The future of any tourist destination today lies in Mice, which currently represents less than 30% of arrivals in a city like Marrakech. It is to highlight its offer as well as that of all Moroccan cities that a dedicated exhibition was initiated, Meetings Morocco. Objective: to support Moroccan tourism Vision 2020 and make business tourism one of the vectors of economic development. Honoring its commitments to the requirements of growth markets for business tourism, the event brings together active players each in their respective destination as well as experts in the Mice industry. 150 Hosted Buyers from all over the world will participate in its 2nd edition which will open the 2017 events in Marrakech and will be held on January 12 and 13. Nearly 50 exhibitors representing a Mice offer (hoteliers, exceptional venues, convention centers, incoming and travel agencies-DMC, production agencies, CRT, etc.), from all Moroccan regions (Marrakech, Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier, Agadir, Fez, etc.) will participate in this 2nd edition. On the program, 3,000 meetings between 230 foreign and Moroccan decision-makers.
For the founder of Meetings Morocco, Georges Freiha, the show wants to consolidate the Morocco product, as a distinct destination precisely in the face of the growing demand from local companies for Mice, and the constant increase in overall European and global GDP expected for the next 5 years. And to prepare, Moroccan host destinations must today take into account a rapidly evolving and increasingly demanding global need. Due to its strategic positioning, Morocco has several assets to covet major events. Indeed, its hotel infrastructure is important, just as all its cities have international airports and point-to-point connections. Marrakech, the city of congresses even has three congress centers, and is campaigning for a permanent 7-hectare exhibition center which will allow it to host events of the size of COP22.
Note that the COP alone made it possible to increase overnight stays by 35% and arrivals by 15%. Worldwide, the Mice segment hosts 9,000 conferences each year and Paris hosts 1,000 per year. Morocco attracts barely 5% of this volume. For Freiha, the Kingdom remains a safe bet and it is often included in briefings. Specialized tour operators have a different story. The amalgam and the security crisis have affected the segment. They hope that COP22, which demonstrated to the world Moroccan expertise in the organization and security of the country, will reverse the trend.
