In Morocco, like several countries, tourism is an important economic sector and a driver of development and also constitutes a lifeline: it represents 8% to 10% of the country’s GDP. Notwithstanding its remarkable assets, in recent years, the Moroccan tourism industry has undergone profound changes caused by the low profitability and financing problems of accommodation structures, the constraints exerted by international competition, global economic and political unrest, etc.
In Morocco, like several countries, tourism is an important economic sector and a driver of development and also constitutes a lifeline: it represents 8% to 10% of the country’s GDP. Notwithstanding its remarkable assets, in recent years, the Moroccan tourism industry has experienced profound changes caused by the low profitability and financing problems of accommodation structures, the constraints exerted by international competition, global economic and political unrest, etc.
The Morocco destination is neither sheltered nor immune to economic vagaries. The main indicators of tourist activity are collapsing: tourist flows, overnight stays and revenues. The year 2015, for example, was catastrophic. All European markets are in decline, like the French market, the leading European supplier of tourists, which is in free fall. The Morocco destination is struggling to take off and catch up with its significant tourist gap with that of Turkey, for example. The latter went from 10 million tourists in 2010 to 40 million in 2015 while Morocco, during the same period, went from 4 million to less than 10 million.
However, the figures for Morocco may prove misleading, because the general trend remains marked by a decline in tourist numbers in recent years. In addition, in these official figures, the tourism observatory prefers to include in its calculation method arrivals at border posts of MRE (Moroccans residing abroad) who are considered tourists. By embarking on a benchmarking exercise, comparing ourselves with the other countries of Spain, Tunisia and Turkey, it is interesting to note that these last three cases do not take into consideration their nationals abroad in their calculations. Morocco is the only country that counts its nationals abroad as tourists.
Downward trend
At the national level, the crisis has become widespread. The two main tourist centers Agadir and Marrakech, which account for more than 60% of overnight stays, are hit hard by the crisis facing the tourism sector, especially the seaside resort of Agadir which is still in the red and continues to lose ground; In recent years, it has recorded very marked declines in arrivals and overnight stays.
The decline is almost general and spares almost none of the European markets, the main suppliers of tourists to the seaside resort. Agadir still remains far from the achievements of 2007, the reference year. At that time, the seaside resort, with fewer beds, had exceeded the milestone of one million nights (1.04 million). The average occupancy rate reached 57%, whereas today the occupancy rate does not exceed 30% of the total accommodation capacity.
Several hotel establishments are often faced with real difficulties which do not allow them to properly assume their expenses or maintain the positions created. During our surveys in 2014 and 2015 among the city’s accommodation providers (hotels and residences), we noted a very high number of non-responses which reflects the wish of tourism companies not to disclose their commercial results considered too low.
It is important to note that the hotel market in Agadir is dominated by a few foreign hotel chains. The rest is shared between a large number of small independent hotels. Occupancy rates during low, mid and high seasons are 20%, 50% and 92% respectively. Also, tourist activity is marked by the climate and seasonal variations.
Thus, in Agadir the high tourist season is in summer, demand is therefore concentrated in a few months of the year. Under-utilization out of season negatively affects the profitability of accommodation structures, many of which are in difficulty and have difficulty meeting their expenses. The Agadir destination is experiencing a decline in its attractiveness because the sun, sand and sea are no longer enough to sell it, and it must today face multiple challenges, including the political opening of certain countries placing new destinations on the market, the versatility of the markets, the globalization of tourist activity, etc.
If the attractiveness of Agadir is modest, it is mainly due to a lack of animation and actions to reverse the situation. The city is faced with difficulties linked to the tourist promotion of its territory, and the development of a territorial brand, that is to say the construction of “territorial branding” or “branding place”. In a context that has become competitive, no place is guaranteed to maintain its power of attraction.
Cultural heritage, an excellent marketing tool
So to reposition themselves on the international scene and respond to new tourist behaviors, the different players are increasingly aware of the scope and interest of excellence to improve their competitive positioning.
