A nice batch of tourists in Fez during the first quarter of 2017. The city saw a succession of educational tours, press trips, and other events which meant that occupancy rates in hotels were significantly higher than those of many destinations in the Kingdom. Official statistics highlight an increase of more than 37% in the occupancy rate at the end of February 2017, compared to the same period of the previous year. “The month of March continued on this upward trend,” the supervisory authority said.
Thus, Spaniards, English, Germans, Chinese and Japanese are the main nationalities who have chosen Fez as a vacation spot. “The Asians have compensated for the decline in the French market. Particularly, the Chinese, who when they travel individually, do not spare money…groups not enough,” testify the accompanying guides.
In figures, for the months of January and February, some 115,726 overnight stays were recorded, compared to 84,411 overnight stays during the same period of 2016. According to statistics from the regional tourism delegation, arrivals in classified hotels during the same period were around 64,493 at the end of February 2017, compared to 45,908 at the end of February 2017. during the same period of 2016, an increase of 40%. As for the average length of stay, it stood at 2 days, i.e. a rate identical to that achieved during the same period of 2016.
Regarding the nights recorded during the month of February 2017 alone, they reached 64,385, compared to 43,944 nights during the same period of the year 2016, an increase of 47%. Overall, tourist establishments classified 3, 4 and 5 stars accumulated, during the first quarter of the current year, almost all of the nights recorded in the city of Fez, with an occupancy rate of 27% compared to 23% during the same period of 2016.
For this month of April, hotels are sold out during Siam as well as the culinary diplomacy festival. It will be the same for the month of May, since a majority of professionals confirm reservations for the sacred music festival (May 12 to 20).
The spiritual capital is returning to growth. “A recovery which was predictable since the end of 2016 thanks to the confirmation of reservations which made it possible to more or less make up the deficit,” declared Driss Faceh, boss of the CRT. Previously, more than 20 workshops and roadshows were organized in the different markets targeted by the ONMT. In detail, Fez was highlighted during the sales evenings organized by German tour operators. “The city will be present in more than 80 fairs and exhibitions,” we emphasize to the Office.
And to add: “the spiritual capital is promoted through specialized sites as well as other media including radio (RTL)”. This all-out promotion aims to boost tourism by drawing on the strengths of “Fez” as an “open-air museum”. In this sense, a film seen from the sky, produced by the famous director Yann Arthus Bertrand in Fez Meknes and region, will be broadcast alongside all events, exhibitions and fairs as well as on the internet. The Office also relies on testimonies from great personalities, like Richard Attias.
Moreover, those responsible for the Office aim to sell “Fez as a destination which offers its visitors a new experience which exalts the senses and nourishes the spirit”. For them, this product is made up in particular of two imperial cities (Fez and Meknes), but also of the Saïss plains and the Middle Atlas mountains, which could offer economic tourist activity for several localities.
In any case, it is a destination that we want to promote thanks to a positioning based on culture, history, eco-tourism, sport, outdoor leisure and hydrotherapy. To promote this territory, the ONMT is planning a set of promotional actions during this year. This includes participation in fairs and exhibitions, institutional advertising, educational tours, as well as cultural weeks.
source: leconomiste
