Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Morocco's Tourism Booming



According to the Moroccan Minister of Tourism, the tourism blueprint, Vision 2010, has provided the solid foundation for future growth and sustainable development and management of the environment.



The aim of Vision 2020 was to make Morocco one of the 10 best destinations in the world doubling the size of the tourism sector and trebling the number of national tourists and 140 billion dirhams in tourism revenue. The tourism GDP would rise by 2% and the competitiveness of the sector would ensure that the tourism sector would remain an essential vector for the social and economic development of Morocco. Tourism is also a formidable instrument for international promotion of a Morocco with a rich patrimony and a welcoming and tolerant people.

On Tuesday His Majesty King Mohammed VI presided over the Assises du Tourisme in Marrakech with an audience of some 3,000 Moroccan and International Tourism professionals. Yassir Znagui Minister of Tourism and Artisans presented Vision 2020 and ten major accords which will finance it were signed.

Since the beginning of the decade, under the guidance of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Morocco has engaged in a profound and accelerated transformation across all domains, notably political,economic, social and cultural. This has been done with the ambition to create a modern and democratic country close to Europe and open to the world. This accelerated tourism development was placed at the heart of the nation's ambitions. The development of tourism has had a positive effect on all other sectors of the economy and collective prosperity in the Kingdom.

Vision 2020 would concentrate on decentralisation and an innovative approach adding value to for niche tourism and different sectors. It will adopt a strategy which is analytical, exhaustive and rigourous. It is inspired by the wish to take a regional structural approach to employment and the competivity of Moroccan tourism.

Vision 2020 will concentrate on the development of 8 new tourism locations in the North with Cap Nord the Mediterraean coast, Cenral Atlantic,Central Morocco, Marrakech Atlantic, Atlas and the valleys,Sous Sahara Atlantic and the Grand South Atlanticwith locations such as Dakhla, The Plan Azur projects will be completed including Lixus and Plage Blanche in Goummeline. The emphasis will be on quality tourism and staff training.A further 200,000 beds will be created.

1 comment:

John Gudgeon, UK said...

I have been reading the View from Fez and particulary the plans and proposals to enhance tourism. I hope this can be done without turning the Country into a sort of theme park for visitors. I am not all that widely travelled, but I have seen enough to notice how the desire to cater for visitors tends to result in changing the places visited, and can end up destroying what people come to see in the first place.

Having paid my first visit to Morocco only this year at the age of 65, travelling by motorcycle to Asilah and Moulay Idriss (which, incidentally, is one of the friendliest, most welcoming places I have ever been, contrary to what the guidebooks tell you), I have rather fallen under it's spell. I heartily support H.M. The King's plans both for development and for Morocco to join the E.U, but I always recall the words of our great English writer, Oscar Wilde who wrote - "for each man kills the thing he loves". It's true, we do, in a way it's the cost of mass tourism. We need to be on our guard against it.

Whilst writing, I'd also like to say how important I think it is, as a tourist, to try to learn something of the language of the Countries you're visiting. As a traveller you don't need a lot but it's both courteous to try and helps enormously in the enjoyment of a trip. You miss so much if you don't know what people are saying. I got on quite well in Morocco as I speak reasonable French and Spanish (though I do wish I could master Arabic). For the same reason I also speak a little Italian, German and Russian - just enough to get by, but I deprecate the fact that so many of my fellow Countrymen seem to think that the world speaks English therefore that's all you need. It's very embarrassing at times.