Downturn in British visitors to Fez

We have reported in the past about the impact on tourist numbers in Fez of the withdrawal of the number of direct flights from the U.K. Now it appears the Moroccan government is taking the problem seriously although at this stage there is no indication of what concrete steps the government intends to make.

According to Mohamed Boussaïd, the Minister for Tourism (pictured left), the U.K. market is of paramount importance for Morocco.

During a meeting on Thurday with U.K. ambassador to Morocco, Timothy Morris, the minister raised the issue of the Air Passenger Duty whose impact has been "extremely negative" on Moroccan tourism, adding that the doubling of such a tax, imposed in 2007, has "clearly broken the dynamic of the growth in the number of British tourists."

Minister Boussaid also said destinations like Marrakech, Agadir and especially Fez have witnessed a significant drop in the number of British tourists.

For his part, Morris expressed total understanding of the issue, expressing hope that more British businessmen will choose Morocco as an investment destination, mainly in the tourism sector.

The U.K. is the third tourist exporter to Morocco after France and Spain with some 338,304 British visitors. The number is due to rise, reaching 670,000 in 2010.

Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news