Moroccan Tourism ~ the good news

With all the doom and gloom surrounding the cancelling of flights by budget airlines Easyjet and Ryanair (see story here), it is good to reflect on some positive news. While short haul budget flights being axed will result in far fewer Spanish, French and British tourists, passengers from long haul flights are on the increase.

While Americans. Canadians, Brazilians and South Africans are visiting Morocco, the biggest increase is in Australians and New Zealanders. Typically they do not use the low-cost airlines but arrive via the airline hubs such as Dubai, which provide direct flights into Casablanca. Morocco is viewed by Antipodeans as being a safe, friendly destination and certainly far more affordable than some European countries.

Australians made a record 8 million overseas trips in the year to June, 80 per cent of them as tourists. In just five years, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reports, the numbers of trips overseas has swelled by almost 3 million or 57 per cent.

Australians made 1.23 million trips to Europe - mostly to the continent, not Britain - more than a million trips to other Asian destinations and more than half a million trips to other places from India to Latin America, Africa and the Middle East.

The Aussies are coming

The reason the that Australians are travelling in record numbers is financial. The high dollar now gives Australians almost double the buying power overseas that they had a decade ago, an annual trip overseas is becoming part of the lifestyle of millions of people who would once have holidayed at home. The economic glow Down Under is tipped to continue for some years.

Although there has been a dip in tourism during Ramadan, the influx of Australians is expected to continue, with increasing numbers in September, October and November.


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Morocco's Olympics - The First Week

Despite the fact that Morocco has won more Olympic medals (21) in previous games than any other Arab nation, the 2012 games have had a very slow start. In addition two doping incidents have tarnished the country's reputation and, to make matters worse, a French judge has asked British police to arrest the head of Morocco’s Olympic committee in relation to the 1965 disappearance of Moroccan opposition leader Mehdi Ben Barka.

In this year's Olympics Morocco has 67 athletes participating in 12 sports.

Abdalaati Iguider, who won the 2011 World Indoor Championships over 1,500m is probably Morocco's best chance for a medal. In the men's athletics 1500m first round results, Iguider qualified in second place with a time of 3:41.08.

The 3000m steeplechase first round saw Moroccans Hamid Ezzine and Brahim Taleb qualify.

Hicham Sigueni failed to qualify.

The next round qualifiers in the 3000m steeplechase

1. Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad (France) 8:16.23
2. Evan Jager (U.S.) 8:16.61
3. Abel Kiprop Mutai (Kenya) 8:17.70
4. Tarik Langat Akdag (Turkey) 8:17.85
5. Nahom Mesfin (Ethiopia) 8:18.16
6. Benjamin Kiplagat (Uganda) 8:18.44
7. Roba Gari (Ethiopia) 8:20.68
8. Ezekiel Kemboi (Kenya) 8:20.97
9. Hamid Ezzine (Morocco) 8:21.25
10. Donald Cabral (U.S.) 8:21.46
11. Ion Luchianov (Moldova) 8:22.09
18. Brimin Kiprop Kipruto (Kenya) 8:28.62
19. Yuri Floriani (Italy) 8:29.01
20. Brahim Taleb (Morocco) 8:29.02
21. Jukka Keskisalo (Finland) 8:29.13

Abdalaati Iguider

In soccer both Spain and Morocco are heading home after playing to a scoreless draw in the final game of Group D.

The score was not indicative of the frenetic pace that both teams put on display, but what people will remember most is that Spain left London with one point and no goals to its credit.

In order to move on, Morocco needed a win over the Spanish and for Japan to beat Honduras, but the other Group D match of the day also ended in a 0-0 tie.

Sara El Bekri qualified for the women's swimming 200m breaststroke semi-final where she came in a very credible 5th place.

In the light flyweight boxing, Thomas Essomba of Cameroon beat Abdelali Darra of Morocco 13-10 on Wednesday.

Good news in the boxing Morocco's Mohammed Arjaoui has advanced to the next round of the Olympic super heavyweight competition with victory over Cameroon's Blaise Yemou Mendouo.

