In Ouarzazate, Tourism is Strong Pillar for Economic Growth

Rabat – As an essential source of job opportunities and inclusive development, tourism is a key economic activity in Morocco, Zoubir Bouhoute, Director of Local Tourism Office (CRT) in Ouarzazate told Morocco World News, on the sidelines of the International Symposium on Tourism held on Wednesday in Rabat.
MWN chatted with Bouhoute about Morocco’s tourism strategy, the challenges facing the sector, the tourism potential in Ouarzazate, and the city’s readiness to host games of the 2026 World Cup.
Speaking about the event, Bouhoute said that the symposium was organized to underscore the importance of the sector, emphasizing that tourism serves as a pillar of the national economy.
Tourism, a Pillar of Morocco’s Economic Growth
“The tourism sector plays an important role in promoting tourist-hub areas in Morocco, spreading the culture, values, and history of each region,” said the chief of Ouarzazate’s CRT.
He emphasized that international tourists can also promote Morocco’s tourism sector, adding that those visitors are “ambassadors” who can positively encourage their friends and family to visit Morocco if provincial tourist offices “served them well.”
According to Bouhoute, the sector served as a backup plan to fix trade imbalances that the country has been facing over the years.
Tourism in Morocco provides MAD 70 billion annually, an income that contributes to creating a balance and avoiding trade deficit.
He added that the country would be able to avoid all economic obstacles if it could further develop this sector, stressing the necessity of innovative digital governing solutions.
Bouhoute noted that the tourism world has been witnessing an increasing shift towards digitalization: “Travelers now rely on the internet to book their flights and hotels. They are no longer relying on traditional procedures, like travel agencies.”
Regarding challenges facing the sector, the tourism expert emphasizing that the country still has work to do in order to overcome these challenges. He said that the sector is connected to infrastructure, transport, and other economic activities. Therefore, the government needs to enhance efforts to provide the sector with the assets it needs to achieve more development.
He added that government support is essential, adding that the cabinet needs to cooperate in the promotion process.
“Despite the proximity between Morocco and Europe, there is a lack of air transport, linking between Morocco’s regions and European countries.” Bouhoute added that airline companies should also contribute to the promotion of tourism in Morocco by incentivizing travel offers.
Looking forward, he believes Morocco’s provincial offices for tourism will need to devise creative and innovative strategies to attract more tourists, including further digitalization and advertising.
Ouarzazate is Ready to Host 2026 World Cup Games
Bouhoute noted that the country has all the necessary assets to host the massive tournament.
The tourism director the 2026 tournament would help in the development Ouarzazate, greatly increasing the number of tourists to the region.
In reality, all regions of the country would benefit from important infrastructure projects, and the construction of these projects would create job opportunities throughout the country. Morocco must now up its efforts to increase its chances to host the tournament, according to Bouhoute.
Speaking about the readiness of Ouarzazate, the CRT director said that the proposal to organize some of the 2026 World Cup games in Ouarzazate would have a positive impact.
Though Bouhoute mentioned that the city could accommodate 3000 people in various hotels, he believes the city must expand its investments to properly mobilize for such a huge number of tourists. But these investments, too, would create more employment opportunities.
Business Challenges in Ouarzazate
Despite its excellent diversity, the city has experienced difficulties attracting investors. In response the Ouarzazate tourism director said that his office is visualizing a digitalization strategy that would contribute to the development of the region.This could serve as an incentive to business travelers and investors.
Hospitality, good governance and tourism management are also essential to the success of tourism sector, he added.
Ouarzazate’s Faithful Tourists
The CPT director also shared some of Ouarzazate’s tourism statistics with MWN. Moroccan nationals are taking the lead in Ouarzazate’s tourism, followed by French tourists.
In January, Maghreb Arab Press (MAP) reported that the French tourism indicated the highest growth, representing 11.95 percent of total arrivals in Ouarzazate.
French visitors from January to November 2017 reached 29,195 tourists, up from 22,220 in 2016.
Bouhoute added that the Spanish visitors follow the French, though the city of Ouarzazate has seen an increase in Chinese tourists in recent years, according to the CPT’s director, who added that the Chinese market recorded “spectacular performances in 2017, following the removal of visa requirements for Chinese tourists.
Le 12 Avril 2018
Source Web : Moroccoworldnews
Les tags en relation
Les articles en relation

Transferts MRE et tourisme : moteurs de l'économie marocaine
Les transferts de fonds des Marocains résidant à l'étranger (MRE) et les recettes touristiques continuent de jouer un rôle essentiel dans l'économi...

Tourisme : Les Français pas contents des procédures marocaines et le font savoir
Les professionnels du tourisme français, lors d’une rencontre à Paris en début de semaine avec le DG de l'ONMT, ont bien dit que si le test ne se fai...

#MAROC_TOURISME_ONMT_MARRAKECH: En attente du communiqué ONMT
En attendant le communiqué de presse de l’ONMT qui tarde à être émis, voici ci-après un compte-rendu de la rencontre de l’ONMT avec les professionnels ...

Covid-19 : La profonde crise du secteur touristique national…
Le nouveau coronavirus SARS-Cov2 à l’origine de la maladie Covid-19 continue sa propagation dans tous les pays du monde, touchant ainsi plus de 3,3 millions ...

Marrakech: hausse de 10% des nuitées touristiques durant les 9 premiers mois de 2018
Le nombre des nuitées enregistrées dans les différents établissements d'hébergement touristique classés de la ville de Marrakech s'est apprécié ...

Tourisme au Maroc : Résilience remarquable post-Covid, mais des nuances dans les chiffres (Analyse)
Avec les données annuelles de 2023, le secteur du tourisme au Maroc affiche une performance exceptionnelle, surclassant la tendance mondiale. En effet, le nomb...

L’associatif touristique cherche Présidents !
Si les prochaines élections nationales sont très importantes pour le Maroc des années à venir. A l’image des élections prévues, une pensée pour celles ...

LES RENCONTRES GASTRONOMIQUES D’AGADIR 2017
ET DE TROIS ! Si vous avez suivi de près les deux premières éditions des Rencontres Gastronomiques d’Agadir, il ne vous aura pas échappé que la dest...

Guelmim: adoption du projet "Noor Atlas Tan-Tan"
La commission régionale de l'investissement pour la région Guelmim-Oued Noun a adopté, ce lundi à Guelmim, le projet solaire "Noor Atlas Tan-Tan" qui se...

Agadir : La 1ère station balnéaire marocaine clôture 2019 en bonne mine
Agadir a confirmé en 2019 sa position en tant que première station balnéaire au Maroc, avec un total de 1.190.071 touristes, soit une hausse de 6,47% par rap...

Agadir : Conseil d’Administration du CRT
Le Conseil Régional du Tourisme (CRT) a tenu son Conseil d’Administration ce jeudi 30 août 2018 à l’hôtel Royal Atlas dont le point principal de l�...

Fès: Une application de géolocalisation pour doper le tourisme
Le Conseil régional du tourisme (CRT) de Fès vient de lancer une application de géolocalisation. "Téléchargeable sur Play store, cet outil permet de locali...