With 10.33 million tourists, arrivals made a modest increase in 2016. A slowdown due in particular to the gloomy situation during the first half of the previous year. In 2017, professionals do not hide their optimism. Especially since the first two months recorded a 10% increase in arrivals, coupled with good trends in terms of reservations for the rest of the year
“This place is made for painters… Beauty abounds there.” This quote from Eugène Delacroix’s travel diary is the slogan of the new campaign of the Moroccan National Tourism Office (ONMT). It will be launched in French newspapers, such as Le Monde or Paris Match, from today. To consolidate the Morocco brand as a true tourist destination, the ONMT has chosen to focus its communication on the history of the country, its culture and its values, as explained by its CEO Abderrafie Zouitene.
He did not hide his optimism regarding the performance of the tourism sector in the coming months. The ONMT is counting on 600,000 additional tourists this year. This will make it possible to reach nearly 11 million tourists, according to Zouitene. Especially since “the trends are good in terms of reservations for the rest of the year,” he said. During the first two months of 2017, the number of arrivals increased by 10%.
A trend which confirms the good performance of the previous year. After a gloomy period in the first 6 months of 2016, the tourism sector regained color in the 2nd half, thus saving the season. For example, the number of arrivals in Marrakech showed a poor performance of -2% in the first half of 2016, before jumping by +14% during the second. The same goes for Agadir, where the number of arrivals fell by 9% during the first 6 months before recovering during the 2nd half of the year to +15%. Throughout the year, Morocco managed to attract 10.33 million tourists, with a timid increase of 1.5%. The number of overnight stays, for its part, increased by 4.5%, reaching 19.25 million.
This development is linked to the good performance linked to the diversification of source markets, notably China, Russia, the United States… This year, the Office is counting on the arrival of 100,000 Chinese tourists. During the first two months of 2017, their arrivals recorded a jump of 22% compared to last year. This is one of the largest tourist source markets in the world. The Chinese are known for their big spending abroad, with nearly $1,400 per person excluding accommodation costs. Paris remains one of the favorite destinations for this category of tourists. Hence the interest for the ONMT to “work in partnership with the Air France company on the Chinese market”, underlined Zouitene.
In the absence of a direct air link between Morocco and China, the idea is to ensure connections for Chinese tourists from Paris. Strengthening the air supply is a priority, according to the head of the ONMT. This is what makes it possible to realize the positive image that Morocco enjoys internationally. He focused on the launch of new lines during the 2016/2017 season, in particular those linking Fez and Toulouse, Tangier and Frankfurt or even Agadir and Munich.
But it is the new direct connection between Paris and Dakhla, planned from next November, which will establish this city as a true destination for sports and ecological tourism. The Paris airport will be used as a European hub. A weekly flight will be provided by the low-cost airline Transavia.
The promotion of Dakhla’s tourist assets is the subject of a program based on targeted operations, in particular by relying on the contribution of journalists and bloggers in addition to traditional channels such as tour operators.
source: leconomiste