Arjaoui took the upper hand in the first round, opening up a 6-2 lead over his opponent before extending it by four points after the second.

The Moroccan was not troubled as he sailed through 15-6.


Two Moroccans suspected of doping offences

Unfortunately, as Morocco World News, reported, Amine Laalou will miss the London Games after the IAAF alerted the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to a report he may have returned a positive dope test.

An informed source told AFP that Laalou had taken a “banned substance” at a meeting in Monaco on July 20, where he came in fourth in a time of 3:30.54.

“The Moroccan athlete has not been authorised to enter Great Britain – English police expelled him at the airport in London,” Moroccan sports radio MARS reported.

“Amine Laalou is suspected of doping – he will not line up for the 1500m,” a member of the Moroccan delegation at the Games said.

Moroccan Minister of Sport Mohamed Ouzine told AFP: “If this doping case is confirmed then it is a catastrophe.

“Should it prove to be true then it is unacceptable.”

Noting that Morocco has been waging a campaign to ensure sport is clean, Ouzine promised “a strong reaction.”

Laalou is the second Moroccan to be denied a place at the Games after 1500m racer Mariem Alaoui Selsouli tested positive for a diuretic in Paris last month.

Morocco's Medal History

In the 2008 Beijing Olympics Morocco came away with two medals; a silver to Jaouad Gharib in the men's marathon and and a bronze to Hasna Benhassi in the women's 800m.

Morocco had a better games in Athens in 2004 when they sent 55 competitors, 47 men and 8 women. They took part in 28 events in 9 sports. The star was runner Hicham El Guerrouj who won two gold medals. One was for the men's 1500 metres and the second for men's 5000 metres. Hasna Benhassi won silver in the women's 800 metres.

Hicham El Guerrouj in 2004 

"Its amazing to think that in Sydney I was crying tears of sadness and here I am crying tears of joy. I'm like a five year-old with a toy." ~ Hicham El Guerrouj, on winning the 1,500 meters gold medal in 2004

Sydney 2000 saw Morocco gather 5 medals; 4 bronze and a silver.

Atlanta in 1996 produced 2 bronze, both for Moroccan runners.

At the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona Morocco won 3 medals - a gold and silver in athletics and a bronze in the bantamweight boxing.

In the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Morocco came away with 3 medals. A gold in the men's 10,000 metres and 2 bronze - one in the men's 800 metres and one in the featherweight boxing.

Morocco competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The nation returned to the Summer Games after participating in the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics. The games produced 2 gold medals - the men's 5000 metres and the famous victory of Nawal El Moutawakel in the women's 400 metre hurdles. Nawal El Moutawakel who, in her own words, became "the first Muslim, Arab, African woman to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games".

Nawal El Moutawakel

Morocco competed in the Olympic Games for the first time at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, with 47 competitors, all men, who took part in 45 events in 10 sports. They came away with their first ever Olympic medal, a silver to Rhadi Ben Abdesselam from Fez, in the the men's marathon.


Morocco's Olympic chief leaves London

French judge, Patrick Ramael, has asked British police to arrest Housni Benslimane, the head of Morocco’s Olympic committee, in relation to the 1965 disappearance of Moroccan opposition leader Mehdi Ben Barka. Judge Patrick Ramael has tried to have Housni Benslimane arrested since 2007.

The judge wants to question him, along with three other ex-soldiers, about the kidnapping of Mr Ben Barka in Paris. However, the Moroccan embassy in London says Mr Benslimane was in the city last week for the Olympics, but has now left.

Although Mr Ramael issued a warrant for his arrest five years ago, it is no longer in force, as neither French prosecutors nor Interpol have endorsed it, AFP news agency says.

Mr Benslimane is not known to have commented on the case.

Mr Ben Barka was an outspoken critic of Morocco’s late King Hassan II. The exact circumstances of his disappearance are not known and his body has never been found.

In 2001 former members of the Moroccan secret service alleged an ex-interior minister had been involved in a plan to assassinate him. Mr Benslimane, who is now 77, was an army captain in 1965.
He is also head of the Moroccan Football Federation.

