connection. Same focus on Chinese and Indian tourists, markets which cannot express their full potential due to a lack of direct connections.
This chapter summarizes the majority of operators’ concerns. The air connections available to the city of Tangier and its region do not allow it to accelerate. It is true that in recent years, the city has seen an increase in the number of connections with European capitals, the latest with the Italian metropolis of Milan.
Last year, the city exceeded the one million overnight stay mark for the first time in its history. With 1.24 million overnight stays recorded, Tangier shattered all its records. For this year, several operators panicked at the beginning of July in the face of the lukewarm start to the season, but from August onwards, activity picked up again, allowing the city and its region to experience one of its best seasons, notes Abdelghani Ragala.
Impressions which, however, await corroboration by official figures. Indeed, the slow ramp-up of MREs and the upheavals of the Saudi clientele had weighed down arrivals with a virtual stagnation in the figures for July, an accident largely made up for in the following month.
For 2018, if things continue at the same pace, forecasts are counting on a new record by surpassing the mark of one and a half million nights, as predicted by the director of the CRT, with the added bonus of an increase of 3 additional points for the average length of stay.
source: leconomiste.com
