Domestic tourism, a lever of economic development, social and territorial

Domestic tourism is now a lever of economic development, social and territorial, contributing to job creation and the revitalization of the related sectors at the local level.

The minister of Tourism, Arts and Crafts, and the Social and Solidarity Economy, Fatim-Zahra Ammor, said Monday in the House of Representatives that the nights of domestic tourism amounted to 30 million, taking into account the different forms of accommodation, in addition to the establishments classified. In response to two oral questions on "domestic tourism," Ms. Ammor stressed that these figures confirm that the tourist Moroccan is the first client of the destination in Morocco.

However, the minister noted that the sector suffers from the problem of seasonality, indicating that the data show that the demand exceeds the current supply, especially during the summer holidays. Domestic tourism, she added, receives particular attention in the new roadmap of the tourism sector.

Read also: Tourism: Morocco is aiming to rank among the top 15 destinations in the world by 2030.

Ms. Ammor reported that two different targets have been laid down in the roadmap for domestic tourism ("the sea" and "Nature & Découverte"), with the objective of developing new tourism products tailored to the needs of tourists and Moroccans throughout the year and not only during the summer period.

In this sense, the minister stated that five major themes are under development. This is to provide suitable accommodation, through the promotion of investment in tourism products, which is particularly appreciated by tourists and Moroccans while framing the accommodation for the inhabitants to reduce the cost of tourist services.

To this end, she cited the acceleration of the adoption of the implementing provisions of the law n°80.14 to integrate new forms of accommodation, as well as the efforts to improve the attractiveness of the tourism product by the setting value of the medinas, the creation of sightseeing tours, cultural activities, and the strengthening of outdoor activities and sports.

The second axis focuses on strengthening air connectivity in order to improve the connections between the Moroccan destinations and to open up some areas, while the third axis is to include domestic tourism in the flagship projects of the roadmap, such as the DinoParc to Azilal, three natural parks in Ifrane, Toubkal, and Souss-Massa, stations écologiques of Oukaïmeden and Khenifra, as well as two amusement parks in Casablanca and Marrakech.

For the fourth axis, it is designed to improve the promotion of tourism in collaboration with the Moroccan National Tourist Office (ONMT) with the launch of the campaign "Netla9aw f bladna," which focuses on the internal mobility between the different regions. The fifth axis door, on the strengthening of qualified human resources, including tourist guides in the cities, the circuits, and the natural environment.