Moroccan Tourism Update

The city of Agadir has passed the milestone of one and a half million overnight stays during the first four months of the current year, according to statistics from the Regional Council of Tourism (CRT) Souss-Massa. Overnights rose by 10.10% to 1,512,929 against 1,374,162 for the same period last year

The analysis of cumulative arrivals during the first four months of the current year also shows an increase in arrivals from 301,171 to 333,012 this year, up 10.57%. French tourists achieved the highest number of overnight stays, 361,624, up 22.32%, followed by German tourists with 277,363 units, or more than 9.10%, while nationals ranked third with 218,762 , down 3.07% from the first four months of 2017.

In terms of ranking by tourist accommodation type, tourist villages lead with a total of 481,600 overnight stays, followed by 5-star hotels (321,563 overnight stays) and 4-star hotels (306,977 overnight stays). The average occupancy rate in classified hotels in Agadir during this period is 52.51%, the CRT indicates that the classified tourist villages reached a rate of 66.47, followed by 5-star hotels with 64.25%.

Emirates doubles its Far East passenger numbers

Emirates Airlines announced on Wednesday (June 6th) that it has succeeded in doubling its number of passengers from the Far East to Morocco and boosting the Kingdom's trade dynamics by introducing the iconic A380 aircraft in March 2017.

Emirates passenger numbers from China increased by more than 200% in December 2017 compared with the same month of 2016, and passenger volumes from Hong Kong increased by more than 100% in the same period where the number of travelers arriving from Japan has improved by more than 60%, said the airline in a statement.

Present in Morocco for 16 years, Emirates "plays an important role by connecting Morocco to markets located in other regions of the world, thus facilitating the economic and commercial activity of the Moroccan economy and allowing the Kingdom to realise one of the main goals of its Open Skies policy, "the airline says.

"We are proud of the fact that, thanks to the A380, we have managed to help strengthen the commercial and tourist relationship that Morocco has always shared with destinations in the Far East and the Middle East. Air transport is no longer a luxury product, it has taken the form of a large industry that can bring enormous benefits to developing economies and unleash their full potential for trade and tourism, "commented Khalid Al Zarooni, Managing Director of Emirates in Morocco.

Emirates operates a daily flight from and to Casablanca. Thanks to the new A380s, Emirates passengers benefit from excellent connections to the main markets of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), East Asia and Australia. These serve many cities around the world such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, as well as several airports in Saudi Arabia.

The company currently employs more than 670 Moroccans spread across the Group's various departments, the majority of whom are Dubai-based cabin crew.

With its A380, Emirates has been able to redefine the premium travel experience, the source said, noting that first-class passengers have private suites, as well as access to spa showers. at their disposal on board the plane.

Emirates is the airline that uses the largest number of Airbus A380s in the world. Since 2008, Emirates has transported more than 96 million passengers aboard its flagship aircraft. The airline is also the largest customer in the world for the A380. In addition to the multiple A380s that are already in service, another 60 are awaiting delivery by Emirates.

Committed to respecting the environment, Emirates says it operates one of the youngest and most energy-efficient aircraft fleets in the world. So far, Emirates has introduced A380 services in no less than 48 different destinations around the world. Its current fleet consists of 102 Airbus A380s that serve 71 airports.

Royal Air Maroc strengthens its cargo fleet

The Moroccan airline, Royal Air Maroc (RAM) which intends to impose itself more on the air cargo market, has just acquired a new cargo aircraft.

The Boeing B767-300 Freighter that has a capacity of 45 tons and a long flight time (11 hours against 4 before). This aircraft reinforces the RAM Cargo fleet of 56 aircraft, including 11 widebody aircraft.

This new B767-300 Freighter "will give an undeniable boost to the freight business on a network that continues to expand," said director RAM Cargo, Amine El Farissi.

In fact, the RAM Cargo has, until now, provided freight services on all lines served by the Moroccan national airline, using only the bunker capacity of passenger aircraft and those of a Freighter capacity of 15 tons.

With its new acquisition, RAM Cargo will now offer 3 new products, namely Cargo Pharma for sending temperature-controlled pharmaceuticals, Cargo Stable for transporting horses and large live animals, and Cargo. Outsize for oversized shipments.

But more importantly, RAM Cargo will now be able to connect more African countries through the network of the parent company and its airline partners, in line with the development strategy on the continent.

As a first step, the regular program of all Cargo RAM flights will cover 9 destinations in Africa and Europe, including Brussels, Frankfurt, Algiers, Nouakchott, Accra, Lagos, Abidjan, Lome, and Bamako.


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