Tourism is doing well in Fez. This is the message conveyed by professionals in the sector who speak of an “excellent” year. In figures, arrivals recorded an increase of almost 40% during the first ten months of the current year. The same is true for overnight stays which would exceed 800,000 at the end of December 2017. The same improvement is recorded at Fez-Saïss airport.
Last Thursday, he received the millionth passenger of 2017. “A record” that ONDA celebrated with dignity: This November 30, 2017, red carpet for a Turkish tourist from Lisbon, in an inaugural flight. Welcomed by local authorities and tourism professionals, the young person received gifts and will be invited to revisit the destination.
“We have finally joined the big airport club. Our objective was achieved thanks to the extension of this terminal and the creation of several direct flights between Fez and the main European capitals,” Noureddine Laghni, airport director, told L’Economiste. According to him, “from January 1 to November 30, 2017, some 7,983 aircraft movements (140 weekly rotations) were recorded, i.e. 1,010,906 passengers and an increase in traffic of around 24.4%.”
Note that Fez-Saïss occupies 4th position after the airports of Casablanca-Mohammed V, Marrakech-Menara and Agadir-Al Massira in the classification of commercial air traffic by zone. With a capacity of 2.5 million passengers, this airport is served by several companies including RAM, Ryanair, Easy Jet, Jet Air Fly, Air Arabia…
? Fez opened up
Thanks to direct services with the main European destinations, Fez is closer to tourists. The spiritual capital is now connected to the cities of Amsterdam, Lyon, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Rome, Amsterdam, London and Barcelona. The credit goes to flights operated by the airline Air Arabia. Partner of choice of the ONMT, the latter has opened up Fez, by connecting it to the main European capitals. The company will gradually make two A 320 type aircraft available to its new air base in Fez.
From 3 weekly frequencies, the company will increase to 31 frequencies in 2018, or 10 times more than today. The same goes for the number of travelers, which is expected to rise from 54,000 to more than 500,000 in two years. In fact, thanks to the installation of its future air hub, the carrier should reach an annual capacity (round trip) of 560,000 seats.
To fill them, it proposes new air routes linking Fez to Paris, Bordeaux, Milan, Rome, Cologne, Brussels, Istanbul, Strasbourg, Lyon, London and Barcelona, in addition to strengthening the connections that already exist with Toulouse and Montpellier. In addition, the company will launch, from this month of June, regional connections between Fez and Marrakech (3 weekly flights) and Fez and Agadir (2 flights per week). Some 90,480 seats will be reserved for these domestic flights.
? The dynamic set in motion
For Driss Faceh, president of the CRT, “these new services have created a real dynamic in the region… they are bringing back customers who, due to the lack of a point-to-point line, prefer other destinations.” Unanimously applauded by tourism professionals, the creation of air services with the ocher city and the capital of Souss attracts a clientele who wants to enjoy the seaside in Agadir, the festive atmosphere of Marrakech, and the living museum of Fez. These new connections have also boosted air traffic at Fez-Saïss airport.
Finally, let us point out that professionals are calling for a direct “Fez-Dakar” connection in order to encourage Tijan pilgrims. In the meantime, the wali of the region, Saïd Zniber, will initiate a meeting on tourism on December 8. For its part, the CRT is preparing the election of a new office. As such, Aziz Lebbar is in the running to succeed him. “Note that professionals will have to elect representatives according to the Fès-Meknes regional division,” recalls Adil Terrab, president of the Meknes CRT.
? The Chinese market is exploding
“Thanks to the abolition of visas, dictated by HM the King, the Chinese market is exploding,” indicates Aziz Lebbar, former president of the CRT and owner of a number of tourist establishments. For him, tourism professionals must take more interest in the Asian market and the Silk Road. We must organize educational tours and invite decision-makers and journalists to discover the tourist attractions of the Fez medina and its recently restored monuments. “The goal is to recommend Fez to Chinese tourists and to promote the Morocco destination and its multiple facets,” explains Lebbar.
? The Mövenpick project reactivated?
The Investment Commission is expected to meet this week under the chairmanship of the wali to approve new projects. This includes the Mövenpick hotel project, located in the Oued Fez tourist area. A project which will require 120 million DH and will create more than 400 jobs. Indeed, during its meeting on September 15, this commission granted a two-month period to Mohamed El Rhaffouli, the initiator of the project, in order to certify the availability of at least 40% of his investment budget. “Although this condition has no link with the specifications which bring together my company (a private one) with the Oued Fès company (another private one), I responded positively to the request from the authorities,” explains El Rhaffouli. The latter “unblocked 25 million DH of equity, provided a guarantee from the bank which will finance his project, and issued a certificate of real estate worth more than 80 million DH”. “In short, I have everything I need to carry out this project. In addition, I signed a 20-year management contract with the Mövenpick chain,” confides El Rhaffouli.
From our correspondent, Youness SAAD ALAMI
source: leconomiste
