mardi 10 février 2009

Plan Azur behind schedule as Morocco's tourism sees effects of financial crisis

MOROCCO. The international financial crisis is already affecting the tourism sector in Morocco. Fewer tourists are expected to visit Morocco in 2009 compared to last year. But the sector can manage the downfall quickly, optimistic officials said.
The global financial crisis is expected to hinder Morocco's tourism sector and affect plans to boost its revenues, Moroccan officials and tourism experts warned recently. Despite last year's satisfying numbers and prevailing optimism for 2009, fewer tourists are expected this year.
"2009 will certainly be tough for the Moroccan tourism industry, due to the unfavourable international situation and heightened competition," said Othman Cherif Alami, President of the National Tourism Federation.
The country's tourism depends heavily on European visitors, and the financial difficulties swarming Europe are beginning to materialise in Morocco.
Tourist destinations in Marrakesh, Tangier, Fez and Casablanca are already recording fewer reservations, compared to last year. Abdelali Chaoui, CEO of five-star Hotel Eden Andalou in Marrakesh, spoke about that grim fact.
"We need to tighten our belts until the economic crisis subsides," Chaoui said. "At the moment I'm a CEO who doesn't earn a monthly wage."
Chaoui added that if the crisis' effects on the sector end in 2009, "I think my hotel will balance its books again in three years."
In Tangier, industry figures show that the sector could contract by as much as 20% in comparison with last year.
In Fez, the manager of the five-star Jnan Palace Hotel is optimistic. In a press statement, he said that tourism in the country's spiritual capital should pick up again from March onwards.
The industry's mayhem casts a shadow on the government's plans to boost tourism in the near future, government officials said.
Tourism experts warned that 'Vision 2010', the government's plan to attract 10 million tourists in the year 2010 including building new resorts and attractions, could be hindered. Nevertheless, the government remains optimistic.
"[The plan] is still a national ambition," said Minister of Tourism and Crafts Mohamed Boussaid. "We're going to work towards achieving it. However, the seaside resorts being created as part of the Plan Azur will open behind schedule due to the complexity and difficulty of the construction work."
Under the Plan Azur, two resorts – Saaidia and Mazagan – are due to open this year in June and October. Despite the setbacks, the Minister said he remains hopeful. "I think we're basically on course, but we haven't achieved our goals yet," Boussaid said.
Private sector operators plan to lobby the Ministry of Tourism to implement a plan to cope with the impact of the international crisis on national tourism. Their action plan will involve a strategy of "targeted diversification" and entry into new markets such as the Far East, Russia and the Middle East.
An office will soon be opened in Beijing to market Morocco as a tourism destination. This market is a promising opportunity that must be seized, according to the CEO of the Club Med group, Henri Giscard d'Estaing, who announced at a meeting last month in Marrakesh that 12 million Chinese tourists are expected to visit his group's clubs.
"The current situation is a very tough one," said Mohamed Chaibi, vice-president of the Moroccan Business Confederation (CGEM), "therefore, there is a need to be more proactive in our response to it."
Source : Business Intelligence Middle East

lundi 9 février 2009

Geodis first in line at Tanger Med 1

 By Stuart Todd


Geodis has become the first company to open a warehouse at the Tanger Med 1 container port.
The French firm has taken 7,200 sq metres of space in the logistics zone and also has the option to extend the site to 20,000 sq metres.
Tanger Med 1, at Tangiers in Morocco, entered service July 2007 and now boasts two box terminals run by consortia which include Maersk, CMA CGM and MSC.
When fully completed, the logistics zone is set to extend over 136 hectares.

Source : Informa plc: