Rabat – Morocco’s adoption of a new roadmap of tourism 2023-2026 is bound to make this year a period of “breakthroughs,” with the country’s tourism revenues expected to cross the MAD 100 billion ($10 Billion) threshold in 2023, the Minister of Tourism, Handicrafts, and Social Economy, Fatim-Zahra Ammor, has said.
In an interview this week with state-owned media MAP, Fatim-Zahra Ammor detailed that the new roadmap has put tourism at the heart of national priorities and aims to double the number of arrivals to 26 million tourists by 2030.
The roadmap is based firstly on the idea of restructuring Morocco’s tourism offering by transitioning from a tourism destination proper to developing channels to offer world-class tourism experiences.
To this end, the government is working on nine major projects to meet the rising demand from tourists, including “Ocean Waves” for water sports, “Nature Trekking and Hiking” for green tourism, and “City Break” for short urban stays, the minister revealed.
To enhance the attractiveness of coastal cities, the ministry of tourism is also planning a “Beach&Sun” program and another “Desert & Oasis Adventure” for desert getaways.
In addition to the nine thematic tracks, Ammor also cited five cross-cutting tracks aimed at enhancing Morocco’s intangible heritage that will also be developed as part of the 2023-2026 roadmap.
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The list includes gastronomy and local products, festivals, and moussems, sustainable development, crafts, local know-how, as well as a responsible and authentic alternative accommodation.
According to Minister Ammor, her department and the Ministry of Economy and Finance have jointly allocated MAD 6 billion ($585.7 million) to accelerate the execution of the three-year roadmap.
Of ongoing efforts to support post-COVID recovery in the tourism sector, Ammor explained that the government has signed a number of partnerships. She cited a deal with the tour operator AllTours, which covers this year’s summer period and winter 2023-2024 and targets 10,000 customers from the German market.
Also mentioned by the minister is the deal with TUI Group, covering the next five years (from summer 2023 to winter 2027-2028) with an eye on doubling Morocco and realizing a growth rate of about 220%.
