Morocco's Marketing Push

Morocco's Marketing Push


May 14, 2007By:Jennifer MerrittTravel Agent


Marrakech, Morocco
Morocco may soon become more popular for United-States-based travelers, as the country is currently developing six resort properties that will include the likes of Accor, Raffles and Four Seasons, in effect tripling Morocco's bed capacity. In addition, the country is set to embark on a multi-million dollar ad campaign here in the U.S. targeted specifically at sophisticated and upscale travelers on the east coast, who are able to fly from New York to Morocco in just six hours.

Rachid Maaninou, international markets director for the Moroccan National Tourism Office, says he is currently reaching out to tour operators to add Morocco to their itineraries, and is also on the lookout for a technology partner to launch travel agent e-training programs. "We have 10 models, nd once they finish the 10 models, agents become a specialist," he explains. "Then we would send them to Morocco so they could see what they are selling." The program is expected to launch by June.

10 Million Visitors By 2010

These efforts are all part of Morocco's Vision 2010 campaign, which has set a goal of 10 million visitors by the year 2010, says Maaninou. That's a lofty increase from the 4.4 million tourists who visited in 2000, but aaninou is confident that the goal will be met.

Grabbing the attention of Americans may be easier than expected, as 20 percent of Americans visited Morocco last year, and for the last three years, the country has seen a 15 percent increase in American travelers year to year, without the use of advertising to draw them there.

Though the specifics of the east coast ad campaign have yet to be set (west coast plans will follow shortly thereafter), the groundbreaking on the six new beachfront resorts already has begun. The first hotel to open will be the Mediterrania Saidia, the only resort on the Mediterranean coastline, set for completion in 2009. Other properties are being developed in Mazagan, including a casino hotel just south of Casablanca, and in Taghazout. The latter, a $2 billion resort, will have several four- and five-star hotels, such as Raffles and Fairmont, two golf courses, two spas, horseback riding trails and several residential, leisure and retail facilities.

In all, the project, which totals $32 billion, is expected to bring Morocco's bed capacity from 70,000 to 230,000 and generate 150,000 jobs.
—Jennifer Merritt
http://www.travelagentcentral.com