Morocco proved its resilience during the devastating earthquake in September. Now, the country is looking to sustainably expand its tourism sector ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
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00:00 We are in Marrakech, which hosts the annual meeting of the IMF and the World Bank.
00:14 The country has gone through difficult times due to a devastating earthquake, yet is determined
00:20 to move forward, having tourism as its driving force.
00:24 And the future brings exciting challenges, since Morocco will co-host the 2030 World
00:30 Cup.
00:31 It`s only the second time that an African country has hosted the talks between the two
00:35 international financial institutions. The event brought over 10,000 people to Marrakech.
00:42 After the devastating earthquake on the 8th of September, questions had been raised about
00:46 possibly changing the host country. But the IMF and World Bank stuck with Morocco and
00:52 stood by the Moroccan people, who have once again shown resilience in the face of tragedy.
00:58 What we saw over the last four weeks testified that the authorities and as well as also the
01:03 civil society in Morocco were able to build back very fast. And this is something that
01:09 also we wanted to underline through those annual meetings. We had the opportunity to
01:14 visit the affected area, and it`s very impressive. We saw students back into schools in different
01:20 forms, but they are studying again.
01:23 Morocco is one of the world`s top tourist destinations. In 2022, the country welcomed
01:29 around 11 million visitors. Nearly 550,000 people are directly employed in the tourism
01:35 sector, which represents 15 percent of the total working population. Fears that the earthquake
01:40 would stem the flow of tourists have proven to be wrong. More than 960,000 tourists visited
01:46 Morocco in September this year. That`s up 7 percent compared to the same month last
01:50 year.
01:51 It`s crucial to communicate to the world that the situation is more than under control,
01:57 that we are back to normal life. In terms of arrivals, we have been monitoring reservations
02:04 and cancellations, and frankly, we did quite well. And what was great also is that the
02:08 tourists that were in place at the time in Morocco started sharing on social media their
02:13 testimonials about the real situation, and really, it helped us a lot convey what`s going
02:19 on, what was going on in Marrakech.
02:21 To date, Morocco has welcomed a total of 11.1 million tourists in 2023, surpassing the figures
02:27 for the entire year of 2022. Authorities see the increase in visitor numbers as a show
02:32 of confidence and stamp of approval of its immediate post-earthquake response.
02:36 We believe that future is bright for tourism in Morocco. We have a strong vision, which
02:42 is to double the number of tourists in Morocco by 2030, which is around 26 million visitors.
02:49 We are shifting our offer around experiences that the traveler can live, like beach and
02:56 sun or ocean waves or culture or gastronomy. So, the offer is built around experiences
03:03 rather than destinations.
03:05 The meeting gave a significant boost to Marrakech`s hospitality sector. Aside from its big hotels,
03:10 the city has gained a reputation for its riads. These multi-story homes center around
03:15 an open air courtyard with a fountain and belong to the wealthiest citizens and merchants.
03:20 Many have now transformed into boutique hotels.
03:23 These days or this week, we received a lot of, I mean, tourists that`s come from this
03:26 conference, which is giving me, like, a mobility for our economy progress.
03:31 There are lots of events that Morocco will organize in the future, which in Morocco,
03:37 I`m sure that it will bring out more, I mean, hotels that can accommodate all the events,
03:43 especially the World Cup 2030.
03:47 In the souks or markets of Marrakech, we saw hundreds of tourists taking in the sights,
03:52 sounds and smells who were more than willing to share their experiences of Morocco.
03:58 My mother said it`s the most beautiful country she ever visited, so of course, I also had
04:02 to come to see for myself. It`s beautiful. I`ve only been here one day. We landed in
04:07 Fes and immediately went to Casablanca to a beautiful restaurant with belly dancers
04:12 and live music, and then we came straight here the next day. It`s busy, it`s lively,
04:17 it smells good. I love it here. It`s really great.
04:21 The people are so friendly. From the minute we got here, we had help explaining everything,
04:27 the food seemed delicious. Just the whole culture is so different to European lifestyle,
04:33 but it`s so fascinating and so enjoyable so far, so good.
04:38 The country is aiming to double the number of tourists by 2030 when it co-hosts the FIFA
04:42 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal. Climate change is also a major concern and at the
04:47 forefront of Morocco`s new plans that will shape the future of the tourism industry for
04:52 decades to come.
04:53 (Music)