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A Looming Disaster for Moroccan Tourism - Easyjet to cut flights

First it was Ryanair who announced the removal of about thirty flights to Morocco (see our story here) . Now it is Easyjet who have decided to suspend some flights from and to Morocco. As one newspaper in Morocco cynically observed this was a case of "contagion effect".

When the low-cost airlines began flying to Morocco it created a huge stimulus to domestic tourism. Everyone looked forward to traveling at low cost to Morocco. But today, low-cost airlines are leaving Morocco one after the other.

Easyjet announced the elimination of flights to and from Morocco, and, like Ryanair, blamed ONDA (the National Office of Airports) for increasing taxes at Moroccan airports. It is especially the links with Spain that will suffer the Easyjet cutbacks. As a reminder, Easyjet operated on routes between the Spanish capital Madrid to Casablanca, Marrakech and Tangier.

The British company practiced promotional rates of less than 50 euros on flights to Morocco. For example, at the launch of Madrid-Tangier in February 2007, one ticket was available from 24.99 euros. Those days are now long gone.

Back on Thursday June 28th, Ryanair announced it was going to cut 34 flights to Morocco. According to the airline's website the reason was a dispute over airport charges. The carrier claimed the Moroccan government’s airports authority had “reneged” on an agreement “by imposing a new monopoly handling company on Ryanair which would have resulted in a massive increase in charges for the airline”.

Just like Easyjet, the Irish company complains of increasing taxes for the use of Moroccan airports, but goes further. Ryanair considers that by passing this measure, ONDA has violated the rules of the contract that bound them. According to Ryanair, will result in fewer flights to Morocco and the loss of 100,000 tourists per year and cause an annual loss in tourism spending and job losses for the Moroccan economy estimated at 50 million euros.

In addition, last May, another low-cost airline, Jet4you, has ended it's Casablanca-Paris and Paris-Fez flights, as a result of its merger with the Belgian company JetairFly. (See our story here)

Travel professionals are now expressing a sense of alarm. According to Benaazzouz Mohammed, director of the National Federation of Travel Agents, the loss of flights will certainly have a negative impact on domestic tourism. Already, in Marrakech the results are apparent. Even before this move by Easyjet, professionals were very concerned about the situation. Mr. Benaazzouz believes that, "In times of crisis, we must fight to prevent the removal of other flights and ensure the sustainability of Morocco as a destination".

Cleaning up ONDA's mess

According to the Tourism strategists, more attention must be paid to air travel. "It is an undeniable fact, we need additional airline capacity," says Fouzi Zemrani writing in his column published by Tourmag. Ali Kassimi, CEO of Link Travel, a travel agency specialising in the Anglo-Saxon market agrees."Any tourism strategy cannot succeed without genuine political will. We need denser coverage including low cost, charter and regular," he says.

If the government does not step in and sort out the mess that ONDA have created, then travel professionals say they will have to try and find alternative solutions. They are exploring several avenues, including creating a fund that would help subsidise the seats to tour operators (TO) who engage in charter.


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Dubrovnik and Fez - Do They Share Historical Links?

Any link between the old quarter of the Croatian city of Dubrovnik and the Moroccan Medina of Fez, other than they are both walled cities, may be tenuous, but a fascinating snippet of information suggests that they do share more than architecture.

The narrow streets of Dubrovnik have much in common with Fez

"Already in 1571 Dubrovnik sold its protectorate over some Christian settlements in other parts of the Ottoman Empire to France and Venice. At that time there was also a colony of Dubrovnik in Fes in Morocco."

That quote appears in a number of documents but, sadly, none of them cite the source of the information. It is an intriguing historical possibility and one that we have so far failed to verify.

Today situated in southernmost modern Croatia, the Republic of Ragusa (in Croatian Dubrovačka Republika), from 1358 to 1808 was a maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik (Ragusa in Italian and Latin) in Dalmatia. It reached its commercial peak in the 15th and the 16th centuries, under the protection of the Ottoman Empire, before being conquered by Napoleon Bonaparte's French Empire in 1808.