Like all other social practices, the tourism sector is not immune to the evolution of consumption patterns and tourist practices which seem to favor sites which retain, at least in part, an « authenticity » built on traditional activities.
Today, the excellence of a destination requires authenticity and the presentation of cultural heritage. The power of attraction of several tourist regions in the world lies in the richness of their cultural and natural heritage considered by tourists as authentic. Cultural contributes to the international influence of territories, it is an excellent marketing tool to sell the destination, give it more visibility and meaning and also helps to intensify motivation. Nowadays it is the resorts, cities and regions which are favored by visitors. These The latter are attracted by the discovery of territories with a rich and interesting heritage and by entities recognized by their brands.
Despite the enormous cultural assets available to the Souss-Massa region to which the city of Agadir belongs, the latter has not succeeded in adapting, diversifying and promoting its tourist offer which has remained exclusively focused on the seaside character of the destination. Agadir has not been able to play the card of authenticity, identity, discovery of heritage and culture.
It has not been able to rely on its traditional assets: its strong cultural identity, the richness of its natural heritage (agritourism or forest tourism products, Souss-Massa National Park, agricultural landscapes, hydraulic heritage, etc.), its built heritage (igoudars, etc.) and the quality of its local and eco-friendly products, without forgetting its seafood products.
It has also failed to highlight the ecotourism potential of its forest heritage: the argan grove. The argan grove, which constitutes the hinterland of the tourist metropolis, is the space of an important civilization. Included on the representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity, the Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve (R.B.A) is recognized by UNESCO as a terrestrial ecosystem of global importance.
This registration constitutes in itself a marketing instrument. The prestigious « Man And Biosphere (MAB) » label granted to the argan grove is of great importance and an opportunity for tourism stakeholders, knowing that labeling in the tourism sector is presented as a form of characterizing the territory (in recognition of its exceptional dimension).
Indeed, this label will certainly influence the territory’s brand and will sustainably promote the entire Souss-Massa destination. Agadir is the capital of the argan grove, and the latter could respond to several types of tourist demand, such as ecotourism, cultural tourism and mountain tourism, etc. The valleys, mountains and irrigated oases are living museums of ancestral agrarian practices, without forgetting of course the practices and know-how linked to the argan tree.
Furthermore, it is essential to now make tourism development choices combining the different forms of tourism: seaside, cultural, medical and well-being, scientific, urban, rural, business, MICE (Meetings, incentives, conferencing, exhibitions), shopping, and culinary tourism which has been developing rapidly in recent years. All this requires not only the realization of major medium and high-end developments and the improvement of the quality of tourist services, but also the establishment of an effective information system allowing the new tourist to best achieve this wealth.
Let’s innovate!
We must therefore innovate to move towards excellence and innovation also involves New Information and Communication Technologies (NICT). The irruption of NICTs into economic functioning has completely revolutionized the marketing of travel, thus providing tourist destinations with more visibility, allowing them to develop their competitive advantage in an increasingly difficult economic environment. Provided they are used appropriately and optimally, NICTs and tourism are ideal partners.
The rise of the Internet in communication also affects the world of tourism. Websites have become the preferred meeting space between professionals and tourists. They often represent the first contact who decides what action to take with potential visitors. Thanks to the Internet and their websites, tourism companies have greater marketing capacity allowing them to access larger and more geographically extended markets.
The excellence of the tool is therefore essential and must be an integral part of the marketing strategy and a priority; the usuability and efficiency aspects of sites are often cited by specialists. It appears from our surveys carried out in 2014 and 2015 that, out of 94 hotels and tourist residences in Agadir, only 30% have their own website, 10% are part of a chain or group and are therefore present on its site.
