The strengthening of tourism cooperation between China and Morocco is at the center of a Forum which ends this Saturday, February 3, in Casablanca. Organized since January 31 at the initiative of the Moroccan National Tourism Office (ONMT), in partnership with the World Federation of Tourist Cities, this event is punctuated by round tables, workshops, conferences and B2B meetings between Chinese and Moroccan tourist operators.
According to the organizers, more than 200 Moroccan and Chinese professionals are taking part in the Forum, whose ambition is to highlight business opportunities through the discovery, on both sides, of the tourist assets of the two countries. “We went from 10,000 Chinese tourists a few years ago to almost 100,000 in 2017,” said Mohamed Sajid, Minister of Tourism, Air Transport, Crafts and the Social Economy, during a conference organized on the sidelines of the event. However, this exponential growth could have reached greater dimensions, if it were not for the existence of a few obstacles which could be summed up by the lack of air connections between the two countries.
A downside to which Mohamed Sajid seems to want to reassure: “We expect, with the efforts made by all the stakeholders concerned, namely the public authorities, operators and professionals, in addition to the possibility of opening direct lines between China and Morocco, to be able to reach 500,000 visitors by 2020”.
According to statistics, in Morocco, tourist demand from the former Middle Kingdom, the largest source of tourists in the world, is growing. However, with an annual increase estimated at nearly 58% according to the ONMT, market shares remain below Moroccan potential and, above all, in comparison with other destinations.
source: Le Matin