Like Fez, Dubrovnik is now World Heritage listed

It may be that the word "colony" is misleading and it should be "protectorate". In 1571 the bishop of Dubrovnik was a Cardinal protector of small Christian communities. Cardinal protectors existed in only 16 other countries in 1571, namely in France, Spain, Austria, Portugal, Poland, England, Scotland, Ireland, Naples, Sicily, Sardinia, Savoy, Lucca, Greece, Illyria, Armenia and Lebanon. So it is possible that he also oversaw a "colony" of traders in Fez.

It is certainly true that the Arab world knew about Dubrovnik. In the 11th century, Dubrovnik and the surrounding area were described in the work of the famous Arab geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi. In his book he says of Dubrovnik "Nuzhat al-Mushataq fi ikhtiraq al-afaq" - "joy for those who wish to sail over the world "- and says Dubrovnik is the southernmost city of "the country of Croatia and Dalmatia". The big question is how much did the traders of Dubrovnik know about Fez and did they truly have a "colony" in Fez?

Hopefully one of our readers has a passion for historical detective work and can help us unravel the mystery.

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Train Derailment Near Fez ~ 46 Injured

Forty-six people were injured in the derailment of a train just northeast of  Fez on Thursday night.  Fortunately nobody was killed and the injured were evacuated to hospitals in Fez to receive the necessary treatment. The injuries were described as relatively minor.

LATEST UPDATE REPORTS ONE DEATH

The train involved in the accident was making the journey from Oujda to Marrakech. The accident happened at 6.45 pm, just prior to the time when passengers were preparing to break their Ramadan fast. The train was due to arrive in Fez at 7pm.

According to news reports the accident  took place on a straight section of the line and involved three carriages. First reports say it was caused by the poor condition of the railway lines and lack of maintenance. Passengers on the train expressed their anger at the state of the Moroccan railways.

An investigation has been initiated by the Moroccan National Railways (ONCF).



MOROCCO WORLD NEWS has a further report...

MWN has been so close to the incident of the train composed of nine wagons which deviated from its railway of Oujda-Fez line. Four wagons in the middle were capsized, while the second and the eighth stayed full but outside the railway.

The incident that occurred a few minutes before Sunset prayers shocked the inhabitants of the region. The first snippet of news pointed that the incident was caused when the train deviated from its way whilst going in a dangerous zig in Dhar Mehraz forest nearby the American restaurant of fast food (MacDonalds). The victims were immediately transferred to Hassan II hospital in Fez.

People had different views vis-à-vis the dreadful incident. Some of them ascribed it to the bad situation of the railway in this area known for eroded soil due to floods. Others believed that the driver was going at a high speed in the dangerous narrow zig.

As it has heard of the derailment, the local authorities hastened to the site of the incident and prevented the families of the victims from approaching due to safety and security reasons.

The Office National des Chemins de Fer (National Office of Railways) attributed the incident to unknown people who might have damaged the railway.

According to the office, these unknown people might have stolen some bars from the railway, a fact which brought about the deviation of the train. The office condemned such irresponsible act and promised to chase the evil doers.

The same source interviewed added that the security staff working for the ONCF, supported by the local authorities rushed to the site to rescue give the victims.

Investigations are still ongoing to unravel the mystery of the incident.


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Morocco's Deadly Road Toll Rises Again

Morocco's road toll has risen again after another horror crash outside Marrakech. A collision between a bus and a lorry has killed at least 12 people and left one critically injured, the official MAP news agency reported.

Morocco's road safety record takes another battering

The crash took place late on Tuesday near the town of Youssoufia, 37 kilometres (22 miles) north of Marrakesh, when the lorry driver lost control of his vehicle after one of its tyres got punctured.

The original death toll of 11 rose, when one of two critically injured victims died in hospital, the report said.

Police arrested the driver, who was lightly injured.

Morocco has a poor road safety record, with accidents claiming 4,000 or more lives each year, according to official figures.

A bus crash in southwestern Morocco earlier last month killed 16 people, among them several foreigners.

Visitors to Morocco who intend travelling by bus are recommended to always use the CTM line as it has a very good safety record.

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