This is why very few 1 and 2 star hotels have their own website (2% of 2 star hotels and less than 1% 1 star). Furthermore, 70% of holiday villages are accessible via the Internet, but it is often the site of the tour operator who manages it directly. Regarding tourist residences, only 12 out of 23 establishments have a website. Apart from large hotel establishments (5 and 3 stars), the majority of tourist structures do not have access to large Internet portals which allow them to be in contact with individual customers who directly purchase their tourist products online via online payment; only 17 hotels have a website with online payment.
Also during our survey, we noticed a distressing lack of awareness of the enormous advantage of the Internet by many managers of these tourist structures, especially SMEs (46%) who remain skeptical about their role in the development of their turnover. The other aspect that caught our attention is that of online payment; only 18% of the sites explored have them and are all chain hotels.
So, the question that arises is why these hotel establishments do not sell directly to customers via their own websites without going through intermediaries such as booking.com, tripadvisor.com or expedia.com, etc., which will allow them to keep all of their profit, and will thus be able to lower prices to their advantage through the elimination of commissions paid to travel agencies, which makes them more competitive. We will leave it to local stakeholders to decide on this subject.
In any case, reducing the price of overnight stays is an aspect that accommodation providers must absolutely focus on in order to strengthen the attractiveness of the Agadir destination. Although most studies show that the Internet constitutes a strategic positioning tool, the implementation of a website does not necessarily lead to the development of a web strategy. With the proliferation of sites, Internet users in general become very demanding and do not accept sites that are difficult to understand.
The home page is an essential element because it constitutes the first virtual contact with the Internet user. To attract the customer, it is necessary to satisfy the latter from the moment of visiting the company’s website. Potential customers who visit the website are looking for additional information (lower prices, promotions, etc.).
According to our survey, almost all the websites of accommodation structures do not offer promotions more interesting than those of intermediaries. Less than 10% of the hosts surveyed display videos and images of their rooms and their establishment, which does not stimulate visitors. The majority of these websites are not built professionally and properly and do not offer attractive information and services that can arouse the interest of visitors.
Worse still, 80% of the websites explored are less efficient in a technical sense and do not appear very well constructed compared to those of intermediaries. They are messy, incomplete, boring, unupdated and unprofessional. Their structure is not well organized for easy navigation, making a potential customer lose interest and fail to convince them of the quality of the products and services offered.
Reinventing the Agadir destination
Today, it is more urgent than ever to implement a strategy to « reinvent » the Agadir destination and to adapt to the context marked by changing consumption patterns. Measures to make the destination more attractive are necessary, such as positioning in new niches such as “Muslim-friendly” halal tourism, domestic tourism, etc.
It is generally accepted that the tourist attraction of a territory refers to a plurality of facilities, actors, actions, events which encourage travel. The tourist service cannot in any way be reduced to reception alone, but concerns a set of infrastructures and services.
The tourist environment in general concerns several stakeholders from different sectors and services: taxis, urban transport, accessibility, cleanliness, available toilets, signage, etc.
The other trend that will have to be dealt with is that of low-cost flights. These constitute an essential contribution and support for a prosperous tourism industry since they promote the growth of tourism for all and, consequently, an increase in the number of tourist arrivals. In this regard, there is still a lot to do for the Agadir destination, since it is the least well served compared to competing destinations (the Canary Islands, Turkey, etc.).
Tourism development also involves the preservation of the environment, the enhancement and preservation of cultural heritage, especially since most of the monuments in the Souss-Massa region are in a state of total disrepair, which is not in line with new tourist practices nor with the expectations of tourists. It is therefore necessary to adopt a creative approach that subscribes to the requirements of trends.
Tourism professionals affirm the need to access new markets and have set their sights on China, Russia and India which represent a potential breeding ground for tourists. The question that now arises is whether Agadir is ready to welcome these new tourists oriented towards authentic experiences, culture, shopping, nature and discovery of heritage, etc.
