The year 2017 recorded 107,500 Chinese arrivals compared to only 43,000 in 2016. According to the president of the tourism observatory, 100,000 people from China went to Morocco between January and the end of last April. A very rapid increase in the number of these visitors which could reach 200,000 at the end of 2018. If this dynamic continues, this source market will ultimately become one of the most important in the Kingdom.
Morocco continues to reap the benefits of the lifting of visas, which took place in May 2016 following a royal visit to China, for nationals of this country.
Interviewed by Médias24, the president of the tourism observatory, Said Mouhid, reveals that for the first four months of 2018 alone, the number of their arrivals reached 100,000 visitors.
According to him, this figure, which only covers a third of the year and does not concern high season periods, suggests, at a minimum, a doubling of the number of visitors at the end of 2018 knowing that 2017totalled107,500 arrivals.
« By comparing the number of arrivals during the first 4 months of 2018 to that of the same period of 2017, we observe that the upward trend of previous years continues with a growth rate of 80%. This means that we have already reached the figures achieved during the entirety of last year.
« If this dynamic continues, we will close the year with a minimum figure of 180,000 or even much more because the January-April period does not correspond to significant flows of arrivals. For this market, the high season is between September and December then between April and May,” explains Mouhid.
As the details of arrivals by nationality for the month of May have not yet been published by the tourism observatory that he chairs, we must therefore expect a significant figure for the January-May period knowing that this last month constitutes one of the annual peaks of Chinese attendance.
Casablanca, first city visited by the Chinese
Concerning the preferred cities of this market, our interlocutor explains to us why the economic capital of the Kingdom is the first destination for these tourists.
“Casablancaalone accounts for35% of their arrivals. Even if it is not a city with a cultural vocation, it is the most legendary for the Chinese because during the cultural revolution, the only foreign film allowed on their television and cinema screens was precisely “Casablanca” which left its mark.
Apart from this mythical image passed down from generation to generation, the economic capital is also the main gateway to the Kingdom thanks to Mohammed V airport which is connected to the main air hubs around the world (Paris, Dubai, Doha, Istanbul, etc.).
« Their other destinations for stay are Ouarzazate, Tangier, Rabat, Fez and Chefchaouen because the majority of Chinese are eager for cultural tourism and discovery », summarizes the president.
If there is still a lack of a direct Casablanca-Beijing line to increase air traffic, our interlocutor affirms that the hubs of Europe and the Middle East are sending more and more Chinese to Morocco. As a general rule, they travel as part of combined stays (Paris, Rome, etc.) of a maximum duration of 6 days in Morocco which constitutes their last stop.
In terms of foreign currency revenue in the coffers of operators and the State, this market is of great interest because the spending of these visitors is 25% higher than that of traditional customers from Morocco (France, Spain, etc.). Excluding plane tickets, they spend around 12,000 DHfor an average length of stay of between 4 and 6 nights, i.e. 2,000 to 3,000 DH per day.
For Mouhid, digital promotion of the Morocco brand is essential because 70% use the internet to choose their destinations, 23% through tour operators and 7% on their own.
Knowing that in 2015, the figures peaked at 10,515 arrivals, in 2016 at 43,000 (growth of 400%), in 2017 at 107,500 (+ 250%) and that between January and April 2018, Morocco received 100,000 (+ 80% compared to the same previous period), it is therefore very likely that the year will end with at least 200,000 or even 250 or 300,000 Chinese visitors.
Remember that with its 120 million annual tourists, including 30 million who take long-haul flights, the Chinese market is increasingly coveted by major international destinations (France, Spain, etc.) who are deploying all their charms to attract it.
source:medias24
