Casablanca — More and more Chinese tourists are choosing Morocco as their next destination, according to Morocco’s National Office of Tourism (ONMT).
Casablanca — More and more Chinese tourists are choosing Morocco as their next destination, according to Morocco’s National Office of Tourism (ONMT).
Speaking at a presentation on Tuesday in Casablanca, ONMT Director Abderrafie Zouiten said, “Just a few years ago, we would receive 800 to 1000 Chinese visitors a month, today we are at more than 6000 a month,” reports Challenge.
But despite these good numbers, if Morocco wants to reach 100,000 Chinese visitors a year in accordance with its 2020 vision for tourism, an emphasis on providing Chinese-speaking guides (who are currently very expensive and hard to book) for these tourists is a must.
According to the same source, Zouiten stated during the presentation that the ministry fully intends to address that problem and “launch a competition for Chinese guides.” Chinese visitors, the report continues, are of special importance to Morocco since they spend more than twice as much as their European counterparts.
Another issue is the lack of direct flights between China and Morocco. “In 2014, the Ministry of Tourism had announced a Royal Air Maroc line for 2016. Today, we’re almost in 2017, and still nothing,” one specialist told Challenge.
In recent years, Morocco has placed emphasis on attracting visitors from countries like Brazil, China, Russia and Scandinavian countries, among others, in an effort to boost sector growth and achieve the 2020 tourism development plan.