By Hassan Faouzi
Source: http://www.huffpostmaghreb.com/users/login/
http://www.huffpostmaghreb.com/hassan-faouzi/pardon-vous-avez-dit-agadir-deuxieme-pole-touristique-du-maroc_b_10452662.html
In several countries, tourism is an important economic sector and an engine of development and also constitutes a lifeline: it represents 8% to 10% of the country’s GDP. Notwithstanding its remarkable assets, in recent years, the Moroccan tourism industry has experienced profound changes caused by the low profitability and financing problems of accommodation structures, the constraints exerted by international competition, global economic and political unrest, etc.
The Morocco destination is neither sheltered nor immune to economic vagaries. The main indicators of tourist activity are collapsing: tourist flows, overnight stays and revenues. The year 2015, for example, was catastrophic. All European markets are in decline, like the French market, the leading European supplier of tourists, which is in free fall. The Morocco destination is struggling to take off and catch up with its significant tourist gap with that of Turkey, for example. The latter went from 10 million tourists in 2010 to 40 million in 2015 while Morocco, during the same period, went from 4 million to less than 10 million.
However, the figures for Morocco may prove misleading, because the general trend remains marked by a decline in tourist numbers in recent years. In addition, in these official figures, the tourism observatory prefers to include in its calculation method arrivals at border posts of MRE (Moroccans residing abroad) who are considered tourists. By embarking on a benchmarking exercise, comparing ourselves with the other countries of Spain, Tunisia and Turkey, it is interesting to note that these last three cases do not take into consideration their nationals abroad in their calculations. Morocco is the only country that counts its nationals abroad as tourists.
Downward trend
At the national level, the crisis has become widespread. The two main tourist centers Agadir and Marrakech, which account for more than 60% of overnight stays, are hit hard by the crisis facing the tourism sector, especially the seaside resort of Agadir which is still in the red and continues to lose ground; In recent years, it has recorded very marked declines in arrivals and overnight stays.
The decline is almost general and spares almost none of the European markets, the main suppliers of tourists to the seaside resort. Agadir still remains far from the achievements of 2007, the reference year. At that time, the seaside resort, with fewer beds, had exceeded the milestone of one million nights (1.04 million). The average occupancy rate reached 57%, whereas today the occupancy rate does not exceed 30% of the total accommodation capacity.
Several hotel establishments are often faced with real difficulties which do not allow them to properly assume their expenses or maintain the positions created. During our surveys in 2014 and 2015 among the city’s accommodation providers (hotels and residences), we noted a very high number of non-responses which reflects the wish of tourism companies not to disclose their commercial results considered too low.
It is important to note that the hotel market in Agadir is dominated by a few foreign hotel chains. The rest is shared between a large number of small independent hotels. Occupancy rates during low, mid and high seasons are 20%, 50% and 92% respectively. Also, tourist activity is marked by the climate and seasonal variations.
Thus, in Agadir the high tourist season is in summer, demand is therefore concentrated in a few months of the year. Under-utilization out of season negatively affects the profitability of accommodation structures, many of which are in difficulty and have difficulty meeting their expenses. The Agadir destination is experiencing a decline in its attractiveness because the sun, sand and sea are no longer enough to sell it, and it must today face multiple challenges, including the political opening of certain countries placing new destinations on the market, the versatility of the markets, the globalization of tourist activity, etc.
If the attractiveness of Agadir is modest, it is mainly due to a lack of animation and actions to reverse the situation. The city is faced with difficulties linked to the tourist promotion of its territory, and the development of a territorial brand, that is to say the construction of “territorial branding” or “branding place”. In a context that has become competitive, no place is guaranteed to maintain its power of attraction.
Cultural heritage, an excellent marketing tool
So to reposition themselves on the international scene and respond to new tourist behaviors, the different players are increasingly aware of the scope and interest of excellence to improve their competitive positioning.
Like all other social practices, the tourism sector is not immune to the evolution of consumption patterns and tourist practices which seem to favor sites which retain, at least in part, an « authenticity » built on traditional activities.
