Rabat- The Moroccan tourism sector is going through one of its more serious crises since the early 1990s as a result of the instability affecting the Arab world and North Africa, as well as tourists’ tendency to think Morocco is experiencing the same upheaval.
This year’s crisis has prompted the Tourism Minister to lower his initial 10 percent growth forecast.
The tourism sector will experience below-forecast growth for 2015, said Tourism Minister Lahcen Haddad.
"I think we will end the year with a slight increase between 1 and 2.2 percent, while we expected a growth of 10 per cent," said Mr. Haddad in an interview published Thursday in the weekly Finance News. Haddad added that this decrease is due to "the reluctance of source markets," not only because the region has witnessed violent events but also because of Morocco’s proximity to unstable countries.
A communication action plan was initiated to remedy this situation, with the aim of "market diversification" and to avoid “dependence on a market," he advised.
The Ministry of Tourism is also conducting an evaluation study for mid-term Vision 2020, which will be published in late 2015 and early 2016 in order to review the vision and readjust it according to the region’s development and the changes in the industry, said the Minister.
Mr. Haddad has also stressed that despite the decline recorded in the tourism sector, it remains “mature enough” to restore growth by means of investment and the production of increased capacity.
"It is true that our industry is going through a zone of turbulence, but that does not mean that we should not invest," noted the Minister.
He noted that the 6.2 billion dirhams recently approved by the Committee on investment "reflects the confidence of investors in our market."
Referring to the results of the investigation regarding the application and satisfaction for Greater Casablanca, the Minister reported a satisfaction rate of 70 to 80 percent and plans to reach a rate of 90 percent by means of improving the welcoming quality, service, delivery, and the tourism environment.
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