There are 305 classified rural lodgings, not counting the informal ones. A lodge is a source of employment and a commercial outlet for the douars. Professionals are calling for more sustained promotion, particularly in niche salons.
Nearly 305 classified rural lodgings are listed by the Ministry of Tourism at the national level for the year 2016. These establishments have a capacity of 1,696 rooms, or 5,083 beds, mainly located in the regions of Tangier-Tétouan-Al Hoceima (23), Souss Massa (35) and Marrakech-Safi (42). In 2015, rural tourism brought in 2.31 billion DH in terms of revenue, or 3.9% of national tourism revenue. These figures may seem negligible, of course, but this niche energizes a good part of the region where a lodge is located.
As part of the tourism sector development strategy based on territorial development and diversification of offer, the Ministry of Tourism claims to pay particular attention to rural tourism. And for good reason, the State estimates that the involvement of local populations in the tourism value chain in rural areas has had significant impacts on job creation and income-generating activities. A job in rural areas costs 50,000 DH, or 7 times less than a job in urban areas. Hence the State’s desire to boost the sector. However,“rural tourism is not programmed in the promotion strategy of the Morocco destination. Priority is given to mass tourism and seaside tourism. Niche trade fairs specializing in nature and hiking in particular, such as the hiker’s fair in Lyon, are not scheduled, even though the sector could attract a Scandinavian and Swiss clientele,” deplores Abdelhakim Sabri, president of the Sustainable Development Tourism Network of Souss Massa. Between the Atlas mountains, desert, green valleys, natural parks, seas, caves and snow-capped peaks, the tourist is spoiled for choice.
A quality and environment charter established in Souss Massa
Despite its assets, the country faces strong competition, notably from the Canary Islands, Egypt and Turkey, despite the terrorist attacks of which the latter two are victims. Faced with this observation, rural tourism development networks (RTDR) are organizing themselves to develop eco-tourism. For example, in the Souss Massa region, the RTDR lists around forty structures with operating authorization. “Between 5 and 6 rural structures have undertaken the formalities to join the RTDR. The Tata region which joined us following the new territorial division has not yet been identified,” declares Abdelhakim Sabri. To raise the level of establishments and standardize their services, the association set up a quality and environment charter in 2013.“This charter makes it possible to obtain a label designated by fibulae (as opposed to stars in the classic hotel industry). It makes it possible to raise awareness among the owners of the accommodation structure and those involved in rural tourism about quality criteria and good practices for sustainable development. The objective is to develop a sustainable tourism product and to benefit the environment of the accommodation structure”, explains the president of the RTDR of Agadir who also works for the promotion of local products and local products, in particular for the construction of the lodge. It also encourages developers to switch to renewable energies, wastewater treatment and selective sorting. In this vein, it helps them to equip themselves with solar water heaters with the assistance of the UNDP and to contribute to the payment of ecological services for member establishments as part of a circular economy in the region.
In any case, rural tourism needs real mobilization of all the stakeholders concerned. Owners of rural lodges nevertheless manage to market the product thanks to the programming of circuits for customers in tourist agencies and a strong presence on online reservation sites. An example: Jacqueline, the owner of Douar Samra in the Imlil region, 65 km from Marrakech, managed to market her rural gîte better than her guest house located in the heart of the medina of the ocher city. “The Imlil region, starting point for the Toubkal massif, the Ourika valley and the Oukaïmeden ski resort, attracts a lot of people. In addition, there is no competition from quality guest houses in the surrounding area,” says Latifa Hanif, manager of Douar Samra. Apart from her commercial skills, the owner was able to build good relationships with the residents of the neighboring douars. A guarantee of lasting roots.
