TOURISM – It is a demonstration in the form of a charm offensive in favor of the spiritual capital of the Kingdom, Fez, which took place this Weekend. Taking advantage of a survey carried out on the internet between July and September last by the specialist portal Tourisma Post, a prize-taking ceremony was organized at the Marriott Hotel. During the latter, the Morocco Center region, whose capital is Fez, was elected the favorite region of Internet users in 2016.
For the occasion, all the leading players in the tourism industry were present at the ceremony held on Saturday. In addition to Ahlam Jebbar, founder and director of the Tourisma Post site, were present the President of the Fez Meknes Region, Mohand Lanser, the boss of the Moroccan National Tourism Office (ONMT), Abderrafie Zouitein, as well as a host of officials, media representatives and tourism professionals. The objective: to educate the Fez destination and highlight the assets of this region considered as a “strategic reservoir” for national tourism due to the numerous assets, particularly cultural, that it contains.
The survey initiated by Tourisma Post brought together more than 90,000 voters from all over the world, from 37 different countries. An internationalization of votes which was obviously made possible thanks to the web and which is part of the process of diversifying the channels of promotion of the Morocco destination, initiated by the ONMT. Indeed, over the past ten years, social networks have become an essential tool for tourism professionals, with tourists increasingly abandoning traditional means to turn to digital. An evolution of travel practices in which Morocco wishes to be fully involved.
This new deal of “digital tourism” also seems to have been well integrated by the organization in charge of its promotion. Thus, Abderrafie Zouiten, Director of the Moroccan National Tourism Office (ONMT), did not hesitate to use warlike imagery to illustrate the fight for tourism on the Internet: “We must win the war of social networks,” he declared in substance during the ceremony.
In addition, Zouiten did not forget to recall that Fez is a city steeped in history and is rich in a culture which attracts tourists from all over the world, although not having a seaside offer, like other key regions which participate in national tourism. According to him, these cultural dimensions and the values they carry are increasingly popular with tourists, whether from Morocco or other countries.
In this regard, the head of the ONMT assured that specific brands were created around the promotion of this region by taking into account its specificities, and that social networks occupy a central place in this context to contribute to this influence which allowed Fez to be elected emblem of the region preferred by Internet users.
