Morocco sets vision for 2020

According to Moroccan Agency for Tourism Development CEO Omar Bennani, the ambitious plan will be “focused on sustainable development and keeping Morocco’s positioning as an upscale destination”.

“We don’t want to be mass market and just bring people with cheap prices — we want to compete also on quality,” said Bennani.

Brands set to launch in Morocco include Baglioni, Mandarin Oriental, Four Seasons, Raffles and Six Senses, while Sofitel already operates six properties in the country.

Tourism development has been a focus in Morocco for the past 10 years, said Bennani, with Vision 2010 targeting 10 million visitors from a base of four million in 2000.

“Last year we had 8.3 million visitors and since the beginning of this year we have seen that it is growing by 12%. At the end of this year we forecast to have 9.4 million visitors,” said Bennani.