Today, the excellence of a destination requires authenticity and the presentation of cultural heritage. The power of attraction of several tourist regions in the world lies in the richness of their cultural and natural heritage considered by tourists as authentic. Cultural contributes to the international influence of territories, it is an excellent marketing tool to sell the destination, give it more visibility and meaning and also helps to intensify motivation. Nowadays it is the resorts, cities and regions which are favored by visitors. These The latter are attracted by the discovery of territories with a rich and interesting heritage and by entities recognized by their brands.
Despite the enormous cultural assets available to the Souss-Massa region to which the city of Agadir belongs, the latter has not succeeded in adapting, diversifying and promoting its tourist offer which has remained exclusively focused on the seaside character of the destination. Agadir has not been able to play the card of authenticity, identity, discovery of heritage and culture.
It has not been able to rely on its traditional assets: its strong cultural identity, the richness of its natural heritage (agritourism or forest tourism products, Souss-Massa National Park, agricultural landscapes, hydraulic heritage, etc.), its built heritage (igoudars, etc.) and the quality of its local and eco-friendly products, without forgetting its seafood products.
It has also failed to highlight the ecotourism potential of its forest heritage: the argan grove. The argan grove, which constitutes the hinterland of the tourist metropolis, is the space of an important civilization. Included on the representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity, the Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve (R.B.A) is recognized by UNESCO as a terrestrial ecosystem of global importance.
This registration constitutes in itself a marketing instrument. The prestigious « Man And Biosphere (MAB) » label granted to the argan grove is of great importance and an opportunity for tourism stakeholders, knowing that labeling in the tourism sector is presented as a form of characterizing the territory (in recognition of its exceptional dimension).
Indeed, this label will certainly influence the territory’s brand and will sustainably promote the entire Souss-Massa destination. Agadir is the capital of the argan grove, and the latter could respond to several types of tourist demand, such as ecotourism, cultural tourism and mountain tourism, etc. The valleys, mountains and irrigated oases are living museums of ancestral agrarian practices, without forgetting of course the practices and know-how linked to the argan tree.
Furthermore, it is essential to now make tourism development choices combining the different forms of tourism: seaside, cultural, medical and well-being, scientific, urban, rural, business, MICE (Meetings, incentives, conferencing, exhibitions), shopping, and culinary tourism which has been developing rapidly in recent years. All this requires not only the realization of major medium and high-end developments and the improvement of the quality of tourist services, but also the establishment of an effective information system allowing the new tourist to best achieve this wealth.
Let’s innovate!
We must therefore innovate to move towards excellence and innovation also involves New Information and Communication Technologies (NICT). The irruption of NICTs into economic functioning has completely revolutionized the marketing of travel, thus providing tourist destinations with more visibility, allowing them to develop their competitive advantage in an increasingly difficult economic environment. Provided they are used appropriately and optimally, NICTs and tourism are ideal partners.
The rise of the Internet in communication also affects the world of tourism. Websites have become the preferred meeting space between professionals and tourists. They often represent the first contact who decides what action to take with potential visitors. Thanks to the Internet and their websites, tourism companies have greater marketing capacity allowing them to access larger and more geographically extended markets.
The excellence of the tool is therefore essential and must be an integral part of the marketing strategy and a priority; the usuability and efficiency aspects of sites are often cited by specialists. It appears from our surveys carried out in 2014 and 2015 that, out of 94 hotels and tourist residences in Agadir, only 30% have their own website, 10% are part of a chain or group and are therefore present on its site.
This is why very few 1 and 2 star hotels have their own website (2% of 2 star hotels and less than 1% 1 star). Furthermore, 70% of holiday villages are accessible via the Internet, but it is often the site of the tour operator who manages it directly. Regarding tourist residences, only 12 out of 23 establishments have a website. Apart from large hotel establishments (5 and 3 stars), the majority of tourist structures do not have access to large Internet portals which allow them to be in contact with individual customers who directly purchase their tourist products online via online payment; only 17 hotels have a website with online payment.
