Morocco sets ambitious tourism targets as it bounces back from deadly quake
Morocco proved its resilience during the devastating earthquake in September. Now, the country is looking to sustainably expand its tourism sector ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
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00:00 We are in Marrakech, which hosts the annual meeting of the IMF and the World Bank.
00:14 The country has gone through difficult times due to a devastating earthquake, yet is determined
00:20 to move forward, having tourism as its driving force.
00:24 And the future brings exciting challenges, since Morocco will co-host the 2030 World
00:30 Cup.
00:31 It`s only the second time that an African country has hosted the talks between the two
00:35 international financial institutions. The event brought over 10,000 people to Marrakech.
00:42 After the devastating earthquake on the 8th of September, questions had been raised about
00:46 possibly changing the host country. But the IMF and World Bank stuck with Morocco and
00:52 stood by the Moroccan people, who have once again shown resilience in the face of tragedy.
00:58 What we saw over the last four weeks testified that the authorities and as well as also the
01:03 civil society in Morocco were able to build back very fast. And this is something that
01:09 also we wanted to underline through those annual meetings. We had the opportunity to
01:14 visit the affected area, and it`s very impressive. We saw students back into schools in different
01:20 forms, but they are studying again.
01:23 Morocco is one of the world`s top tourist destinations. In 2022, the country welcomed
01:29 around 11 million visitors. Nearly 550,000 people are directly employed in the tourism
01:35 sector, which represents 15 percent of the total working population. Fears that the earthquake
01:40 would stem the flow of tourists have proven to be wrong. More than 960,000 tourists visited
01:46 Morocco in September this year. That`s up 7 percent compared to the same month last
01:50 year.
01:51 It`s crucial to communicate to the world that the situation is more than under control,
01:57 that we are back to normal life. In terms of arrivals, we have been monitoring reservations
02:04 and cancellations, and frankly, we did quite well. And what was great also is that the
02:08 tourists that were in place at the time in Morocco started sharing on social media their
02:13 testimonials about the real situation, and really, it helped us a lot convey what`s going
02:19 on, what was going on in Marrakech.
02:21 To date, Morocco has welcomed a total of 11.1 million tourists in 2023, surpassing the figures
02:27 for the entire year of 2022. Authorities see the increase in visitor numbers as a show
02:32 of confidence and stamp of approval of its immediate post-earthquake response.
02:36 We believe that future is bright for tourism in Morocco. We have a strong vision, which
02:42 is to double the number of tourists in Morocco by 2030, which is around 26 million visitors.
02:49 We are shifting our offer around experiences that the traveler can live, like beach and
02:56 sun or ocean waves or culture or gastronomy. So, the offer is built around experiences
03:03 rather than destinations.
03:05 The meeting gave a significant boost to Marrakech`s hospitality sector. Aside from its big hotels,
03:10 the city has gained a reputation for its riads. These multi-story homes center around
03:15 an open air courtyard with a fountain and belong to the wealthiest citizens and merchants.
03:20 Many have now transformed into boutique hotels.
03:23 These days or this week, we received a lot of, I mean, tourists that`s come from this
03:26 conference, which is giving me, like, a mobility for our economy progress.
03:31 There are lots of events that Morocco will organize in the future, which in Morocco,
03:37 I`m sure that it will bring out more, I mean, hotels that can accommodate all the events,
03:43 especially the World Cup 2030.
03:47 In the souks or markets of Marrakech, we saw hundreds of tourists taking in the sights,
03:52 sounds and smells who were more than willing to share their experiences of Morocco.
03:58 My mother said it`s the most beautiful country she ever visited, so of course, I also had
04:02 to come to see for myself. It`s beautiful. I`ve only been here one day. We landed in
04:07 Fes and immediately went to Casablanca to a beautiful restaurant with belly dancers
04:12 and live music, and then we came straight here the next day. It`s busy, it`s lively,
04:17 it smells good. I love it here. It`s really great.
04:21 The people are so friendly. From the minute we got here, we had help explaining everything,
04:27 the food seemed delicious. Just the whole culture is so different to European lifestyle,
04:33 but it`s so fascinating and so enjoyable so far, so good.
04:38 The country is aiming to double the number of tourists by 2030 when it co-hosts the FIFA
04:42 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal. Climate change is also a major concern and at the
04:47 forefront of Morocco`s new plans that will shape the future of the tourism industry for
04:52 decades to come.
04:53 (Music)