Morocco: New Tours, Flights and Hotels

With the dirham competitive against the euro, Morocco is enjoying a boom. Joanna Booth of Travel Trade Gazette looks at what's new:

Classic Collection head of product Gary Boyer has seen the country boom in popularity. Sales this summer are 48% up year on year. "Morocco is enjoying a much more successful season than last year, when hotel prices were somewhat optimistic, reflected in lower than normal occupancy rates," says Boyer.

Hoteliers have made the necessary price corrections, as well as offering operators a good choice of special deals. Summer has seen a particularly strong performance for a destination normally associated with winter-sun breaks.

Market leader TUI Travel reports that Agadir is performing above other mid-haul destinations. Thomson/First Choice UK product manager Gemma Moret says the currency has made a big difference. "It's not only made many customers consider Morocco, but from a company perspective, we've been able to offer better lead-in prices."

The future looks promising too - the second wave of the Moroccan Tourist Board's advertising campaign is starting on TV and cinema screens, billboards and online at the end of September. Air Passenger Duty to Morocco will also drop from £40 to £11 when changes come in this November.

The country is investing heavily in its tourist industry, according to Moroccan National Tourist Office UK and Ireland director Ali El Kasmi. "We have two new resorts opening this year. This is part of a plan initiated by the King of Morocco to create a network of six purpose-built luxury resorts over the next few years."

Saidia opened in June, on the Mediterranean coast in northeast Morocco, 40 minutes from Oujda airport. It includes a five-star and a four-star hotel, a self-catering unit and an all-inclusive property, plus a golf course, marina, shops, restaurants and a spa.

Opening in October, Mazagan Beach Resort is near the existing resort of El Jadida, and is 45 minutes from Casablanca. It's being developed by Kerzner International, and will include the first casino in this part of the country.

The draw for most is the city's colourful North African culture. "It's a unique city that offers a long-haul experience from a short-haul flight," Boyer says. Marrakesh accounts for 77% of Classic Collection's sales to Morocco, with the upmarket Angsana Riads selling particularly well since their addition to the programme this summer.

The thudding heart of the city is the Djemaa el-Fna, the main square in the heart of the Medina. It teems with life - musicians and dancers at night, and hawkers, snake charmers and women desperate to give tourists a henna tattoo during the day.

To the north of the square are the labyrinthine souks, where stall holders sell everything from shoes and spices to tagines and tourist tat. To the south, the exquisite minaret of the Kotoubia mosque rises high above the city.

To escape the hustle and bustle, send clients to the Majorelle Gardens. These landscaped gardens, with signature vivid blue accents, were built by a French painter and subsequently bought by fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent. It's a real oasis.

"The idea is that visitors can go to Marrakesh for longer - enjoy the city's culture and diversity, use the hotel as a base to explore the Atlas Mountains and the coast, but also spend time relaxing around the pool and making the most of the hotel's facilities."

Cosmos Tourama's seven-night highlights tour will operate with more convenient flights into Marrakesh rather than Casablanca from 2010. Also new is the option of extensions in Marrakesh and Agadir at the end of the tour.

In terms of hotels, the new Mandarin Oriental Jnan Rahma is due to open in October, and the Royal Mansour Marrakesh in December.

Wide sandy beaches, charter flights, and a comprehensive range of accommodation choices from three to five stars, and self-catering to all-inclusive, have rendered Agadir the package destination of choice for British tourists hitting Morocco.

Devastated by an earthquake in 1960, it has been rebuilt as a thoroughly modern city with wide streets. It's the most European-feeling of all the country's resorts, and tourists tend not to visit for the sights, though the historic city of Taroudant is an easy day trip away for those seeking Moroccan culture.

The beach is the key - it's huge, clean and safe, and, unlike many others on Morocco's Atlantic Coast, well sheltered from the winds. If lounging in the sun or snacking in a cafe isn't enough, there is also jet-skiing, quad-biking and horse and camel rides to pass the time. Flights operate weekly into Agadir during the summer season from Gatwick and Manchester.

White-walled seaside towns don't come much quainter than Essaouira, 100 miles west of Marrakesh. High, photogenic fortifications surround the old town, where there are wide squares and narrow streets to explore.

Rather like Ibiza, it became a haunt of hippies in the 1960s, and retains a similar laid-back atmosphere to this day - an antidote to the cacophony of Marrakesh.

The long white beach is particularly popular with windsurfers and kiteboarders, as there is often a swift breeze off the ocean. Fishing boats depart the harbour each morning, and tourists love to head for the port area and eat fresh-as-it-comes seafood in the restaurants.

There are a range of modern hotels along the seafront, and many riads in the Medina.

Morocco's deserts, mountains, historic cities and picturesque ports make it the perfect location for adventure tours.

With two new flights launching to Agadir and Marrakesh this year, TUI is increasing capacity, and may consider further growth next summer.

A new Air Arabia Maroc route began between London and Casablanca in May. This winter, EasyJet will add two flights from Manchester to Marrakesh, starting on October 29, and two from Gatwick to Agadir, starting on November 4.

Ryanair will restart its winter flights from Stansted to Agadir in November, and also add four new flights, two from Liverpool to Agadir commencing October 26, and two from East Midlands to Marrakesh, starting on November 5.

Raucous, vibrant and bustling in parts, surprisingly calm and contemplative in others, Marrakesh is a city begging to be explored. Clients can choose to stay either in the large international hotels in the new district of Gueliz, or the more adventurous can head into the old Medina and stay in a traditional Moroccan riad.