CNT National Forum 2nd edition “Which Professional Tourism Associations, What Role, What Missions and What Means”
After the implementation of advanced regionalization, and at a time when the 2020 vision is struggling to be implemented, the role of Professional Associations is becoming essential. The various legal texts which govern tourist activities all refer to the obligation of companies to form professional associations. These same associations are required by the same texts to organize themselves to support the development of the profession and to maintain the traditions of probity and morality.
Following the implementation of advanced regionalization, and at a time when the 2020 vision is struggling to be implemented, the role of Professional Associations is becoming essential. The various legal texts which govern tourist activities all refer to the obligation of companies to form professional associations. These same associations are required by the same texts to organize themselves to support the development of the profession and to maintain traditions of probity and morality.
The synergy with the supervisory administration, the implementation of advanced regionalization, and the new territorial organization of the sector, the internal debate within the associations on the expectations of the profession and the changes in the sector… so many questions that the CNT tried to answer during the 2th National Forum of the CNTorganized in Marrakech on December 12, 2015
This Forum organized under the theme:
“Which Professional Tourism Associations, What Role, What Missions and What Means”,
was intended to be a strategic meeting reflecting the commitments of Moroccan tourism professionals to strengthen their associative fabric.
It also aimed to raise awareness and mobilize professionals on issues concerning their governance and representativeness, to answer their questions and to create an emulation effect to encourage the development of their activity.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Restructuring & Financing of Professional Associations
Restructuring of professional representation
1. Ensure regulatory and administrative updates of all regional associations (holding of general meetings, statutes, internal regulations)
2. Formalization of a precise inventory of the situation of contributions per member and per association
3. Effective creation of FRTs while maintaining a climate of collaboration with CRTs
4. Develop collaboration between regional trade associations and regional tourism federations
Funding of the CNT
1. Maximize the rate of recovery of contributions from members by using a coercive approach (lawyers, formal notices, etc.)
2. Application of the payment conditions agreed in the internal regulations of the CNT
3. Search for financing from diverse partners (chambers of commerce, municipal councils, regional councils, NGOs, private actors, etc.)
4. Achieving economies of scale through the pooling of services for members
Advanced Regionalization Governance challenges
1. Encourage professionals to comply with current regulations by joining their professional associations; 2. Strengthen the role of regional associations to make them real interlocutors of regional authorities and public authorities for the development of the sector in their respective regions;
3. Approach regional elected officials to promote the sector’s contribution to the regional economy and improve the image of the professions;
4. Bring professional associations into line with the new regions, through mergers and synergies (revision based on the law of 94 or 96, or work on their statutes);
Advanced Regionalization Performance issues
5. Mobilize all stakeholders (Authorities, elected officials, private sector development agencies, associations, ministerial departments) to confirm the priority role of the sector in regional socio-economic development;
6. Involve representatives of professional associations in strategic decisions in their regions relating to their sectors;
7. Engage local stakeholders in improving the environment of the tourism product, particularly through Municipal Development Plans.
8. Organize awareness seminars on sector issues, with the participation of elected officials.
Public Private Partnership
1. Develop solid, supportive and ambitious professional representation. This involves the payment of contributions and the membership of all members at the regional level.
2. Review the paradigm of collaboration with the public sector from the perspective of regionalization. Today, it is in the regions that the financing is easiest to activate and benefits from a minimum of regulatory constraints.
3. Creation of a joint committee. This multi-professional committee at the CNT aims to provide strong, permanent advocacy on the requirements and needs of tourist operators.
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