Also during our survey, we noticed a distressing lack of awareness of the enormous advantage of the Internet by many managers of these tourist structures, especially SMEs (46%) who remain skeptical about their role in the development of their turnover. The other aspect that caught our attention is that of online payment; only 18% of the sites explored have them and are all chain hotels.
So, the question that arises is why these hotel establishments do not sell directly to customers via their own websites without going through intermediaries such as booking.com, tripadvisor.com or expedia.com, etc., which will allow them to keep all of their profit, and will thus be able to lower prices to their advantage through the elimination of commissions paid to travel agencies, which makes them more competitive. We will leave it to local stakeholders to decide on this subject.
In any case, reducing the price of overnight stays is an aspect that accommodation providers must absolutely focus on in order to strengthen the attractiveness of the Agadir destination. Although most studies show that the Internet constitutes a strategic positioning tool, the implementation of a website does not necessarily lead to the development of a web strategy. With the proliferation of sites, Internet users in general become very demanding and do not accept sites that are difficult to understand.
The home page is an essential element because it constitutes the first virtual contact with the Internet user. To attract the customer, it is necessary to satisfy the latter from the moment of visiting the company’s website. Potential customers who visit the website are looking for additional information (lower prices, promotions, etc.).
According to our survey, almost all the websites of accommodation structures do not offer promotions more interesting than those of intermediaries. Less than 10% of the hosts surveyed display videos and images of their rooms and their establishment, which does not stimulate visitors. The majority of these websites are not built professionally and properly and do not offer attractive information and services that can arouse the interest of visitors.
Worse still, 80% of the websites explored are less efficient in a technical sense and do not appear very well constructed compared to those of intermediaries. They are messy, incomplete, boring, unupdated and unprofessional. Their structure is not well organized for easy navigation, making a potential customer lose interest and fail to convince them of the quality of the products and services offered.
Reinventing the Agadir destination
Today, it is more urgent than ever to implement a strategy to « reinvent » the Agadir destination and to adapt to the context marked by changing consumption patterns. Measures to make the destination more attractive are necessary, such as positioning in new niches such as “Muslim-friendly” halal tourism, domestic tourism, etc.
It is generally accepted that the tourist attraction of a territory refers to a plurality of facilities, actors, actions, events which encourage travel. The tourist service cannot in any way be reduced to reception alone, but concerns a set of infrastructures and services.
The tourist environment in general concerns several stakeholders from different sectors and services: taxis, urban transport, accessibility, cleanliness, available toilets, signage, etc.
The other trend that will have to be dealt with is that of low-cost flights. These constitute an essential contribution and support for a prosperous tourism industry since they promote the growth of tourism for all and, consequently, an increase in the number of tourist arrivals. In this regard, there is still a lot to do for the Agadir destination, since it is the least well served compared to competing destinations (the Canary Islands, Turkey, etc.).
Tourism development also involves the preservation of the environment, the enhancement and preservation of cultural heritage, especially since most of the monuments in the Souss-Massa region are in a state of total disrepair, which is not in line with new tourist practices nor with the expectations of tourists. It is therefore necessary to adopt a creative approach that subscribes to the requirements of trends.
Tourism professionals affirm the need to access new markets and have set their sights on China, Russia and India which represent a potential breeding ground for tourists. The question that now arises is whether Agadir is ready to welcome these new tourists oriented towards authentic experiences, culture, shopping, nature and discovery of heritage, etc.
By Hassan Faouzi
Source: http://www.huffpostmaghreb.com/users/login/
http://www.huffpostmaghreb.com/hassan-faouzi/pardon-vous-avez-dit-agadir-deuxieme-pole-touristique-du-maroc_b_10452662.html
