Morocco now the heels of South Africa to the rank of first African tourist destination.
The kingdom plans to host nearly 11 million tourists in 2014, three million more than in 2010, while Tunisia and Egypt break the price, return to the levels of attendance before their revolutions.
At Mohammed VI, the tourist is king. The quality of the welcome, the diversity of supply and the country's promotion efforts are paying even more than other destinations in North Africa are in crisis. Morocco plans to host 10.7 million tourists in 2014, generating revenues of 61 billion dirhams (5.4 billion euros).
The Kingdom of Morocco has already overtaken Egypt in 2013. It is now close behind South Africa (9.6 million tourists in 2013) to the rank of first African destination. All without having to slash prices as in Tunisia and Egypt.
Tunisia has recorded 7.3 million foreign visitors in 2013 (against 6.9 million in 2010), but the numbers are misleading. The 2013 arrivals included 2.9 million Europeans, 1.6 million Tunisians living abroad and no less than 3.2 million North Africans - statistics that now take into account the influx of Libyan refugees ... Egypt, she, saw tourist arrivals drop by 40% between 2010 and 2013, falling from 15 to 9 million people. The attacks in the Sinai and the riots in Cairo yet plunged 43% revenues from tourism in the first quarter 2014, according to authorities.
The Morocco attracts French, Germans and Britons
France has abandoned the shores of the Red Sea, but remains the largest source market for Morocco (35% of arrivals and 28% of overnight stays in 2013). A new phenomenon is observed on the roads of the Kingdom of Morocco, with French pensioners who travel throughout the country in motorhomes. They represent no less than 13% of arrivals according to the Observatory of Moroccan tourism (OTM).
Marrakech, Agadir, Fez and Rabat are also popular among the Italians, the Germans and the British, whose arrivals have experienced increases of 15%, 13% and 12% in 2013, against only 4% for the French and the according to the Spanish Ministry of Tourism. For its part, the domestic market accounts for 30% of overnight stays.
Political stability and quality of care
A key to this success is due to the political stability and security enjoyed by tourists. Southern Morocco has become, with Tozeur in Tunisia, the only corner of Sahara where Westerners can still venture without taking the risk of being abducted or killed by al Qaeda terrorists in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Mauritania, Mali and Libya, once frequented by hikers, are no longer options for a good ten years ...
At Merzouga, the distant palm grove where there was a campground there twenty years, hotels have mushroomed. They are over thirty, arranged along the dunes and competing arguments to attract foreign in search of escape: wi-fi, traditional architecture, steam rooms, swimming pools shaped hand of Fatma, for overnight bivouacs night under the stars in the sand ...
The purpose is to outperform customers by offering better rooms. Everything is done to make the visitor feel at ease. "Relax, Max," repeated over and over again the boys in restaurants ... The goal: to ensure he returns - including his own (39% of travelers organize their trip themselves, bypassing tour operators). The return rate is high, since 12% of foreign visitors have already made at least one trip to Morocco in the past.
Massive investments
Tourism is a pillar of the Moroccan economy (7.5% of GDP). The authorities do not skimp on the means to develop it. An investment fund was created in late 2011 with the Gulf countries to inject more than 2 billion euros in this sector. The public company Moroccan Tourist Engineering Company (Smit) plans to invest nearly € 6 billion as part of the development plan "Vision 2020".
Morocco wants to increase its capacity to 200,000 beds, but also build large projects. A "City of Entertainment" is in the works in Agadir, a "Desert Resort" in Dakhla and a theme park "Culture of Morocco" in Marrakech.
Already, the value proposed by Morocco's institutions makes the competitive scenery. A lesson that could be meditated upon elsewhere in Africa, particularly off the coast of Senegal, where rates of any inn and harassment of tourists by barges cut many want to come back.
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