Tourist flows will only be triggered from the first week of August. The latter is renowned for being a popular month for annual leave and it coincides with school holidays in Morocco and Europe.
It has become almost a habit, Ramadan has a negative impact on the tourism sector. In fact, the seaside resort of Agadir, like other destinations, expects a drop in attendance. Professionals are of the opinion that this period is synonymous with a decline in the occupancy rate. According to Chafik Mahfoud Filali, president of the Agadir Hotel Industry Association (AIHA), “this drop is estimated between 10 and 15% in the occupancy rate of hotel establishments in Agadir.” Generally, it is the national clientele, ranked at the top of arrivals in the seaside resort Agadir, who will be largely absent during this month since they prefer to stay at home despite the fact that tourist establishments provide all current services. The observation is the same for Moroccans living abroad (MRE). Although this period coincides with the first waves of return, some of them prefer to spend this month with family or postpone the holidays until August while others tend to spend it in the host countries. Regarding international customers, according to Chafik Mahfoud, they are starting to “avoid traveling to Muslim countries, including Morocco, during this month because they have been instilled with the idea that the population in these countries is less welcoming and that it is preferable to avoid certain practices and behaviors during the month of Ramadan.” As a result, the holy month has pushed the majority of tourists to postpone their vacations until after Aid Al Fitr, hence the concentration and convergence once again of vacations during the post-Ramadan period. At this level, flows will be triggered from the first week of August. “The month of August is known to be a popular month for annual leave and it corresponds to school holidays in Morocco and Europe,” adds Chafik Mahfoud. In this regard, the destination would be fully booked after Eid and according to forecasts will experience a massive influx of foreigners, but also nationals. This clientele, despite its seasonality, is very important during this period for the Agadir destination.
Indeed, nationals have been able to outstrip the French market on the arrivals podium by displaying increasing performances since 2009. National flows are currently ranked 1st since 2011. In figures, out of a total of 887,407 tourists, more than 274,560 internal tourists chose Agadir for their stay in 2013, compared to 261,187 in 2012, which represents 30% of all tourists who opted for the Agadir destination. However, despite this trend in arrivals, the length of stay relating to this market is below the average displayed by the main source markets, in particular the traditional French market. At a time when the latter recorded more than 1.1 million overnight stays (26% of overnight stays), the national market only recorded 745,710 overnight stays, or 16.55%. In addition, informal rental and unclassified hotels will also have to do well, like other seasons, during this period of concentration of demand. As for residential and hotel capacity, it will be reinforced by the opening of the Imi Ouaddar station carried out as part of the Biladi program.
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