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The 42nd edition of the International Tourism Fair (FITUR) got underway today, January 19, in Madrid, Spain. The Moroccan National Tourist Office (ONMT) is in charge of promoting the country’s pitch to potential tourists.
The ONMT pavilion is set up on a 100 m2 stand, with ONMT’s general director Adel El Fakir highlighting the importance of being ‘present at FITUR.”
At FITUR, El Fakir said his office has “deployed a new task force to mark the presence of the destination Morocco and be ready to (touristic) relaunch.”
The initiative seeks to promote Morocco as a tourist destination, by promoting travel to the north african country. El Fakir noted that the ONMT intends to “further facilitate connectivity, including air, to rebuild air routes to Morocco as soon as possible.”
Talking about partners, the ONMT general director said that tourist operators should have confidence in the future.
Morocco is expecting to attract more than 2.2 million tourists in the Iberian market.
The area is “highly strategic and priority” for Morocco, representing the second largest market of foreign tourists to Morocco after France, with a share of 17%.
Representatives from Royal Air Maroc and Air Arabia, as well as Moroccan hoteliers and travel operators with European representation will attend the ONMT exhibit.
Read also: Morocco Unveils Emergency Plan of $216 Million to Support Tourism
Amid difficulties for Moroccan tourism representatives to attend in person, ONMT teams aim to function as commercial ambassadors on their behalf and cultivate business partnerships despite the distance.
In the current climate, and in order to alleviate the challenges faced by professionals, the ONMT has committed to a program of incentives, allowing tourism players to participate or be present at the office’s stand.
Morocco’s government has approved a MAD 2 billion ($216 million) emergency plan to boost the struggling domestic tourism sector, which was the worst hit during the pandemic.
Last year, tourism’s contribution to the country’s GDP was 7%, even as the sector continued to be severely impacted by COVID-19 and the Moroccan government’s travel ban.
Morocco’s tourism revenues fell by 58.1% to MAD 8.8 billion ($978 million) by the end of June 2021.
FITUR brings together a total of 6,933 participants, with firms from 107 nations in attendance.
